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May 05, 2021
Many of the same industry giants cooperating on safety standards for a return to live events have found common ground again with a new baseline format to collect and track data.
Virtual Standard Export Format (VSef), formally unveiled on Tuesday, has already won widespread adoption from leading event organizers and technology companies. Helming this standardization mission is Explori, which hopes that by creating a universal standard the industry can successfully integrate virtual and hybrid elements into traditional face-to-face gatherings.
The launch comes as trade shows and other large-… more
May 03, 2021
The tactile nature of the fashion industry ensures face-to-face gatherings will always be important for exhibitors to do business with buyers. But Paul Lee, CEO of NHN Global, parent company of FashionGo, says virtual shows will have their share of the runway, too.
“Digital shows will coexist with physical ones,” Lee predicted.
Some numbers suggest he is correct. Fashion Go experienced a 180% increase in newly registered retailers in August 2020, when its first virtual FashionGo Week launched. In February, the platform witnessed another 160% increase in registered retailers before the… more
Apr 30, 2021
On April 22, event professionals from across the globe tuned in to watch the Virtual Events Institute’s inaugural Virtual & Hybrid Event Awards. Recently launched to celebrate the innovation and excellence of digital and hybrid events around the world, the event was broadcast from ExCeL London’s hybrid event studio, with technical support from audiovisual and entertainment technology company Anna Valley.
Hosted by VEI Co-Founder Simon Burton, who presented accolades across 15 categories, the Awards’ entries were judged by an expert panel of 47 industry leaders comprising a diverse mix of… more
Apr 26, 2021
Exhibitors have, in general, struggled to adapt to the virtual world of events. Accustomed to handshakes and face-to-face encounters on a trade showfloor, they have found little in the way of an equivalent online. While their ROI has not matched expectations thus far, it doesn’t mean that always has to be the case.
Yes, in-person events are coming back — at a faster pace than we perhaps expected — but remote attendees will be part of the equation, perhaps forever. New data collected from Swapcard offers clues as to how exhibitors can make the most of virtual and hybrid experiences as the… more
Apr 21, 2021
One of the driving factors that led Jim Sharpe to become CEO of leading events platform Aventri was that he saw a chance to work within an industry about to undergo a technological revolution. That was in January 2020. “I didn’t appreciate what that meant,” said Sharpe, who had a grand total of six weeks to become acclimated with events before COVID-19 turned the world on its head.
A newbie to the MICE industry, Sharpe was previously responsible for tech-enabled services at companies like Gerson Lehrman Group and Standard Purification. “More than anything, I leveraged my experience as a CEO… more
Apr 13, 2021
Can you name the most popular social media platform? You may never need to, according to Bill McGlade, founder and CEO of Victory Productions and one of the most respected figures in event technology.
Whether you are a user on Reddit — the answer to our opening question — or not, McGlade said the right app could take all of the positives of the many social media channels and eschew the negatives that come with having separate Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Imagine a world where you don’t repost a photo four times, your messages don’t get lost in a fancy algorithm and… more
Apr 09, 2021
Soon after founding Meetaway three years ago, Scott Barnett conducted research for how his platform could work best for conferences. All it took was one question, asked pre-COVID: What is your favorite part of an event? About 90% of respondents cited one-on-one hallway meetings — impromptu or pre-planned.
“There’s something magical about that one-on-one conversation,” said Barnett, who has built his product to “take that magic moment and run an entire networking session around that.”
Flash forward to the past 12 months, when many attendees and exhibitors have cursed their virtual… more
Apr 05, 2021
The Herculean efforts of the events industry to adapt during the pandemic will be rewarded at the Event Technology Awards. Organized by Event Tech Live, nominations for the ninth annual awards launched on April 1 and run through July 31.
Fittingly, given the rapid rise of virtual events in the past year, five new categories have been added:
Best Hybrid Event Platform
Best Live Streaming and Video Production
Best Digital Event Production Company
Best Visual Event Platform
Event Tech’s Rising Star
The additions mean 35 awards will be handed out during Event Tech Live Week, set for Nov. 1… more
Mar 29, 2021
There is more than one way to run a virtual event. Likewise, there are significant different objectives. Finding the right technological partner is crucial to securing the desired outcome. Here, we look at how two vastly different organizations — Connect and The Mars Society —have much to be proud of despite their paths.
Connect Cyber
Connect is a business-to-business operation geared to develop business relationships between meeting planners and hosts ranging from CVBs to hotels, convention centers and other venues. Unlike many companies, Connect kept its flagship conference in-person in… more
Mar 26, 2021
Toby Lewis, CEO of the UK-based Live Group, used to be fearful for the future of the MICE industry. That was well before March 2020 sent us all into a panic.
Lewis’ concerns grew over the course of the last decade while reading yearly analysis reports in which little changed besides dates and venues. The stagnation was equally perplexing and infuriating for someone who always looks ahead.
“Live group was unashamedly geeky before [COVID-19] in terms of the way we adopted technologies across the board,” he said. “We were finding our clients were kind of resisting and we didn't really know why… more
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