One third of event organisers "will not be here in three years", futurologist predicts
Tom Hall, 06 July 2009
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3 comment s on this article.Rohit Talwar, CEO of futurologist company Fast Future Research, today told delegates at Summer Eventia in Brighton that one third of companies in the room would not be there in three years, compared with around 20% in 'normal' economic conditions.
Talwar said the reason some companies are still around is through luck, market positioning and good management, but added that a recession does provide new opportunities.
"Companies should be preparing themselves for a revenue fall," he said. "Not to have a plan for this will cause panic."
He advised event companies to maintain their contacts with the alternative energy, biotech, food and infrastructure industries due to their continued growth.
Events will increasingly have to become ‘free or fantastic', he predicted, with an increase in the use of IT, social networking, hologram and virtual reality technology.
"People have to stop looking at social networking and new media in terms of cost benefit. It is just the way things are moving," he added.
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Robert Denton - 06 July 2009
I love the 'futurology' proposition. You charge a couple of grand one year to make a few assumptions that can't be proven one way or another. Then next year you come back and charge another couple of grand to explain why your predictions didn't happen but the new set will.
Flying cars and velour leisure suits all round! I'd pay someone good money to tell me what's happening next week, let alone in three years.
Sarah Bell - 07 July 2009
More information on Rohit Talwar can be found here www.fastfuture.com
Further information on futurism and trend forecasting...
Lowe Council www.lowecounsel.com studies emerging consumer behaviour and attitudes before they reach the mainstream to help their clients better understand future directions, opportunities and threats. To do this they use a network of 3,000 progressive influencers and thought leaders around the world.
Dr Patrick Dixon is regarded as one of Europe's leading futurists and author of the best selling book Futurewise now in its 4th edition. His web site www.globalchange.com
is a portal to 250 of his podcasts and 300 of his PowerPoint presentations.
IAN IRVING - 07 July 2009
"EVENTS WILL INCREASINGLY HAVE TO BECOME FREE OR FANTASTIC" !! This was my favorite part. As for agencies preparing for a revenue fall, i would imagine that most of us have been there and not just because of the current recession. Event's and marketing are always the first disciplines to be hit no matter what the scare is... Global terrorism, Swine Flu, Bad economy you name it we have been hit by it, you dont need to be called septic peg and stroke a crystal ball to predict it.
I think our mystic friend has got this very wrong, great events and experiences will be around for a long time to come, how they are amplified, measured and accounted for will be an ever changing challenge for all in the industry but consumer demand for great multi platform experiences will continue to grow. His comments on social media also puzzle me, we all know that trends come and go and the next big 'Twitter' is surely only around the corner, but to dismiss the marketing playground that is social media as an enhancement to live experiences is nonsense, we are seeing more and more clients from all categories embracing social media and trend portals to huge effect.
i am partly relieved to hear that a third will not be around because a third of them are not really true live agencies anyway.
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