German Convention Bureau releases ‘Future Meetings Space’ research

The German Convention Bureau (GCB) presented the results of the second phase of its ‘Future Meetings Space’ research project recently, at the 2019 PCMA Convening Leaders conference. The research provides insights into attendee types and success factors, as well as recommendations for action. The core question in the report was ‘How to create successful events’. The answer, in a nutshell: to satisfy attendees, event planners should focus on knowledge transfer as well as surprising or disruptive elements that bring about a change, plus individually respond to the requirements of different attendee types. The report collected six event attendee types, representing different degrees of tech-savviness. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO then used the data to identify six success factors for events that are correlated and interact. The Institute produced recommendations for action based on these factors, which included things like dedicated support for more introverted attendees, as well as tips for creating events that balance time spent on organization and what is gained from them. The research partners also recommended the use of new and innovative formats and technologies as well as visualisation aids and interactive formats to foster knowledge transfer. One interesting result of the study is the importance of disruptive elements: events that change CVs and organizations create lasting memories. Dr Stefan Rief, who heads the research unit at Fraunhofer IAO, commented: “The study has identified realistic attendee types as they currently exist. It also highlights the most relevant success factors and reviewed some common assumptions about the effects of certain factors.” Matthias Schultze, GCB managing director, added: “As our analysis has proven, knowledge transfer is important for events. Building on that, the planned third ‘Future Meeting Space’ research phase will look at the primary role events play as trendsetters for business and science.” For more information and to download the full report, visit future-meeting-space.com