Skift Take

We're seeing a rise of conference programming around digital technology designed to engage mass audiences beyond the business tech crowd. This is redefining how meeting planners should design their own meeting and event content, and how they should identify their attendees.

The Skift MeetingsIQ newsletter defines the future of meetings and events with an emphasis on disruptive strategies that improve knowledge sharing.

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The Future of Meetings + Events

Skift Meetings IQ New2It’s not too difficult to predict the future. All you have to do is look at what kids are doing.

In 2013, Britain became the first G7 country to make it compulsory for all children aged 5-16 to learn how to code. At the #BCTECH Summit in Vancouver last month, Christy Clark, premier of British Columbia, said her province is going to follow suit. She explained that cities are hungry to keep and attract tech talent due to the rise of the digital platform economy, so school kids need to learn the digital language of the future.

The value of new conferences like BC Tech is they communicate the pulse of business technology to the masses. Do you know what APIs, IoT, open data, and civic tech are? Some of today’s Generation X/Y meeting attendees might, and the Gen Z kids will for sure. However, it’s already becoming the lingua franca of innovative business events like BC Tech and many others.

Another great thing about these new tech conferences is their commitment to produce quality online content that provides actionable insight. The BC Tech webcast page provides over a dozen session videos with tech thought leaders like the CEO of GE Canada and CIO of Deloitte Canada. Watch those videos and you’ll come away with a blueprint for the future of business technology, which underpins the meetings and events industry. The future is right there on that one website page. All you have to do is watch, which is much easier than writing code.

— Greg Oates

Social Quote of the Day

“What are your views on the Sharing Economy? Share your thoughts with us. ow.ly/YnGuM #IMEX16 #eventprofs”

 @IMEX_Group on Twitter

Hololens

Next Generation Event UX

Vancouver Summit Rethinks the Modern Tech Conference: BC Tech Summit is illustrative of a growing number of conferences worldwide that showcase advances in business technology by using simple language and interactive exhibits to engage next generation citizens and consumers. Read more at Skift

Why More Trade Shows Are Catering to the Consumer: Greg Topalian, president of LeftField Media, discusses how trade shows are becoming more accessible to consumers through fan experiences. Read more at BizBash

Go Behind the Scenes at SXSW: Meeting Professionals International, which isn’t always the most progressive organization, is offering a creative registration package to South by Southwest in Austin next month. Some nifty value-adds include the chance to scope out the event from behind the curtain with Mike Shea, executive director of SXSW. Read more at MPI

Cool Event Programming

3 Valuable Lessons From Uber Founder Travis Kalanick’s TED Talk: The macro themes in Kalanick’s presentation this week at TED apply to anyone in business today in the digital economy: 1) Don’t be afraid to revise your image when your audience changes. 2) The faster you grow, the more culture needs to take precedence. 3) Assume your way of business will change in the future. Read more at Inc.

4 Ingredients That Make a Successful TED Talk: New York-based communication coach Gina Barnett has helped numerous TED speakers deliver more impactful presentations. With a background in acting, she teaches theatrical techniques around body awareness and audience engagement to everyone from corporate executives to research scientists. Read more at The Vancouver Sun

What The Meetings Industry Should Learn From The Super Bowl’s Mobile Strategy: The mobile experience at Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco wasn’t simply about looking at player statistics or posting photos on Instagram. There’s a range of lessons here that can apply to anyone involved in face-to-face events. Read more at PCMA

How Steve Wozniak Brought Comic Con To Silicon Valley: In March, Comic Con takes over the San Jose Convention Center. The programming includes panels and a show floor celebrating fantasy as expressed in comics, movies and TV, with a hefty dose of Woz’s favorite developments in science and technology. Read more at Fast Company

Hospitality + Destinations

Goldman Sachs’ Survey Compares Consumer Preferences for Airbnb and Hotels: With polling results from 2,000 U.S. travelers, the survey reports: “If people have stayed in peer-to-peer lodging (P2P) in the last five years, the likelihood that they prefer traditional hotels is halved (79% vs. 40%). We find it interesting that people ‘do a 180’ in their preferences once they use P2P lodging. They move directly from preferring traditional hotels to preferring P2P accommodations.” Read more at Skift

New Tahiti Tourism Campaign Ditches Scenery for Spiritual Harmony: The Islands of Tahiti welcomed 3,500 people in 2015 visiting on corporate incentive travel programs. While Bora Bora and Moorea are unmatched in terms of their tropical beauty, and the iconic overwater bungalows are everything you think they are, the tourism bureau is now promoting cultural diversity to attract a younger corporate traveler. Read more at Skift

Comments

Skift MeetingsIQ is curated by Skift senior editor Greg Oates [[email protected]]. The newsletter is emailed every Wednesday.

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Photo credit: T.K. Rangarajan, corporate VP at Microsoft, discussed the mobile-first, cloud-first business landscape at last month's #BCTECH Summit. BC Innovation Council

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