Yesterday, as the various global time zones awoke from their slumber, an inspiring movement got underway, united under the ‘Global Exhibitions Day’ moniker.
Kicked-off by world exhibition industry association UFI and its partners, the inaugural #GED16 worked so well because it gave agency to industry organisations to celebrate and reflect on what they do in their own unique ways.
Queue photos, videos, innovative marketing activity and messages of support flooding in on the various social media channels at a rate that one mere mortal in the EW office, namely me, could not begin to keep track of.
(Although we documented some of the social highlights in our online galleries – see below).
GED16 is an important time to reflect on where the exhibition industry is going, and how we can all help it grow.
Articles we’ve published in EW of late have focused on topics that give important pointers on the industry’s future; notably technology, millennials and the factors driving the expansion of local markets.
The new generation of event consumers haven’t fallen into the boxes that many suspected. Contrary to expectations, they love printed media, increasingly seek time away from online, and, crucially for us, truly value the live experience.
Meanwhile, Google is going back to the drawing board with its Google Glass product and there’s been a global recoil against privacy infringing data tracking, forcing some experts to backtrack on their predicted event industry visions.
But, all this uncertainty is what makes the exhibitions industry a lively space to be involved in. What we can take pride in collectively is that the world is finally getting the message about the value of MICE. This is evident from the increasing governmental support for national business event organisations, from Thailand’s TCEB to New York’s NYC and Company to London's London & Partners.
To further reflect this optimism, the exhibition venues we document are becoming increasingly sophisticated, forming central roles in their city’s DNA. Venues are thinking smart about giving multifunctional support for all event types, meaning events and exhibitions will increasingly be more central to our lives.
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