Welcome! Tech or no-tech?

I know, corny title. But I’m a bit rusty, long time since I added a post.

As we are looking back at the past half year and getting ready  for exciting things this fall and winter, my usual summer job is preparing the annual trend view for my company. 

What are the big trends and developments in meetings and events? Where will we stand in, say, 2017?  And, more importantly, how can we act upon the big changes? 

What do we need to do to ensure that all visitors, exhibitors and organizers will experience their best event ever in the years to come?

Needless to say, event technology plays a big role in the trends. Whether it’s about ROI, big data, wearables, beacons, apps or social media: we all seem to agree that meetings will be affected by technology more than ever before. On every level. Or do we?

This week I read two news items that seem to tell two different stories.

In Cupertino, CA , the Aloft hotel started experimenting with robot service.  An experiment in which a robot is used to deliver “razors, toothbrushes, smartphone chargers, snacks and even the morning paper” to any of the rooms in a matter of minutes. It uses wireless to operate the elevator, and can sense it when the hotel room door opens. It does not ask for tips, but for a review on social media, and apparently does a dance when it receives a mention…Wow.  Any ideas for the event industry? I could think of a few…

On the other side of the world, in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum (contemporary art museum) decided to get rid of the electronic  turnstiles in the main entrance and instead have museum staff welcome visitors, check their tickets and give a personal, human welcome to the collection.  This is in line with the museum director’s vision of an open and inviting  environment. Any ideas for the event industry? I could think of a few…again.

So which would you prefer? Robot service or a personal touch?

In my opinion? I want best of both worlds. When I go to an event, I want both the personal touch AND the amazing technology. Wow me, inspire me and make me feel at home. And I think I am not alone here J. So my trend view will feature both tech and no-tech developments: it all comes down to a memorable and meaningful event-experience.

Note to tech: IF we get robots, can they be retro? Almost human :-)

See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/12/technology/hotel-to-begin-testing-botlr-a-robotic-bellhop.html?_r=0  for more details on the Aloft robot.

Not so fast!!!

( OK, true. It’s probably me, not you.)

Things happen at an incredible pace. I might be getting old, but in my younger days (talking about the 80’s here) we had at least a year or so to get used to new ideas and ways of living. We had an economic crisis as well, I might add, and no internet. So things were slower anyway. The world was a different place. 

Hah!  A real-time Google hangout with #eventprofs friends was science fiction.   

Still, when it comes to introducing new ideas and technology to events now, I think an 80’s approach might not be such a bad idea. 

Because let’s face it:

Apps are great, but not all attendees have smartphones and with the majority of them still figuring out the “smart” basics, it might be pushing it to get them to follow all the great things we include: games, online networking, real-time stats on popular booths and sessions....

Yes we need those, but be patient.

It might take a few years to really get the most out of it. In the meantime: educate and allow your app to grow with your audience.  All segments of it.  So cater for all generations :-).

Hybrid events. I believe they are definitely here to stay, but do not expect all your potential  remote attendees to sign in for the full experience and understand how to proceed.  For a first time attendee it’s confusing, and before you know it, you’ve lost them. Be smart in you hybrid strategy and start with a few  well stocked hours … easy to manage and just enough  to send a positive vibe that might just give that extra commitment you are aiming for.

..and everything else. 

I love new tech incorporated into events, but once tech takes over, the event itself loses. Smart segmentation and careful  distribution and key here. Make sure that you do not alienate your stakeholders!

Crowdsourced venues, hologram speakers, robot attendees: I’m all for it, but keep in mind that your average doctor or scientist might not have read the latest articles in Wired…. 

Give it time.

Yes. Let’s use technology to make our events better. Absolutely. But also remember the pace that our industry is moving in: one step at the time. 

Outside looking in

The Dutch have interesting habits and ideas… I’m sure many are all too familiar.

