The world of events has been transformed by complex challenges in recent years — and this has also affected the reasons why people attend business events in the first place. As part of its 2022 research focus, “Redefining Event Attendance”, the Future Meeting Space innovation network therefore looked at changing motivations behind attending events and traveling for business. Three influencing factors have become especially apparent:
- The unwavering appeal and inspiration that emanate from events
- Events as an important tool for gaining and retaining employees
- Sustainability and the ecological dimension of events — sustainable action will be crucial for successful business events in the future | Business events as an important tool for inspiration
“This shows that we need innovative, sustainable ideas today so that we can actively shape the landscape of tomorrow. Business events are a key tool driving the inspiration that Germany provides as a location for science and industry. Strengthening this role for the long term is one of the most important future tasks for all stakeholders involved in making Germany a conference location,” said Matthias Schulze, managing director of the German Convention Bureau (GCB).
The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO and the GCB German Convention Bureau e. V. have been conducting research together in the Future Meeting Space innovation network since 2015, with the aim of developing action guidelines for the events sector. Rounding off the 2022 research phase, the latest study, entitled “Redefining Event Attendance — In-person Events as a Tool for Networking With, Retaining and Inspiring Employees”, provides all stakeholders involved in the business events of the future with the foundations for staging relevant, successful and innovative business events going forward.
Successful business events even in challenging times
It is becoming clear that people will still be keen to hold in-person meetings, resume traveling more and attend business events in the future — but they will also be much more selective about what they attend than they were before the pandemic. With regard to the ecosystem of events, this gives rise to the questions of what solutions business events can provide in the context of climate change, the pandemic, international conflicts and energy issues. Looking at the issue from the other side, it is also necessary to ask how this situation, involving multiple challenges, affects the way in which events are held and what their strategies and concepts are. These questions will be the focus of the Future Meeting Space in the 2023 research year. Working under the banner theme of “Navigating Business Events in Challenging Times”, GCB German Convention Bureau e. V. and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO will once again pursue a varied research program with a focus on practical elements.
Business events as a place to learn from each other
The aim of the 2023 research process is to readjust the position of business events in an era of change, with the aim of deriving concrete event concepts and formats from this process. In addition, research will be conducted into the role of business events as a social setting and a place to learn from each other, as well as the supporting role they play during transformation processes. It is hoped that the results will produce recommendations for action that the relevant stakeholder groups can take within the ecosystem surrounding events. “Due to the diverse range of challenges we are facing, sometimes simultaneously, it is essential that we re-contextualize the role of business events so that we can develop custom-fit formats that meet current needs,” explained Dr. Stefan Rief, institute director and head of the Organizational Development and Work Design Research Unit at Fraunhofer IAO.
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO