What will your meeting look like - in 2016?
There will be negative consequences for the future of exhibits if significant changes are not made in the way the industry currently functions.
This was the driving reason for several meetings organizations to come together to produce Scenarios for the Future: Convention exhibits and tradeshows of 2016. As the title suggests, the report is meant to predict and plan for the future of convention exhibits and tradeshows. One segment of the report deals with creating exhibit scenarios set in 2016, including manifesto statements supporting the scenario and the risks involved. A sample scenario is completely reinventing your show.
The participating organizations were ASAE Foundation, Exhibition Industry Foundation, event company Freeman, Gaylord Entertainment and PCMA Education Foundation.
Other segments addressed in the report include elements for an unrivaled show experience; questions to ask determine if your organization is on the right track for future exhibit success; and takeaways fur updating your association's exhibit plans. Five are offered below:
1. Be relevant now. The more relevant your event is to its industry today, and the faster you can respond to change, the less likely it will be necessary to blow up your event and start over with something new.
2. Translate your research into action. Market research and industry economic research will play an increasing role for the event team in the development and execution of an event. In building your future business plans it will be necessary to review how you are using market research today and what must be done to increase its depth and predictive accuracy in building your plans for tomorrow.
3. Stay on digital alert and implement technology. The rate of digital penetration in your industry will dictate how aggressive an event must be to incorporate new technology into its design and execution. The important point from this study is that the event team must be on "early-alert" to the changes taking place in its market-space and competitive environment.
4. Data, data, data. Data on all aspects of an event will become increasingly more important as guides to the successful design and execution of an event for exhibitors, participants and organizers. Therefore, a data collection system and protocol analysis will need to be undertaken now. Included in this analysis should be a look at how the collected data will be analyzed, utilized as part of the decision making process and how it can potentially be monetized.
5. Determine what you need then plan for it. As part of today's event planning process it will be necessary to do a capabilities audit to determine if the appropriate "digital" and "experiential" horse-power is on-staff and able to successfully meet future challenges.
Details: www.asaecenter.org.
