Is the Events Industry Paying Enough Attention to Tech? — Meetings Innovation Report
Skift Take
Meetings industry media, organizations, tech providers, and forward-thinking suppliers are all aggressively experimenting with event technology and digital content. But there are questions about how well the majority of meeting planners will be prepared for the upcoming onslaught of digital-native attendees.
The Future of Meetings & Events
I participated on a panel yesterday with the PCMA Heartland chapter in Kansas City to discuss disruptions in the meetings and events industry. Moderator Sherrif Karamat, COO of PCMA, specifically wanted the audience to question if the industry will be prepared in a few years for attendees who never experienced the pre-digital age.
We discussed London Tech Week, which has basically evolved into a global crowdsource platform that aggregates a growing list of independent London tech events around the parent Tech Week program, developed by London & Partners. The main theme of the citywide conference is that technology now collides with every industry from fashion to food to financial. However, I don't really get the sense that a majority of meeting professionals today really embrace that. Read the full Skift story here.
During the PCMA panel, I also called out IBM's recent World of Watson conference, which revolves around the marriage of creativity, design thinking, cognitive tech, and commerce. That right there is the blueprint for the future of meetings, but as Karamat asked, is the meetings industry paying attention? Read my IBM Watson event overv
