You Have To Become Event Technologists And Not Just Event Planners To Stay Relevant: Roshan Abbas, President, EEMA
At the recent Event Tech Conference organised by BW Applause and everythingexperiential.com in association with BW Businessworld and BW Marketing World, Roshan Abbas, President EEMA spoke about “The Relevance of Data in Hybrid Events”.
Abbas began by addressing the misconception surrounding the word “hybrid events”. “I want to break a misconception—the moment an event is done on a virtual platform, it doesn’t become hybrid. The problem with any developing technology is that its lexicon gets created as you go on. Initially people started using words like Virtual vs LIVE, then they started using Hybrid and then semi live and totally live”, said Abbas.
According to Abbas the real definition of a hybrid event is that it is a seamless integration of technology where you are facilitating participation between a Live and a virtual audience. “The fact is that digital-virtual has become an intrinsic part of most events for multiple reasons”, he added.
Abbas also spoke about how at EEMA they have been doing surveys and asking people about virtual and hybrid events.
“We have heard people have got increased reach and attendance. We have heard that there are more sponsorship opportunities. The audience that we have today is changing and they are far more comfortable talking to a virtual screen than to a physical screen”, he said.
Abbas also referred to the latest data that says millennials prefer virtual communication to the extent of 40 per cent and would participate more actively in virtual events because they are comfortable talking to a screen.
Also, according to him, the latest data says that 23 percent of the event organisers who have hosted a hybrid event say they don’t see a drop in the attendance of live events.
“The people who are doing events now are not really comfortable with data and if you can’t swim in a stream, how will you handle an ocean. You have to become event technologists and not just event planners to stay relevant, you have to become data specialists and not drama specialists, you will benefit in the future,” shared Abbas
During his keynote, Abbas also emphasised that we need to do attendee journey mapping to get the best results out of hybrid events.
“For the believers of physical events, just remember that every concert has a digital piece attached and there are three parts to any event—pre, the LIVE and the post. Most agencies focus on the LIVE part, but a smart, future thinking agency will integrate all three because data begins from the very first piece of communication. In this world of 5 senses, virtual events give you just two—you can see and you can hear, but soon touch, taste and smell will become part of it”, he explained.
