As we welcome in a new year, we asked a couple of our board members what we can expect to see over the next 12 months. According to Paul Martins virtual venue showrounds will become the norm, while Clare Davies believes remote participation will increase.

Paul Martins, director of sales at Cavendish Venues, says: “As we approach the end of another decade, technology continues to advance. Virtual 3D walk-through presentations are already popular, but they will become even more of the norm as clients from all lengths and distances find the convenience, accuracy and even the interactive novelty appealing as an integral part of their decision-making process. At Cavendish Venues, they’ve enhanced our proactive business tools demonstrating we’re a forward-thinking venue. Just by sharing the links with clients, who can easily share them with their colleagues, we’ve witnessed an increase in conversions.”

Clare Davies, sales & development manager at IET London: Savoy Place, says: “The global impact of events, both from a sustainability perspective and audience reach, will likely gain more traction next year. Events in London or the UK are not limited to the guests in their location or attendance, which means a greater number of events and concepts will look at how they can deliver and share their content across continents and audiences. This will be with greater digital investment to encourage live streaming, social sharing and looping in guest speakers from abroad for real-time conversation with guests. Not only is this a benefit to global MICE professionals, it’s also going to have an environmental benefit, when you consider 500 delegates being able to attend online conferences rather than flying around the world into one destination.”