Nigeria Event Industry Trends in 2018
Every year I read global event
industry future trends and forecasts but I have not come across a trend or
forecast for the event industry in Nigeria particularly and Africa in general.
See the graphic below from CWT
Meetings and Events (https://www.cwt-meetings-events.com/content/me/asia/en/get-inspired/2018-meetings-events-forecast.html
)
Running through these trends
which are supposedly worldwide trends, I have come to the conclusion that the
Event Industry in Nigeria is still growing and very far behind what we have in
developed economies. It also mean that
the industry does not have enough statistics to enable prediction and
forecasting. This is not an indictment on the event management professionals and
planners because I am very sure that they can rise up to the occasion when the
environment is right. The three major factors I have identified that is
dragging the industry behind are the Event Owners, Sponsors and Attendees.
I make this statement because
most of the key drivers of the Event Industry trend such as Technology, Marketing,
Analytics, Comfort, etc. seems not to make much meaning to us here in Nigeria.
Probably our lack of interest derives from the size of the economy, Low Budget,
Attendees mediocrity, lack of knowledge. In my opinion these factors should not
deter us from providing the kind of statistics needed to measure the financial
size of the event industry in Nigeria, the extent of technology application,
the creativity in event design and attendee experience.
Let me take you through some
reviews from a few websites.
1. Direct meeting space booking goes online with lots of options.
The trend here highlights the growing availability of Online event management
Solutions for venue booking. It reduces stress for the event planner by
providing you with a platform to shop for venues, make bookings and make
payments from the comfort of your laptop or mobile phone. This is going to rise
in 2018.
2. Event wayfinding
will advance with the help of augmented reality (AR)
Again technology is playing a
leading role in event trends of the future. It is a challenge to find your way
in large event centres. The evolving trend now is the use of Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) and Indoor Positioning
System (IPS) to guide event attendees through large event venues.
3. Chatbots, with the
help of artificial intelligence, will provide on-demand attendee info in a
ubiquitous and simple text-based format
It is all about technology.
Chatbots an Artificial intelligence (AI) based computer program are beginning
to play a key role in events spaces worldwide. 2018 will see more adaptation of
chatbots to the event industry as predicted by Corbin Ball & Co.
4. Newer, cloud-based
companies will make an “event tech deck” and integration easier.
Marketing Intelligence and Sales
Communication is expected to get better for event planners with the improvement
in interoperability of Data management systems leading to collaboration and
integrations of attendee data.
5. Hacking attacks on
events, venues and individuals will increase and privacy protection standard
will increase.
Corbin Ball & Co predicts
that cyber-attacks will target events. Proactive measures such as compliance to
Industry standards and adoption very strong authentication systems should be
the focus for event planners.
6. New methods for
friction-free event check-in are developing.
Event registration and check-in
is usually a bottle neck in many events. 2018 promises to provide improved
methods for check-in and registration including face recognition technology. Tongue
prints are unique but nobody is talking about it.
7. Events become
central to an overall marketing effort.
It will now become more comfortable
to collate and explore attendee data during events as more sophisticated
methods that integrate with sales automation tools and CRM makes it possible to
track customer behavior in details.
8. Virtual meetings
will not replace face-to-face meetings (a repeat from previous years’
predictions):
Meetings and Events will still
remain largely physical for a long time to come.
2018
CWT Meeting and Events Future Trend
CWT compiled a very comprehensive
report that spotlights
Ø
Focus on “Why”
Ø
Budget
Ø
Attendee Experience
Ø
Technology
Ø
Safety and Security
Kindly download the report and
read
10 Event Trends for 2018 [Free Report]
I have always followed Julius
Solaris and looked forward to this report. The 2018 report is as details as
expected and focuses on the following.
- 10 Trends in Event Technology
- 10 Trends in Venues
- 10 Trends in Event Marketing and Social Media
- 10 Trends in Destinations
- 10 Trends in Event Experience
- 10 Trends in Event Decor and Styling
- 10 Trends for Destination Management Companies (DMCs)
A total of 70 trends, to give you a roadmap to
follow in 2018.
The report is free and can be
downloaded from ( http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/10-event-trends-for-2018-report
)
Event Marketing 2018: Benchmarks and Trends by The Bizzabo Blog
The Bizzabo Blog presents some
very interesting insights into the events industry in 2018. Their findings is
compiled in the report Event Marketing 2018: Benchmarks and Trends which can be
downloaded from
Two major deduction from their
report are that there will be an increase in the number of events in 2018
And that Technology will
positively impact the successful organization of events in 2018.
