Our Point of View

The MICE industry is set for a major digital overhaul, helping to push its global market to a value of US$1.62 trillion by 2032. Industry leaders like Pico are driving this growth by using AI, data analytics and VR to create personalised interactive event experiences, as seen at events like Sibos, the Smart City Exhibition and INNOEX.

Flexible utilisation of the web3 ecosystem, blockchain and other elements could usher in dramatic change in how exhibitions and events are organised and experienced. This includes a greater virtual participation of global exhibitors and buyers with enhanced security, the creation of immersive experiences that transcend reality, and an overall revolution in experiential marketing.

Pico Play is creating an immersive ancient temple for Dreamworld’s US$35 million ‘Jungle Rush’ rollercoaster. Set to open later this year, the ride will feature the world’s first inclined turntable and marks the 10t collaboration between Pico Play and Dreamworld.

The global data analytics market’s value is poised to exceed US$393 billion by 2032, and it will revolutionise marketing strategies. Coca-Cola’s AI-crafted ‘Y3000’, Siemens’ integrated data system and Reckitt Benckiser’s targeted advertising already exemplify a shift to data-driven decision-making, significantly boosting user engagement and ROI.

To mark Pico EMEA’s three decades of success, Caroline Bee spoke about exciting plans for future growth, an expanding exhibition and live event portfolio, and a focus on enhancing incentive business for talent retention.

Appearing on the front cover of Exeleon Magazine’s ‘Most Innovative Business Leaders’ issue is Chad Tons, founder and CEO of Infinity Marketing Team (IMT), a Pico Group company. Inside, Chad gives the in-depth story of their trailblazing approach to experiential marketing and event production.

Today almost every business sector is exploring the potential of AI, and its applications have already begun to reshape our understanding of storytelling – the very foundation of brand marketing. Read on to discover how brands such as Coca-Cola, Lacta and events like ZGC Forum have used AI to forge lasting connections with audiences through personalised messages, experiences and graphics.

While generative AI and other AI applications make waves, the question remains of how companies can unlock full value from the technology. This article examine how AI is already optimising business processes ranging from floor scrubbing and stock management at Walmart to recreating memories of the visually impaired into art pieces. Read on to explore how to find tangible value with AI.

There is no doubt that social media plays a crucial role in enhancing marketing effectiveness for brands. By leveraging the features of social media such as short video and influencer marketing, and gamification elements, combined with data analysis and technologies like AR, brands can significantly increase audience engagement and make marketing easier to hit.

As demonstrated by upcoming mega-events such as the Hangzhou Asian Games and Paris Olympics, cutting-edge technologies such as AI and metaverse have become a necessity for making audiences bigger and their experiences more sensational.

As the technology matures, the marketing industry is finding more uses for augmented reality (AR). Various brands’ AR applications show the different ways they are seizing on marketing opportunities, including by creating immersive, interactive virtual-real experiences, combining AR with art to create visual spectacles at sports events, and clever retail applications that bring brands straight to the customer.

Recently, videos of AI-simulated singers – even ‘AI-resurrected’ deceased singers – have become widely popular. Although the balance between the roles of AI and human creators in the art industry remains to be struck, the technology’s application of technology such as AI in interactive experiences for art projects and marketing campaigns are ubiquitous. The opportunities for business are enormous.

Digital media, AI and the metaverse are expanding and reshaping the influencer market landscape. Discover how brands can capitalise on the trends with strategies such as using KOL-TikTok campaigns for sports competitions, virtual influencers as product spokesmen and metaverse platforms for artists.

As the world moves towards a low-carbon economy, more and more business and marketing opportunities are waiting to be discovered. Many companies, events and governments are already benefiting from prominent commitments to sustainability – among them the 2024 Paris Olympics (‘the greenest Games in history’); the low-carbon COP27 Singapore Pavilion, which was complemented with a virtual pavilion; and Watsons, with its app offering low-carbon games.

Technologies like VR, AR and generative AI are ensuring that the metaverse continues to gain traction, offering an almost limitless range of experiences for industries beyond the tech sector such as education, government, and large corporates.

Entering into the digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) is set to gradually reshape brand marketing. Discover some of the ways brands can use the technology effectively, such as by transforming exhibition text content into engaging explanations for AI virtual guides, creating apps for personalised messages, depicting the inner world of visually impaired people in unique photographic works, and more.

Entering into the digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) is set to gradually reshape brand marketing. Discover some of the ways brands can use the technology effectively, such as by transforming exhibition text content into engaging explanations for AI virtual guides, creating apps for personalised messages, depicting the inner world of visually impaired people in unique photographic works, and more.

