Will MWC 2021 be the benchmark for global trade fairs and potentially the events world as we know it? I think it will and this is why!

Mobile World Congress (MWC) was cancelled back in February and looking to one year on, will MWC 2021 be the benchmark for global trade fairs and potentially the events world as we know it?

I think it will and this is why. 

I've spent the past three decades in the live events industry and have worked across a wide range of business sectors. I’ve experienced and worked on some of the most recognisable projects and events known and I’ve been a client, supplier and agency side.  

Starting as a designer and moving into account management and then onto event sales to deal with client demands, budgets and time limitations, has all taught me how breaking through traditional practices and cultivating events that matter, delivers exceptional results!

In other words, success comes by DOING IT DIFFERENTLY! 

We have all seen the effects of recent times! An industry full to bursting with one event after another tweaked to make it unique – NOT and ultimately delivered to drive profits. But don’t get me wrong, there has been some brilliant, sustainable and loved events. The ‘Hive’ designed by Wolfgang Buttress for the British Pavilion in 2015 for the Milan World Expo and manufactured by Stage One Creative Services, is just one great example and a ‘must see’ if you haven’t at Kew Gardens in West London. 

I think reasonable people understand and accept the event industry must change because we are simply using the resources of multiple planets, we are a wasteful industry and can’t continue to consume in this way, it will destroy us! 

MWC is a classic example of a show in decline because the event isn’t changing to meet the needs of the industry it is representing. For years the show has had a 1-year plan and this is being replicated across multiple trade shows worldwide, a blinkered approach driven by one metric – profit! 

Attending my first site at Geneva Telecom back in 1991 and rocking up with 4 plan tubes slung across my back, the days before CAD was being widely used in the exhibition industry. The point being; our industry was simply lagging behind, stuck on the drawing board and being fearful of new technologies, the same is true now! We are just not asking ourselves what the next 30 years of events looks like and driving those changes to realise it!

Technology is changing our lives! 5G and the enviable stream of new products are being thought of and designed now. Not just as new revenue streams but more as devices (if they are to be?) for change and the betterment of our lives and the world around us. So why if one industry is pushing forward, we in the events industry are just rolling out the same solutions without thought of the effects they have? 

But events/exhibitions are about face 2 face, people needing to be in direct contact with one another, it’s a big business and has a big responsibly beyond the venue, MWC for example delivering a vast income to the local economy, I hear you shout and yes, I agree! 

But that isn’t the point. What we are doing isn’t sustainable, we are not stepping up with a new vision for the future of events, we are not addressing the environment in a way that makes it not just an appendage, but rather part of our spine.

I’ve enjoyed seeing nature again, finding out that whale song has changed from being stressed to playful, that air quality is the best it’s been for a lifetime and learning Northern Delhi is seeing the Himalayas again for the first time in 2 decades. These recent enforced changes to our lives have ultimately created change beyond anyone’s expectations, surprising, beautiful and dear I say, are being loved! No one could have planned these amazing results, no ROI measurement to deliver a global event to create these changes or could we have?

So should we in the event industry be looking at returning to ‘NORMAL’?

No, because ‘normal’ is boring and was broken anyway! No, because the event industry was born to drive change and that opportunity to change is now! No, because our industry has a responsibility as all industries do, to protect the environment and improve lives.

Over the past few months I’ve experienced perhaps the best time make new connections, everyone including myself, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, what to do, crystal ball the future and generally seek some sort of new trend to follow. Conversations have been more authentic than usual, vulnerability levels high and this is empowering us to seek a better future and a better world. So looking ahead, MWC 2021 is critical because of one simple point! 

It will be the first big global trade fair to potentially return, being about ‘Human’ & ‘Technology’ experiences from an industry that embraces doing it differently. The blending of technology within the live events arena is the ‘new’ horizon for our industry and MWC 2021 could be a launch of a new era with clients requiring less face-time and more connected time.

The recent Apple Conference could be an indication of that future. Apple, who by the way don’t attend trade fairs, held their 2020 WWDC conference as an online event for obvious reasons. Previously it was held in Las Vegas with delegate numbers of around 5000-6000 paying $1,500 each to attend, this year’s online event saw an audience of 15 million! Okay, they are in the business of technology, but it does illustrate, by doing it differently it brought greater success beyond expectations and remember they didn’t chose online, they were forced!

The blending of ‘Live’ with ‘Online’ experiences is going to require a change in our industry culture across the board.

The 'value' of a Live event will increase along with their frequency, more events, more local, but the size of event won't necessarily grow. Whilst the 'influence' of Online will be greater, resonating longer, delivering ROI beyond measurement!

As an industry our first responsibility is to our clients and their audiences, this has always been the case and it remains the same. Yes, we are in intensive care at the moment and yes, we need help! That help will come from crafting this new and exciting world of ‘Live’ and ‘Online', driving change and delivering events that matter and making events sustainable in themselves for the next 30 years!

#becausetomorrowmatters