The Events Industry Council (EIC) has announced its support for VSef, a global data format for the digital events industry.
VSef was launched in early 2021, with the aim of creating a global standardised data format which can be used to simplify the process of moving data between event platforms, sales and marketing systems and business intelligence tools.
With more than 30 member organisations representing over 103,500 individuals and 19,500 firms and properties in the events industry, the EIC’s mission is to support the sector through the setting of professional standards across the entirety of the international events community.
Amy Calvert (pictured), CEO of the EIC, commented: “The EIC works to establish international industry standards through the CMP Programme, EIC Sustainable Event Standards as well as the long standing APEX initiative. The global VSef initiative, founded by Explori, has focused on the area of digital event data standards, and developed a comprehensive solution on a not-for-profit basis.”
Mark Brewster, founder of Explori and VSef, stated: “We have formed this alliance to further the cause of data standardisation. Ultimately, it is vital for event organisers to keep a firm grip on their data assets. In terms of digital event data, the events industry has become a challenge to navigate effectively with every platform operating in their own data silo. This leaves event organisers with the unenviable task of operating in an incomparable, opaque, and inconsistent landscape. This presents significant barriers to multi-platform integration, consistent measurement, and the essential insights that event planners need to develop strategy."
VSef has recently launched the second iteration of the standards - VSef 2.0 which includes a range of new features, aiming to meet the needs of international audiences as well as allowing for the unique data variables each platform captures.
Since its inception, VSef has received backing from global organisers and platforms including Informa Markets, Reed Exhibitions, Tarsus Group, Emerald Expositions, Clarion Events, Grip, Balluun, Notified, Swapcard, Accelevents, ExpoPlatform and many more.
