The events and meetings sector has “stabilised” with demand “coming back” following the pandemic, according to the CEO of events technology specialist Cvent.
Cvent’s CEO and founder Reggie Aggarwal gave an “optimistic” assessment of the sector, during the Cvent Connect Europe event in London on Wednesday (5 October).
“Demand is coming back and our industry is getting healthy again. I believe we’re finally in a place where pandemic-driven changes have stabilised and the future we’ve all imagined is within our grasp,” said Aggarwal.
He also stressed how digitisation had helped to enhance the event experience for delegates and would “propel the industry forward”, alongside the rebound in demand for in-person meetings.
“We now have more arrows in our quiver to reach more people and engage with them on a more personal level,” added Aggarwal. “Because of the pandemic-driven digital transformation, we’re stronger, smarter and savvier than ever.”
Aggarwal focused on several areas where technology is now shaping the sector, including the creation of total event programmes where a single platform is used for all types of internal and external meetings, whether they are held in-person, virtually or in a hybrid format.
“You truly unlock the full potential of any event programme when you bring it all together in one place,” he added.
Other major trends cited by Aggarwal included how technology and digitalisation can improve engagement for attendees, as well as enhancing data and insights for organisers.
“We now have more opportunities to capture and utilise attendee engagement interactions to amplify event impact,” said Aggarwal. “To drive maximum attendance and engagement, organisations must deliver information in more interactive ways in multiple formats, and leverage technology to act on those engagement insights.”
Aggarwal also said that technology could help to bring together the event ecosystem into “one seamless digital environment”.
“Our industry is made up of so many different players - technology can facilitate greater collaboration between all of them and create even more incredible experiences,” he added.