But did you know that we often leave our curtains open in the evenings? When you walk on the streets at night, you can have a peek at families eating dinner, sitting in front of TV’s and other screens, celebrating birthdays, and so on.

 It all stems from a Calvinistic past, when the citizens felt a need to show that they were leading honest, sober lives.  But even in 2014 we do it. We’re on display, you can see what we are up to. Apparently we still  want to show the outside world that we are happy, responsible people living good lives in nice homes. And we have big windows, too.

I was thinking about this in relation to hybrid events and streams. In a way organizers are inviting us all to have a look,  using a screen as the window, and showing passers-by their content and products. 

In my experience – it is by far the best way to let a wide audience experience who you  are, and might result in a future face-to-face visit. 

Inspired by the window you show. No need to keep the curtains closed!

Anyway, I am looking forward to PCMA Convening Leaders, FRESH Conference and other events that are kind enough to invite me to have a look in their homes…and even join in the conversation with the people that are there. In that respect, hybrid events are even more inviting than an open window – they are opening their doors.

Just imagine…

.

Just imagine …there are no conferences, tradeshows, exhibitions and corporate events. A blank page.

I know, it’s hard, but you can do it.

Then imagine you are sitting at home, thinking about your work, the subjects you really care about, the friends you have made over the years, the people you met in other countries, during your education, school, neighbors, family… What would it be like to invite all or some of them to meet, mingle and work towards a common goal?

How would you combine the experience, knowledge and ideas they share or have hidden in the back of their minds? How would you make sure that they would all have a great time AND learn and grow? What could they come up with?

Just imagine. At first chaos, and then some sort of order? Or the other way around? Groups and smaller groups evolve naturally, or a need of leaders to step up? Will you group people as you have met them, or mix business contacts with childhood friends? Or your older relatives with the neighbors children? Maybe just see what they come up with themselves?

Will they meet face to face, or online? In a building or on the beach? Will they show and tell, or just talking and discovering shared hobbies and experiences? Maybe playing a game….

How will you all get the most of it?  

And THEN realize there ARE conferences, tradeshows, exhibitions and corporate events. Are they different from your imagination? Somehow I have a feeling, that you will have thought of something out of the ordinary, something that you haven’t tried before. A new mix of people and settings.

Then it is time to start a change.Turn a page. And now’s time to do it. A new year, new ideas and lots of imagination.

Happy innovating!

Shared experiences

Remember that session when the speaker turned a tech failure into a tech success?  Or the ICCA network event when we tasted Dutch herring? Or the great fun we had in an Amsterdam pod connected to EventCamp Twin Cities?  

Well you probably do not – unless you were there.  But you have other memories  of events and tradeshows much like mine.  And more of them , I know most #eventprofs  get out a bit more than I do :-) . But that is not my point here.. it is about the power of events.

We share the same experience of venue, program, tradeshow, booths, sessions. The event provides a common ground, a framework and a shared interest even before we say Hello.

We are all out of our comfort zone, in a different setting, out of our day-to-day routine. That makes us more eager to connect and reach out to others.  And if we  already know people from previous events, even better. Than we can add another chapter  to our joint story.

That is why events, conferences and tradeshows  are so effective and irreplaceable. You do not just remember  the content and innovations, you also include the people you meet . They become a part of the story, and often turn into long term, valuable relations.

And  we keep running into each other. Through face to face meetings  maybe, but also online. We connect and re-connect in the events LinkedIn groups, on its Facebook pages, websites or via  hashtags. Giving us another umbrella to build relationships.

In fact the phrase ” long term relationships through a shared experience” was one of the tweets I sent  during an online event, the weekly #expochat that  @tracibrowne invented .  Another  way of building relationships…and a great way to share experiences!

Probably this topic was  inspired by the festive season, peace on earth, bringing people together and all that, but nevertheless it’s true.  

So any resolutions for next year? Adding to the story, I guess. Happy 2014!