7 Event Technology Trends to Explore in 2018
Eventbrite analysed events
technologies that will be impactful in 2018. According to Katie Sawyer (https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/event-technology-trends-in-2018-ds00/
), here are the major technologies that will differentiate your event from
others.
1. Facial recognition for events
2. RFID for event sponsors
3. Artificial intelligence for events
4. The right event apps
5. Livestreaming
6. Social media walls
7. Event technology for productivity
2018 Event
Trends That Will Shape the Events Industry
Will Curran of Endless Events
gave a very exciting insight into events trends for 2018. Here is a summary of
his views. The details are available on (https://helloendless.com/2018-event-trends/
)
Event Safety and Security: Going Back to Basics
Event security breaches in
previous years has given a strong indication that event planners will need to
step up both physical and cyber security in 2018.
Going All Out with Engagement
2018 is time to engage all the
five senses in an event using a well-crafted multi-sensory strategy that will
deepen the attendee experience while holistically captivating them throughout
the event duration.
Virtual Attendees Get More Love
Virtual Reality (VR) Augmented
Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality will see more application to events in 2018.
Infusing Local Flavor to Events
Event planners will spend more
time in 2018 localizing their events not just through local cuisines but other
local spices such as gift, cultural performance, tours, etc.
Unique Venues Make Bold and Memorable Statements
The venue makes the event.
Stepping out of the conventional 4-wall event setting will drive events in
2018.
Customization Creates Personalized Event Experiences
Event planners will strive to
customize events as much as possible to create varied personalized experiences
and deeper immersion.
Artificial Intelligence Provides Much Needed Event Assistance
Artificial intelligence (AI) will
continue to play bigger roles during events in 2018 through the use of event
apps and Chabots.
Big Data and Crowdshaping: The Man Behind the Curtain
The event planners will focus
more on shaping and refining the attendee experience through data gathering and
analysis. Which event management software are you using?
Foster Sustainable Events
Sustainability is the way to go
in 2018. Integrating local vendors, corporate social responsibility and charitable
community service will play a stronger role.
Let them Unplug: Allowing for Mindfulness
Moments for rewinding, play games,
interact on social media and mood setting will not be left out.
Make Your Event’s “Why” Crystal Clear
Attendees need to understand the
reason for the event. Tis will be more enforced in the coming years through give
away gift items, reinforcement on name tags and other heavily visible areas.
Let us come back home. Here is what
I see happening in 2018 in the Nigerian event industry
A. Event Design and Styling
Creativity in
event styling and design will rise to a new crescendo due to competition and arrival
of very discerning products from China, Europe and US. Event centres will
renovate with upscale furniture while event decorators will scale up to match
creativity of well established companies.
B.
Social Media Interaction
Social media
interaction will increase with adoption of live screening, Facebook integration,
Instagram presence and SnapChat connectivity
C.
Technology Integration
Technology will
play a major role in Audio Video systems, Event ticketing and venue booking, vendor
sourcing, event marketing and publicity
D.
Safety and Security
More emphasis will
be placed on Security and safety in the areas of medicals, insurance,
anti-violence and anti-terrorism. APPOEMN a major event association in Nigeria
is already leading the anti-violence campaign. On the other hand Lagos state has
begun to engage venue owners and event planners alike on improving security,
safety and insurance. This will continue in 2018.
E. Attendee Experience
Event planners
will improve on data gathering to measure attendee experience and device ways
of improving on future events.
Whichever ways it comes out, I
don’t not see any notable deviation from major globally trends and already reviewed
opinions . Send your opinions to emekaao@mexxanda.com
Emeka Achebe-Okosieme, is multi-disciplinary professional. Graduated
with Second Class Upper in Electronic Engineering from University of Nigeria.
He went into topflight ICT profession becoming one of the first Nigerians to
certify as MCSE. Spending 12 years running IT in Banks and topping it up with
an MBA from University of Lagos equipped him for management challenges. With
stints in the Courier and Logistics Industry, Core ICT industry and now Event
Management, he has been able to garner deep Project management experience for
very small to the extremely large projects. He has received many training both
locally and internationally and is a distinguished Alumnus of Lagos Business
School Senior Management Programme