Berlin’s Awakening Beauties, Series 3, Episode 8

Download link for episode 8.  In this episode Mark Felstead talks to Stuart Barnes, who has over 15 years event experience in Berlin and a great supporter of the city and all it has to offer for major events. Stuart originally from Perth, Australia, arrived in Berlin, via a stint in the Connaught Rooms in London, and explains how he is creating new business around the enabling that new technology has brought. “Technologies have become not just enabled,” he says, “but everyone can use them”. Stuart brings his experience form working in one of Europe’s leading PR agencies to the events industry will a view to really working on ROI and increasing the shelf life of events. He is also a strong advocate of collaboration with other event agencies to help all add value to their clients. “An event is not a one-off but part of a longer communication campaign,” says Stuart of the lessons he learnt from his PR agency days. Stuart is now business director of Next Convention which operates around 1,500 events a year and focusses very much on bringing innovation into play. Under discussion also is the role that meaningful data is starting to play today as the technology allows more accurate tracking and can add value to the event to increase its ROI. Sustainability and the carbon footprint of our industry of course feature in this week’s chat, a topic that is nowadays no longer an option but a must have – and the cost benefit it brings. Stuart believes corporate taxation may be based in future on a company’s carbon footprint, so get prepared, is his advice. Finally the talk turns to the ‘Common Good Economy’, so important to younger people entering the business today. And there is a positive spin on where the event industry is going moving forwards, as well as some personal tips of where to meet in Berlin.