Evolutionairy Road

These days it seems almost impossible to take things slow. We are following trends and new ideas like greyhounds, hoping to be the first to catch on to the latest app, the breaking news, the next big thing. Always on the go.

I must be getting old, but I have the feeling we do not allow ourselves the time to focus anymore. To slow down. To see clearly where we are going, and still look at the scenery along the way. Allowing for distractions, even. Because these might just add new thoughts and meaning to whatever goal we have in mind. Allowing a little bit of trial and error.

Hah! That reminds me of our road trip to Italy this summer. Our car broke down three (!) times on our way from Amsterdam to Ancona, but we had the best view of the Adriatic see. And some quality time to reflect :-)

Well , I am planning to stop and use my breaks a little more from now on.  Smell the flowers, see the sky, so to speak. How?

Using event  research in a more relaxed manner. Sure I know my goals and the objectives, and I will still deliver on time. But hey, if I spend a few extra  hours to look at reports more closely, add new angles or combinations, I might stumble upon an idea that is worth investigating. Small and slow. The dirt road just might  be the connection we were looking for.

Using social media in a better way. Planning time during the weekend to really read those blogs. Think about their content, see who can benefit from them, and pass them on. Not just retweet, but making it personal. Adding thoughts, asking feedback. More with less.  

Using event technology more based on personal need. To use as a reference after the event, for instance. Allowing myself to follow sessions as I see fit, ignoring networking tools once in a while and just enjoying the conversation. Or the white space. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love event tech, but not when it dictates the way I should connect. And, especially, the pace I should do it in. Even at events, it is worth to take it slow now and then. One great conversation might teach me more than a quick scan of the entire room...

So there you have it. Relax! And allow yourself a few mistakes. With the speed that we are going now, there is plenty of time to  adjust. Happy travels!

Let's keep in touch!

(workblog) 

The other week I was going through some old files, just looking if there were any data or details that I needed to get into the main database. And it struck me, that these pieces of paper really showed the big changes we have had in communication and connecting. In a way, a history just like the rings on a tree.  Busy years with a lot of letters and brochures , and slow years with almost no communication at all.

The best files are the oldest ones. You can see a change in pace, vocabulary and technology instantly.

We used to send letters in a very formal tone of voice and keep the carbon copies of them. So the file of association X starts in the ‘70’s, with these formal  letters and replies. If there were urgent issues, a telex was sent.  In the 80’s things were getting less formal, but we still kept in touch via letters. The occasional fax message appears in the files. Funny thing,  we had to put in a request  to send a fax and needed to get approvals  signed by  a manager before we were entitled to send it….imagine.  Then in the 90’s, communication via internet kicks in. The latest entries in file X are printouts of important e-mails, a signed contract (yey!)  and a message to check the database. Hah. I feel like an archaeologist.

Interesting to see how we connected with our customers and stakeholders over the decades.. . next to face to face, obviously. 

Did we do a good job? Probably…but it’s a new world now. We are connected all the time. We talk via mail and social media, via whatsapp and other tools, wherever we are - mobile and  free. We are updated  on a real-time basis, and are used to getting  answers to our questions even before we send them..

In 2013, “let’s stay in touch” means keeping the conversation going all the time. It means being in touch with machines, objects and  services, as well as talking to friends, delegates, companies and clients.  Whoa. Talk about connecting…

What does this mean for the events industry? How do we merge all these connections into our face to face meetings? We are talking with delegates, exhibitors and other stakeholders on a day to day basis. How do we do that?  Are we truly connected all the time?

I often see events with “see you next year” banners at the exit . Pretty old skool, don’t you think? I hope to see  “see you tomorrow” pretty soon…

(inspiration for this blogpost came from our  new Connected Society report.  Made me feel both nostalgic AND anxious for the future J . If you like, have a look and let me know what you think: http://www.rai.nl/en/amsterdam-rai/News-Press/nieuws/Pages/Connected-Society.aspx