Consumers and brands have been waking up to the personalised, hyper-immersive experiences afforded by digital technology. The same tech has also delighted event organisers by offering enhanced opportunities to gather data and respond to audience demand for ‘purpose’ through multi-channel integration. Find out more with these five tips on how to make the most of digitalisation in event activations.

Let’s start the New Year with a look at the most exciting tech trends for event professionals in 2023. As one example, Pico’s use of AR technology to create personalised invitations – including bespoke video – to an HP Malaysia Virtual Partners event, where the level of personalisation goes beyond just listing attendees’ names on a screen.

With 2023 just around the corner, it’s a good time to assess what trends have taken off this year and what might be in the pipeline. Event professionals turn their attention to all things tech and what they can do for your events and your time management.

During the pandemic, many agencies and clients pivoted towards digital events but then found that their systems - and their staff - lacked the necessary skills to successfully execute a virtual event.Fast forward to today and while face-to-face events are firmly back on the agenda, agencies and brands are offering virtual elements as part of a bigger physical event. With this in mind, will the role of the digital strategist become a prominent one within events?

With demand for virtual events surging, it’s more important than ever to gain a deep understanding of event performance, ROI, and the relative advantages of virtual and physical events. Read on to find out why Pico’s ExQ™ Experience Analytics is a key tool for measuring event performance and helping the MICE industry cater to consumers’ changing expectations and demands.

While the pandemic dealt a major blow to the MICE industry, it also opened up new opportunities. Read on to find out how brands are equipping their toolkits for a shift towards hybrid physical-digital approaches.

Rising demand for in-person experiences and loosening anti-pandemic measures have paved the way for the return of some legendary music festivals. Explore how Glastonbury, Coachella, Tomorrowland and others are setting trends by using digitalisation, social purpose, metaverse and personalisation to take audience engagement to new heights.

In-person events are returning, but different than before, with digital elements increasingly woven into physical experience to give audiences and brand technology choices in how they engage.

While embracing the metaverse is a must for much of the MICE industry, but it also begs the question of how to create value. Read on to discover how companies can find their place in the metaverse – from identifying goals and developing value-focused strategy, to adopting data-driven analytics solutions Read about how examples such as Sandbox and Pico’s YAOLAND can actually create value from the metaverse.

The surging popularity of the metaverse virtually assures it a prominent role in the MICE industry’s future. Find out how brands can maximise their opportunities by selecting platforms that best convey their brand messages and meet target audience expectations, by using the metaverse as a new sales channel, and by creating their own metaverses.

As festivals and celebrations return to the calendar, we look at examples such as the HP Antarctic Dome at Coachella and the ‘Hydeout: The Prelude’ digital music platform, both activated by Pico, to explore the effectiveness of digitalisation, personalisation and utilisation of the metaverse in live events for elevated personalised experiences.

Debuting at the Coachella music festival in April, REGEN was an immersive 360-degree multisensory journey that attracted global attention. Let’s explore its origins, its development, and how its content and technology struck a chord with festivalgoers.

Mega-events are blazing a trail for brands looking to utilise cutting-edge technologies such as the metaverse, NFTs and mobile apps to extend events’ reach and boost audience enthusiasm.

Demand for personalised experiences is rocketing as communication between brands and their audiences – ‘B2H (business-to-human)’ – becomes increasingly important. Innovative B2H approaches using metaverse, NFTs and Pico’s ExQ™ Experience Analytics tool are essential to engage audiences for a higher ROI.

Influencer marketing can be a powerful asset when it is conceived and used with insight. Find out how a greater use of ‘live’ influencer avatars, virtual and employee influencers and stronger audience targeting can ensure its effectiveness.

Though it hasn’t gripped the popular imagination to the extent of the metaverse, digital twinning can be one of the most effective and innovative ways to breach borders between real and virtual worlds.

Wise use of data, advanced technologies and designing equally appealing experiences for all audiences are among the essentials when embracing the integrated events trend.

NFTs and metaverse are just two elements of how businesses are exploring ways to satisfy consumer demand for sustainability without sacrificing their performance.

Taking innovative approaches such as ‘digital twins’ are paramount if exhibitions are to retain their appeal and relevance to audiences and brands.

Tay Ling, Vice President of Pico Japan, talks to M&C Asia about the rise of global business travel – and of smaller events.

Human-to-human connection is increasingly replacing B2B or B2C as the focus of effective events. Let’s explore the use of ‘digital twins’ and account-based approaches to broaden events’ reach, sustain engagement, and optimise event investment.

