The many contributions on video for The Iceberg webinar about the JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events included one from Martin Lewis, former Managing Editor of Iceberg partner CAT Media, and Iceberg ambassador.
The photo is of Martin in lighter mood at the 32nd M&IT awards last year. But in this longer extract from his interview, he paints a picture of the ânew normalâ that is going to be tough for many in the business events industry to hear.
Martin talks about measuring the value of meetings, industry Darwinism, virtual meeting platforms, the ânewâ and âoldâ normals, ExCeL London, World Travel Market, the commercial property market, industry vulnerability, sector advocacy, reinvention, associations and their congresses, plus the ways the crisis might end.
The main message is that our new landscape is fundamentally altered. âI donât know whether the need to build business clusters that we had before is still going to be thereâ, Martin says.âI donât see the necessity to be physically anywhereâ.
About the sector Martin believes âweâre incredibly vulnerable to whatâs going on now. I canât think of an industry that is less well suited to a world where youâre not allowed to be within two metres of the person next to you. I just canât see how you can get around thatâ.
On industry advocacy, he is resolutely pessimistic. âI donât see how on earth weâve got a place at the table. I really donât. I think weâre irrelevant. In fact I think weâre part of the problem not part of the solutionâ.
Martin was talking to Iceberg Founder James Latham. When James first posted this video on LinkedIn, the conversation went, appropriately enough, viral.
Martin Lewis: former Managing Editor of Iceberg partner CAT Media.
