International Confex: 'Tomorrow’s World - Has the events world changed forever?’

International Confex 21’s Let’s Do London theatre’s final discussion on Day 1 of the show at ExCeL London, 1 September, was held under the title ‘Tomorrow’s World – Has the events world changes forever?’. Speakers included Jane Baker, director of Elgin Consulting and strategy consultant at Cheerful Twentyfirst; Neil Thompson, founder and MD of The Delegate Wranglers; Edward Poland, co-founder of Hire Space; and Raphael Sofoluke, founder of the UK Black Business Show. Thompson said the biggest shift in the last 18 months was that “there is a lot more kindness and compassion throughout the business world”. Poland stressed that this heightened humanity throughout the industry inspired ‘collaboration’, and the panel agreed that should continue into the future. Baker emphasised that the pandemic had revolutionised the importance of content and that “people now have a different expectation of their time and what ‘good’ content looks like”. Sofoluke underlined how sponsors have recognised this and how it was now crucial to adapt content so that their messages “are reaching the right people, in the right way”. Sofoluke concluded by discussing inclusion in the events industry, highlighting the opportunity the pandemic had offered to challenge the old “hiring process” and to develop a more diverse events industry. For further information on International Confex 21, visit here