Good HR practice within the meetings and events industry – navigating today’s challenges
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CHS Leeds, beam’s call for new job support scheme, Meetings Show’s #takethetime campaign, & more
This Monday’s Insights (13 March 2023) feature brings you the latest news including CHS Leeds new partners, beam’s call for job support scheme to attract under 25s to enter meetings and events, The Meetings Show’s #takethetime campaign, and more.
Headlines
CHS Leeds has announced a series of agreements that will bring more choice to visitors at the show.
As well as presenting a chance to explore more of the host city through the exhibition’s partnership with Conference Leeds, the event has seen new exhibitors join from across the UK and Europe.
Conference Leeds and CHS Leeds have worked together for 12 years to create the award-winning experience synonymous with the event, and once again Leeds is extending a warm welcome to visitors. The city continues to invest in its infrastructure and its public transport links make it an accessible and sustainable destination for event planners. LNER will be the show’s Hosted Buyer Travel Partner and will be transporting visitors from London to Leeds by First Class train travel from London Kings Cross.
At the same time, it is fast becoming both a financial and media hub, with more and more businesses and brands moving into the city. ‘LEEDS 23 – Year of Culture’ is showcasing the best of the city’s creativity throughout the year and, as part of the relationship with Conference Leeds, CHS Leeds is looking to invite event organisers across these business communities to visit the exhibition, taking place at the Royal Armouries, 25th April 2023.
“It’s really important to us that both our visitors and exhibitors have a brilliant experience in the city and at the event,” commented Lou Hindley, Commercial Director, CHS Leeds. “We’re so proud of our long-standing partnership with Conference Leeds and the support we receive from the business events community across the city. In addition to the extraordinary hotels, venues and suppliers in the region we have new exhibitors that are offering ideas and inspiration from small and petite to big and visionary. It’s why our visitors come, and they won’t be disappointed.”
CHS Leeds recently announced its educational theme for the event which will once again focus on personal and professional growth. This year, educational seminars will look at the ever-changing world of office life. ‘Growth Part II: Worklife’ kicks off at CHS Leeds with a dedicated conference room for attendees looking at their own personal priorities.
Attendees and exhibitors at IMEX Frankfurt this May will have access to a brand-new online platform designed to add further value to their participation at IMEX shows.
Ahead of the show taking place 23 – 25 May, IMEX has been working with event management company ExpoPlatform to offer participants a new online platform enhanced with a range of features and tools carefully designed to maximise business connections and ease of use.
At its core the new platform makes it easy and simpler for exhibitors and buyers to find and connect with each other in the run-up to the show and then to enhance those relationships face to face at IMEX.
The new platform also means that all attendees now have their own personal account for all future IMEX shows – enabling a fast, single sign-on for both IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America.
Developments include:-
- Free lead scanning for all buyers and exhibitors
- Networking before, during and after IMEX
- Recommendations
- Personal email and calendar integration
- Bringing clients or additional colleagues to appointments
- A seamless desktop to app experience
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: “At their heart, our shows are marketplaces, designed to connect the right people to each other and help them do more business. Alongside our new Official Tech Partner ExpoPlatform, we’ve created a new platform and online experience that truly powers this up, and at a time when new business is more prized than ever. Our buyers and exhibitors will find it easier to meet and track new or existing contacts and kickstart conversations and deals ahead of meeting face to face on the show floor.
“Our intention is for our buyers and exhibitors in particular to enjoy a simpler, more intuitive networking and appointment experience. We’ve done our very best to streamline our platform so that buyers and exhibitors can find and meet each other more efficiently. And we’re committed to continuing to learn and enhance the platform over the coming months and years,” explains Carina.
Tanya Pinchuk, CEO of ExpoPlatform, adds: “IMEX is one of the greatest business event showcases and a real force for good in our industry, so we are delighted to be working with them to make their events smart and seamless.
“Event planners are more tech-savvy than ever before, so we are excited to provide them with a strong digital-powered experience to improve the quality of in-person meetings. We can’t wait for IMEX Frankfurt and then IMEX America!”
Ahead of the Chancellor’s Spring Budget Statement, Finance Director of industry association, beam, has called for greater industry support.
The association’s Finance Director said: “While beam fully supports the widespread call for an extension to energy cost support, what the industry also needs is support more specifically appropriate to its issues.
“Most people in the industry are under great pressure because, while the sector is very busy, it is struggling to recruit enough staff to deliver the events. Nor can it afford to recruit them with costs rising and Bounceback loans still being repaid.
“What our industry needs is a job support scheme to incentivise people under 25 to enter the meetings and events industry. We can’t compete with so many sectors.
“We have a long heritage of creating and producing world-class conferences, meetings and events – the Coronation in May will once again showcase our skills – but unless we recruit more young people, there will be no next generation of event staff to maintain that reputation.”
The Meetings Show, the UK’s leading event for the meetings and events community, claims to have your back with its latest campaign, #takethetime.
This campaign encourages event professionals to find space in their diaries to attend the show and tackle their challenges head-on. By attending the show, event professionals will have the chance to discover cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives, reassess budgets, find ideal suppliers, stay ahead of current trends, and streamline the event planning process, all in just a matter of days.
Jack Marczewski, portfolio event director of The Meetings Show, TEAMS Europe and Business Travel Show Europe, said: “We understand the challenges faced by event professionals and know how hard it can be to take time out of the office. But our research shows that just a day or two at the show can be invaluable and have major benefits on the long-term success of your work life.
“Attending an industry-focused event provides the perfect opportunity to stop and think, to address pain points, discover useful new products and services and approaches to work that will save time in the future, while making valuable connections.
“At The Meetings Show, we understand that time is precious for everyone, so we focus on curating pertinent content for education sessions, attracting quality destinations, venues, and suppliers as exhibitors, and creating numerous networking opportunities. We really encourage the industry to #takethetime out of their usual routine and broaden horizons.”
Join The Meetings Show community on 28 and 29 June 2023, at ExCeL London, and take the first step in improving your professional life. #takethetime to save time.
Andrea Doyle of Skift Meetings has written about industry progress in women’s equality.
Andrea says: ‘Although much progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. From increasing the number of women leaders in the meetings industry to closing the gender pay gap, much must be done to create a more equitable and inclusive future.’
The latest blog from MPI (Meeting Professionals International) uncovers MPI EMEC Brighton’s learning journey.
Robert Dunsmore writes that Meeting Futures ‘will be part of what I’ve called EMEC “Manic Monday” where there’s a lot going on so follow this journey and to paraphrase Prince it’ll be your “fun day.” It will be run as a hosted live workshop to imagine the meeting space of the near future. Meetings fit for our new creator culture world of events. I really don’t know what will happen, but as a creative, I’m OK with that.’
