Amsterdam RAI trend report. Developments in society have led to new expectations from exhibitions, conferences and other events. Technology makes it possible to connect everyone and everything – at all times. The ‘Connected Society’ expects to be in direct contact with the event organiser, other visitors and relevant exhibitors. Preferably before, during and after an event. Together with TrendsActive and Ruigrok | Netpanel, Amsterdam RAI has mapped out the features and expectations of the Connected Society. A trend report which highlights the characteristics of Addiction, The Human Factor and Smart Customisation.
The Connected Society has a huge impact on the events industry: bringing together and connecting people is, after all, the most important aspect of exhibitions, conferences and events. Especially given the advent of virtual meetings and applications, finding the right form and content for events appears more important than ever. Event organisers increasingly look at explicit possibilities to leverage on technological and social trends. Amsterdam RAI carried out a study on this subject and is pleased to share the resulting insights.
The good news is that exhibitions and events will remain alive and kicking – even in the Connected Society, nothing beats the genuine nature of personal encounters. At the same time, technology enables connections to be made with anyone at anytime, anywhere. This means that a successful event or exhibition visit has many new dimensions in the Connected Society, including well beyond the physical boundaries of the venue.
Events that you cannot attend live may be available online. The abundance of information in today’s world makes tailored communication a precondition: with whom do I need to speak and what should I absolutely not miss? The need to share experiences and hear comments is increasingly put into practice online. What others find interesting can be a source of inspiration and choices. It’s even conceivable to give up privacy, as long as enough relevant content is received in return.
The advice for event professionals is to ensure that the event is a ‘connected hub’, where all digital facilities that enable ‘sharing’ are available. Organising an event is increasingly similar to managing a community – in fact, ideally there is a community manager role in the event team – and visitors are provided with relevant content individually, at the right time.
Amsterdam RAI studied the wishes and needs of the Connected Society in association with TrendsActive and Ruigrok | NetPanel. The result is a document full of interesting insights and concepts, and ideas for innovation in and future-proofing of exhibitions, congresses and events.
The insights are based on qualitative research and socio-cultural trend analyses. The qualitative research was conducted among visitors to trade shows and consumer exhibitions. The analyses and concepts have been developed with trade exhibitions, conferences and other events in mind.
This report can be downloaded via www.rai.nl/TrendReportConnected.
