9 minute read
AIPC
INDUSTRY VIEWS
Coming off an economic high
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Are we ready for the next downturn?
With a globally growing expectation of economic downturn, if not recession, it is an interesting time to reflect on what we may have learned through the last cycle, notes Aloysius Arlando.
ALOYSIUS ARLANDO is the president of AIPC and the CEO of SingEx.
Recent industry surveys have shown some of the highest levels of business performance and confidence we’ve ever recorded, so adapting to new conditions could well be more demanding this time around! We must now consider what we’ve learned over the course of the last cycle that we can apply to planning for the next. beat, with few cancellations and only a bit of an attendance drop, even at the nadir of the crisis. It seems reasonable that this kind of a pattern would likely be repeated in the event of another downturn – in fact, there’s an argument to be made that at a time of any kind of crisis, the need for gatherings to deal with the aftermath and plan for the future is actually likely to increase.
LESSON 1 First, all things eventually pass – and we can be assured that any downturn will be a transition we need to bridge rather than a permanent new set of operating conditions. Having said that, we also saw how some things that change during an economic slump will never return afterward, at least in the same way.
As an example, one thing many of us experienced during the last downturn was the increasing reliance many event organisers had on centres to help take up the slack in service delivery, as their own cutbacks took hold – and that still holds in many cases today, where centres find themselves devoting more and more time to coming up with ideas on how clients can get the most out of their facilities.
It was the same case with client expectations for concessions and subventions in many parts of the world – first, a kind of ‘emergency measure’ but ultimately just an ongoing fact of life that persists today.
LESSON 2 Second, we know there will be a shift in our business mix. The corporate business that was so strong prior to the last financial crisis evaporated overnight in many parts of the world, and took many years to rebuild to its current position at the top of the ‘business potential’ list.
In the meantime, we all learned just how stable association events were – the general experience being that they barely skipped a
LESSON 3 Third, we all learned the value of revenue diversification – of pursuing other revenue sources to help mitigate the effects that a loss of traditional streams could have on everyone’s bottom line, and that applies as much to organisers and association executives as to industry suppliers.
The result back then was a flurry of new and creative revenue ideas in almost every aspect of event development and management – and while these slowed when traditional revenues started to rebound, they will most certainly be a factor in any future scenarios that generate financial challenges.
LESSON 4 Finally, we all – suppliers and clients alike – learned the value of good communications and a partnership approach to event delivery. In fact, pursuing these kinds of relationships is a good idea under any conditions and can be particularly valuable when economic conditions lead to more constrained budgets and everyone needs to become a bit more creative in driving cost-effectiveness.
IN CLOSING The big lesson here is that while we can all still hope that the predicted economic downturn will not in fact materialise – or if it does, it will be short-lived – history suggests that a bit of advance preparation can’t hurt.
To find those lessons – and to think about what strategies they might suggest as we look to the future – we need look no further than the last downturn!
INDUSTRY VIEWS
Upskilling the industry
PROJENI PATHER is the chairperson of AAXO.
Growing young professionals
In order to grow the exhibitions and events industry, AAXO believes that its members need employees with the right skills to provide service excellence, says Projeni Pather.
To address the skills shortage, we are proud to launch the AAXO Young Professionals membership. In alignment with our efforts to ensure more opportunities for development, this is the perfect chance for young individuals whose companies are not members of AAXO to be part of the association and have access to mentorship, resources, training and education grants. In line with AAXO Young Professional membership, a key component of our objectives as an association to grow young talent is the AAXO Education Outreach Fund. This fund will provide grants to young professionals who want to uplift their career in the exhibitions and events industry but lack the financial means to do so. These grants will offer young individuals the opportunity to further their growth and uplift their skills by funding their journey in the industry. All grants awarded will be based on merit and will require a detailed application for review. In support of the AAXO training and development mission, grants awarded will provide individuals with access to two new programmes – the internationally recognised IAEE Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) programme and the AAXO Exhibition and Event Masterclass – and any other supporting activities or programmes that are consistent with the aim of the AAXO Young Professionals Programme. AAXO Young Professionals membership is open to individuals who are eager to develop their skills in the exhibitions and events space. As part of our mission to invest in the exhibitions and events industry, we are committed to recognising deserving individuals who will be assets to the industry.
Register for the AAXO newsletter or follow @AAXOSA on social media to keep up to date with all the details our education programmes, membership, grants and more. For more information, contact Molebogeng Masote on mole@aaxo.co.za.
