With around 6,700 meetings taking place over two days, national tourism organisation, VisitBritain, showcased a selection of the UK’s business events industry at MeetGB, held at the Hilton London Bankside, London, 19-20 April.
EW attended the launch of the two-day industry showcase, which saw over 100 global buyers from France, Germany, North America as well as Belgium, Austria, Spain and Switzerland, convene for a programme that included educational sessions. Ahead of the event, the global buyers attended educational visits across the UK and experienced first-hand the variety of conference and event facilities, with destinations showcasing their meetings and incentives experiences, infrastructure and accessibility.
Following a welcome speech from VisitBritain and an opportunity for networking, the day picked up momentum with an introductory session by Patrick Delaney and Padraic Gilligan, managing partners at SoolNua Marketing, who spoke on the current UK MICE landscape. Borrowing from Dickens, Delaney and Gilligan’s session contended we were living through, “The best of times, the worst of times” but that this situation was “the new normal”.
The speakers addressed five key global trends, including:
- Technology (a liberating tool, which can serve to enable or disable);
- Commissions (underlining the value of relationships);
- Destinations (evolving to enter the ‘era of the mega city’);
- Security (perceived versus real), including ‘cyber and health and safety’;
- Growth of Incentives.
Buyers interacted via the live group event app, casting a vote that ranked ‘technology’ and ‘destinations’ as the top two trends resonating.
Miguel Neves, head chef at Social Media Chefs, drove the mid-morning session on ‘trends and innovations in technology for meetings and events’.
Tech trends/themes gaining traction in the global events industry, he said, included:
- Smart data (automation and big data being important for attendees);
- Single focus (choosing to ‘stay in lane’ translates to keeping a single, coherent focus when using social media);
- Smart remote (using phone to control other things, for instance translation apps and e-posters);
- Voice activation (voice control as a trend that will automate our everyday);
- New types of business communication (ChatBots assist with rudimentary conference/event FYIs);
- AR (facial recognition apps and software used at high security events, for example);
- Influencer marketing;
- Experience through others (live storytelling is shifting the way we produce and experience, narration and comments lends to increased interaction);
- Influencer marketing tools;
- Personal Sound (sound wave beamed into the ear; simultaneous translator).
Following lunch on Day 1 was a discussion on crisis management, facilitated by Delaney and Gilligan and including Carina Bauer CEO, IMEX; Alexandra O’Malley, vice-president, Barclays International Events; and Tarquin Scadding Hunt, CEO, MD Group.
The final session on Day 1 was headed by Simon Clayton, chief ideas officer at RefTech, and was devoted to practical data safety and security.
The evening programme included a gala dinner and entertainment at Church House Westminster, plus a welcome speech from Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain.
VisitBritain/VisitEngland chief executive Sally Balcombe said: “It has been wonderful to hear such positive feedback from international event planners and buyers who have been inspired and excited by what they have discovered about the UK during MeetGB.
Reflecting on MeetGB, Jennifer Summers, regional director of sales, Prestige Global Meeting Source from Minneapolis, USA, said: “I’ve had some excellent meetings at MeetGB and have learnt so much more than I expected about the breadth of the opportunities in the UK – I was particularly excited to meet some hotel groups that were new to me.”
MeetGB is hosted by VisitBritain in partnership with London & Partners, VisitEngland, Visit Wales, VisitScotland and Tourism Northern Ireland.
More information, click here.
