Let’s Stick with Sustainable Events for Good!

It’s been a wet and wild week for us here in North Rhine-Westphalia. The once-in-a-generation flooding that has taken place over the last days here and in our neighboring region, as well as the very real cost to human lives that has been felt, has all of us thinking of the climate emergency. Just as the EU has signed important climate targets, it makes us think about what more we can do on an individual and a company scale.
Events can certainly be part of the strategy to lower emissions and lessen our impact. But climate-friendly and sustainable events are no accident. Especially the move to hybrid events can potentially make a bigger impact on the climate than ever before. As event professionals, we need to be aware, and active in pursuing solutions that can bring people together in a sustainable, and green-friendly way.

This week, others in the event industry have this topic at heart, and have been speaking about what can be done. I’ve shared some of my favorite recent reads on this, as well as some of the most important event technology and industry reads of the week.

But before you get to the reads, I wanted to share an event you might be interested in. We know online events can be effective at bringing people together, but what does it take to create an event that actually builds relationships and brings in sales? Next week, we are hosting a special workshop in German: Leadgenerierung durch Online-Events: digitaler Kundentag bis Hausmesse. We’ll go over some of the top things we’ve learned about putting together effective events that convert and bring in leads. It’s free and takes place on Thursday at 17:00. Join us!

If you’d prefer to take part in this workshop in English, let me know and we can definitely put you on the list for the next one.

Now, on to the week’s top reads!

#EventTech:

• Hubilo adds more engagement opportunities to its virtual event landscape [Conferences and Meetings World] Hubilo launches a new virtual and hybrid events platform to better connect and engage attendees in both virtual and in-person settings.
• Sony Music strikes Roblox deal to explore more virtual events [Musically] I have a theory that what’s happening on Roblox now is where the virtual event world will be operating in a few months time. So this new deal with Sony, to integrate more virtual music events on the platform, is a compelling partnership. Roblox has already hosted the world’s largest virtual event experience– with 36 million viewers tuning in to Lil Nas X’s virtual concert on the platform.
• Cisco Acquires Event Technology Platform, Socio Labs [Martech Cube] The story of late in the Eventtech space has been acquisitions… and Cisco’s WebEx has been one of the companies on the forefront. The latest buy, of Socio Labs, is envisioned to help the Webex suite beyond webinars to “power the future of hybrid events”.
• Hopin Illuminates the scene with fifth acquisition of past year [Conference News] Last week, eventtech unicorn Hopin announced its acquisition of Attendify, an audience and attendee data platform that helps capture engagement and participant intent.
• Zoom Rooms gain new tools for hybrid meetings [AV Interactive] Zoom Rooms adds more features to enhance hybrid meetings. One feature we love? The “social gallery” which uses AI to put the focus on those meeting in-person on screen for those joining remotely.
• Bevy acquires Egyptian virtual events platform Eventtus [Mena Bytes] More acquisitions in eventtech, with community platform Bevy acquiring longstanding partner Eventtus to enable the company to extend it’s tech stack and compete on a larger global scale.
• Bizzabo Expands European Footprint with New London Office [Martech Series] Mainstay event platform Bizzabo jumps across the pond with a new European office to oversee European operations. Bizzabo has grown considerably over the past year, with several new office openings and two acquisitions announced in the last two months– x.ai, an artificial intelligence scheduling tool and Whalebone, a crowd amplification and visualization technology.
• In the spotlight: Manish Chandak, Ungerboeck [Meetings Industry Association] President and CEO of the longstanding events management platform Ungerboeck speaks to the MIA about the challenges to the industry and how the sector is moving forward in a more digital future.

The Industry:

• Messewirtschaft: Wie sich die Branche auf den Neustart vorbereitet [SZ]  As the event industry in Germany prepares to return to in-person tradefairs and exhibitions, a great insight on how the field has changed dramatically. Digital experiences will remain, but the return of the physical handshake remains at the top of the priority list for fair organizers.
• Events Industry: ‘Do more, act earlier’ say global Climate Change Ambassadors [Event Industry News] As Europe signs ambitious climate targets this week, there is pressure on the event industry to act more decisively when it comes to their impact on the planet.
• Nachhaltigkeit ist nicht das Problem, sondern die Lösung [Musik Woche]  Start of an important new series on how events can be made as environmentally friendly as possible going forward. Sustainability expert Stefan Lohmann shares his views on what event organizers can do.
• Greener, Faster, More Inclusive – How Software Is Revolutionising Big Events [Forbes] An inside look into how event technology providers have sought to lower the climate impact of their events, and how technology can be used to build a more sustainable future of events. I’ll note though– not all technology providers are the same when it comes to their “green” credentials– be an informed buyer, especially when it comes to hybrid events, and your carbon footprint can increase rapidly, alongside your budget!
• 15 Data Points on the State of Experiential and Where it’s Headed [Event Marketer] Some really compelling statistics here about where the event industry is going. One that stands out is that a whopping 90% of event marketers are now focused on in-person events– which really speaks to the enthusiasm from the industry to get back to physical. Virtual is still not going away!

Don’t Miss it:

• Virtual events: how The Financial Times attracted 250k delegates during the pandemic [Journalism] One of the big impacts of the move to digital is seeing new entrants when it comes to event organizers. This detailed look shows how the FT pivoted to digital events and the massive impact they’ve made– not only creating new revenue streams, but also changing the company’s business model.
• Virtual Event Successes: ASAE, Vet Show @ Home and Event Tech Live Hit the Virtual Sweet Spot [Trade Show News Network] In-depth rundown of three recent online events and the impact that they’ve made. Overall the public enthusiasm for online events still remains high, and these case studies demonstrate how much they continue to resonate.
• How the ESSENCE Festival Returned to New Orleans With a Hybrid Event [BizBash] I really loved the creativity from this hybrid festival, and it’s a great look at how others are playing with the hybrid event concept. As we’re getting closer to hosting our own hybrid events, the concepts shared here really push the envelope– although they’d be difficult to replicate in Germany, it shows how pandemic restrictions can really encourage thinking outside the box!
• „Endlich wieder Messe“: Sommer-IBO zeigte Flagge in turbulenten Zeiten [Messe Friedrichshafen] A nice wrap up of the IBO summer fair in Friedrichshafen, one of the first large scale in-person consumer events to be hosted in Germany since the pandemic began. Over 17,100 visitors joined in person alongside 280 exhibitors, showing the successful return of physical events in Germany.

Closing thoughts

Thanks for checking out The Lookout this week! I wanted to thank so many of you for reaching out and sharing your suggestions on how to make this newsletter even more useful for you. I’m always taking suggestions, so please feel free to reach out and reply anytime with your feedback. I really appreciate it!

Let’s stay connected if we’re not already on Linkedin or follow the PIRATEx team on Twitter. If there’s anything you would like to read about when it comes to remote, or digital events, let me know! I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions.

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The Lookout Newsletter #33

Written by:
Felix Josephi
PIRATEx Managing Director