Four years to the day have passed since the beginning of the boom and bust of virtual event technologies and the beginning of the bust and boom of in-person events. Remember when investors went crazy for event tech stocks and the trade media held countless webinars using virtual technologies confirming that business and professional events would “never be the same again”…?
Fast forward to 2023 when Informa went on its buying spree as the darling of the London Stock Exchange and in-person event stocks passed their virtual counterparts in the lift to the penthouse of communications, and it seems only a momentary lapse in the circular journey back to the ‘good old days’. But Julius Solaris, the doyen of event technology (especially following the retirement of the much-respected and loved Corbin Ball) begs to differ.
Generative AI is already having a profound impact as the new generation of CMOs as marketers apply a data mindset to an industry which has been doing things the same way over and over again. “Now,” he says, “we can bulk-upload all this data into AI and we know exactly what the impact of events is on a marketing funnel. Take that, change the purpose, make it for legacy…,” he says, believing that business event owners and their supply chains have much to do in finessing the sustainability of the medium.
Solaris believes that whether it be in person, the Metaverse, or the WhateverVerse we have to take account of technology because our role is to create experiences where people connect
The Boldpush founder covers a range of essential topics from the advocacy, sustainability, and purpose of business events in this hard-hitting and honest reflection of the rise and fall of virtual event innovation, and the impact of business events as a means of improving society and people’s lives.
