• August 11, 2021

The Meetings Show reveals content and speaker line up

The Meetings Show reveals content and speaker line up

The Meetings Show reveals content and speaker line up 1024 683 micebook.

The Meetings Show, which will take place at ExCel London on 30th September to 1st October 2021, will feature over 40 hours of education designed to support the industry as it gets back on its feet and help event professionals re-imagine events post-pandemic.

Ric Salmon, co-founder and CEO of Driift, the company that produced Glastonbury Festival’s Live At Worthy Farm livestream, has been revealed as keynote speaker. The music industry veteran, who founded award-winning livestream promoter Driift in 2020, will take to the main stage on 1 October 2021 to talk about his experience in producing ticketed online events.

Despite Driift’s previous success in online ticketed events for artists including Nick Cave, Niall Horan, Kylie Minogue and Andrea Bocelli, and scrupulous planning, and diligent checks ahead of the production of Live at Worthy Farm, the online event didn’t go to plan with many UK audience members unable to access the broadcast which featured performances by world-renowned artists, including Coldplay, George Ezra, Damon Albarn and Jorja Smith.

“It was the biggest challenge of my life, professionally and it was absolutely brutal,” said Salmon who will share more about the ‘ambitious’ Live at Worthy Farm experience, advice for event professionals and more at his session at The Meetings Show.

This year’s programme, curated by The Meetings Show’s new conference and content manager Erica Oghoghorie, has been organised into five learning theatres: Innovation and Industry Trends; My Career and Personal Development; Event Marketing; Event Technology and Meeting Design.

Sessions will be held as intimate campfires on the show floor, hands-on workshops, or as presentations and panel discussions in one of two conference theatres easily accessible from the main exhibition. Topics will include sustainability, diversity, hybrid, data and career development, and many theatre sessions will also be streamed live for virtual attendees.

Speakers include Isla co-founder Anna Abdelnoor, Lisa Sweeting of Green Sense Events and Matt Grey of Event Decision, who will lead a discussion on sustainability; Dan Elliott of Center Parcs, Denise Lopez of Helmbriscoe and Emma Little of ExecSpace who will talk about adapting to change and Samantha Salisbury who will deliver a workshop on personal development.

Oghoghorie said: “The global pandemic, unprecedented lockdowns, travel bans, and social distancing measures have had a noticeable impact on the meetings and events industry, and it has been a year of change and transformation for many. Now, with hope on the horizon through vaccinations and the lifting of restrictions, it is time to look ahead to the future and plan for operating in the ‘new normal’.

“This education programme has been designed specifically for this purpose – to guide, inspire and inform those in the industry as they set out to rebuild it. I’ve enjoyed putting the programme together for the first time and am proud of the wealth of knowledge we have available through our speakers. I encourage visitors to find their dream sessions on the programme and make space to attend them.”

The Meetings Show will include the main exhibition, hosting exhibitors from around the world, including destinations, destination management companies, conference centres, venues, hotels, and technology suppliers.

The show will also provide ample opportunities for networking, both in-person and virtually to reunite those across the sector and help them forge new connections.

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