INDUSTRY VIEWS
It’s time for change
LYNN MCLEOD is the secretariat at the Event Greening Forum.
EGF Conference debuts in Cape Town!
But that’s not the only reason you will want to attend it, writes Lynn McLeod.
The year 2020 marks the eighth Event Greening Forum (EGF) annual conference, and the first to be held in Cape Town. The decision to host it in the Mother City is based on the excellent support our event greening training and networking events receive there, the levels of interest in sustainability in the local events industry, and the enthusiasm of our Cape Town members. Previously, our conferences were co-located with Meetings Africa, and only became stand-alone events from 2016. At the time, Johannesburg was the obvious host city choice, simply because it represents a significant majority of the EGF’s membership base, and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to attend. But it is time for a change.
DISRUPTING THE NORMAL This is a fitting decision, given that the theme of our conference is ‘Disrupting the normal’. Under this banner, we will explore the ideas and innovations driving the sustainability movement in the business events industry, while challenging conventional practices and mindsets.
We don’t promise to have all the answers, but we do promise to bring you leading experts who can share their knowledge and experience, leaving you more informed and better equipped to deal with these kinds of challenges.
For those of you who aren’t based in Cape Town but don’t want to miss out, we will be offering a carbon offset for travel, to help reduce our environmental impact. Please save the date: Thursday, 9 July 2020. We will also be running a Master Class session in Cape Town on the afternoon of Wednesday, 8 July 2020. To stay up to date with the announcements for these two events, please subscribe to our newsletter at www.eventgreening.co.za under the ‘Contact us’ tab.
INDUSTRY VIEWS
Everyone can play a part
Many hands make light work
Glenton de Kock explains how SAACI’s efforts are a testament to the above 14th century proverb, which is still relevant today.
GLENTON DE KOCK is the CEO of SAACI.
Travelbags up the ante INDUSTRY VIEWS
The truth of the matter is that we live in challenging times – politically, socially and economically – and that setting clear goals and charting a path to achieve them is no longer optional.
This also applies to business events, of course, where we all continue to learn and will keep on growing through collaboration. In fact, this forms the foundation of our entire focus at SAACI.
We are rolling out a carefully plotted plan of collaboration this year, to help our industry grow and prosper.
We recently announced a student outreach programme, which will educate students about the basic elements of the business events industry and connect them with industry professionals. It will also see the establishment of SAACI student chapters.
With this pilot project, we are currently working closely with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology as partner. Through close collaboration, we are matching industry requirements to skills development and, ultimately, suitable candidates for professional positions. Eventually, our members will have a reliable one-stop shop to fill internships and, what is more, build up a solid, reliable BBBEE rating.
I do believe the business events industry requires a unique and demanding combination of knowledge and skills. On the one hand, business events professionals need to have a high level of logical thinking and on the other, an equally high degree of creativity. Focused collaboration will help us to find suitable individuals and develop them into the industry leaders of the future.
We will announce further details as the student outreach programme rolls out, but members will also hear more – and find ways to participate – at our annual congress in Johannesburg from 26 to 28 July.
Much ado about everything
Staying true to its value proposition, Travelbags is striving in all ways to connect and inspire the industry, says Michelle Hinrichsen.
MICHELLE HINRICHSEN is the current president of Travelbags.
The new decade has already brought with it some new, and interesting, challenges to Travelbags; however, this is nothing we cannot handle. Change can be challenging but, at the same time, it can be as good as a holiday and it is a sign of the times of the changing world and trends facing event organisers; however, we want to ensure all the events we organise and put forward to our members and attendees offer an experience that is valued and treasured.
Some trends we have noticed that are defining how our events move forward have been a continued focus on sustainability, as well as an increased focus towards personalising content and resources.
In a world with an abundance, if not an inundation, of content it is critical to personalise your content in whichever ways possible in order to stand out. Understanding the importance of this, Travelbags’ own communications with our members and attendees will see a more personal touch going forward.
We are also working towards providing more unique venue experiences by ensuring Travelbags events and lunches are hosted at only the most sought-after, top-class, stand-out and trendy venues, with interactive live event entertainment. This is another big trend that Travelbags will be paying attention to, as we recognise how this encourages networking and engagement.
This is just some of what we are intent on nailing during the course of this year, so look out for our event invites – we would love to see you at a Travelbags function soon!
