Executive Director's Blog
Executive Director’s Blog: January 2008
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holiday season, eating and drinking your way through those mountains of Christmas pud, mince pies….oh and if I never see another bottle of champagne again it will be too soon………until the International Awards when my new year’s resolution to not drink for the month of January will happily come to its end. Bring on the awards I say so I can undo all this good I’m doing to my liver and soul right now.
I have also started staring into a crystal ball – well in my case an ugly lump of glass some well-eaning person gave me for Christmas. I can’t work out whether it’s a paperweight or a weapon to use against the next person who ‘super pokes’ me with some idiotic version of Mohammad the bear on Facebook However I do think that Facebook is here to stay, which is the first of my spooky predictions for the year: online social networking will continue to grow in popularity so if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! And to all those who keep asking if I am considering setting up an Eventia group - For the record I do not condone that kind of behaviour during work… (Hint to those newbies: you can change your privacy settings so it doesn’t show when you are online so if you do have one of those tech-friendly bosses they wont be able to tell if you are hiding the page behind that document you are supposed to be working on!)
My next spooky prediction is that two major industry associations may merge this year to create one much stronger association which is more broadly representative of the UK events industry. Just as consolidation is a trend in the agency market, it is a definite way forward in my opinion for the associations of our industry. Eventia and the BACD are both delivering similar benefits but using twice the resources to do it. How much better will it be for everyone if we can share that resource and still deliver the benefits by working together rather than separately?? This looks to be the start of a new trend that I would be more than happy to see develop across our industry associations.
Some of the challenges I see on the cards this year revolve around the economic recession, which will make return on investment even higher on the agenda for corporates. While the tightening of budgets will mean more considered spend for our clients, I see this as an opportunity to demonstrate the creativity of our industry as well. The challenges that lay ahead will separate the good from the great. It will be a time to remain flexible, adapting quickly to the changing environment and client needs.
Corporate Social Responsibility will still be high on the agenda and rising, particularly the reduction of carbon emissions as companies examine their travel policies - possibly deciding to keep more events in the UK rather than taking them overseas. The challenge for international destinations, venues and suppliers is to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable solutions they can provide - including air travel into the overall event. This issue is likely to go even higher on the agenda for both corporates and government policies.
Consolidation will continue as profit margins are being squeezed tighter and the attraction of buying ‘ready made’ smaller agencies with strong client bases and expertise will continue to be a good potential source of new revenue for the larger agencies. At the same time, smaller agencies with lower overheads are often more flexible players and if they can hold on to their clients while delivering a niche service, they have a real opportunity to weather the storm and remain just as profitable by sticking to their strategies.
After a busy year of activity and growth for Eventia, this coming year is about consolidation of services and strengthening our foundations. So I will be focusing on a few key activities and doing them extremely well - namely, the SummerEventia which will be held 6-8 July at The Lowry in Manchester, both sets of Awards, and a series of networking events and education seminars. If I can deliver these as key benefits to the members while continuing to grow and broaden the membership base then I will look back on 2008 as another successful year.
And on that note I will finish your forecast! Remember to eat healthily, drink plenty of fluids, do some gentle regular exercise and try to find a balance in your personal and work lives. After all, at the end of this we will not look back and say, ‘I wished I’d worked harder and enjoyed life less.’ We’re far more likely to ask: ‘Did I spend enough of my energies doing what I love the most and enjoying as much of life as I possibly could?’
Well why wait till the end? Let’s start now and you can do that by pencilling two dates in to your diary: the 1st Feb for the Eventia International Awards and 6-8 July to attend the SummerEventia at The Lowry in Manchester. I predict they will be sell-out events delivering fantastic networking, high ROI, and a star studded guest list looking like an industry who’s who. These are truly events not be missed this year. So until then….my yoga mat awaits the arrival of my slightly more toned rear and my organic porridge is going cold….
Cosmically yours,
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