The popularity of events combining both online and offline elements is surging. Now, find out how a tailor-made approach and cutting-edge tech can bring powerful experiences to both audiences.

The pandemic has spurred the popularity of events with digital elements in formats ranging from virtual to hybrid and micro. Learn more about the importance of personalisation and data analysis for maximising events’ ROI and engagement, and how Pico’s analytics tool Experience Pulse is critical for cultivating ‘sticky’ audiences.

In-person and virtual events are extensions of a consumer journey that gives a brand constant touchpoint with its audience. Find out how to reach a happy medium between the two formats and harness the strengths of both in a well-designed integrated event.

From 2021 to 2025, the global gamification market is expected to grow by nearly US$20 billion. Marketers should seize on the trend to create diverse and refreshing new audience experiences.

By 2025, Generation Alpha – a community born after 2010 – will be more than two billion strong and become the largest generation ever. Marketers must prepare fresh approaches now to fulfil the desires and expectations of the coming new mainstream.

COVID transformed the market and establishing new trends that has been a ‘wake-up call’ for many businesses. Explore some of the lessons learned that will serve businesses well in the post-pandemic world.

Tay Ling, Vice President of TBA Hong Kong, gives M&C Asia insights to the rise of micro-events and some reasons why they’re here to stay.

The young people of today are poised to make an unprecedented impact on the events of tomorrow: integration of virtuality and reality to create immersive, diverse experiences will be more important than ever.

Integrated events have surged in popularity during the last two years. Their great potential ensures that their influence on the event planning industry will continue even after the pandemic. Brands and marketers should take note.

The pandemic catalysed the development of contactless technologies; but the tech’s potential goes far beyond fighting viruses; its true future lies in providing a convenient personalised experiences, and ultimately creating new touchpoints for users. Explore the development and potential applications of contactless technologies.

The luxury market is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Hong Kong, according to a survey prior to the fifth wave of COVID-19. As such, it demonstrates some trends worth noticing for brands and marketers. Discover the strategies that underpin the sector’s success, including its drive into the metaverse and NFTs, localised marketing and CSR.

Metaverse concepts have become almost de rigueur among marketers – but the general public may not all be particularly aware of it. Discover the potential of applying this new technology to create products and services with maximum audience engagement.

The success of Expo 2020 Dubai paves the way for the re-emergence of large-scale events. Find out how technologies and practices from the Expo will be leveraged for subsequent large-scale events, and how they may contribute to building more robust and safer communities.

In M&C Asia, Tay Ling, Vice President of TBA Hong Kong, discusses crucial ways event planners can sharpen their skills and prepare for the challenges around the corner.

Innovative applications of technology were a big ‘hidden factor’ in the Beijing Winter Olympics’ success. Let’s explore how VR, AI and robotics helped to create an intimate and memorable audience experience.

The metaverse has become a potential event space for brands aiming to truly engage their audience. In an interview with Marketing-Interactive, Tay Ling shares how event skills and techniques will evolve even when the purpose of events remains unchanged, and how technology is enabling events to enhance the audience experience beyond conventional constraints.

Gamification can transform videos into personalised experiences to be enjoyed. Tay Ling shares potential applications of gamified videos to counter audiences’ ‘video fatigue’.

The Beijing Winter Olympics were inspiring for more than their supreme athleticisms; they were also a dazzling demonstration of new technology for the events industry. Read on to explore the Games’ technologies and how they maximised the audience experience while taking on vital roles in event management.

Wearable technology can add an element of fun to events, as well as providing valuable data for organizers. Explore the possible applications of wearables such as AR/VR eyewear and smart badges and their potential for optimising the audience experience.

Building a sustainable online community is the key to engaging attendees in the long-run as in-person events and social interaction make their return. Now discover some gimmick-free tools for engendering audience loyalty, and find out how events can leave lasting impressions.

The MICE industry is already on the path of integrated events which seek to equalise the experience between their online and offline audiences. Increasingly, it means that engaging an online audience will no longer be secondary; it will be as much a key to success (or more) as impacting the in-venue audience.

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have released a joint report on Hong Kong’s digital evolution in ecommerce, food services and creative industries. Titled Explore Opportunities in Hong Kong's Digital Ecosystem, it highlights Hong Kong’s connective role in business between the world and Asia Pacific, as well as the increased agility of its digital ecosystem...

As we approach the second anniversary of COVID-19’s initial outbreak, we should by now have accepted that ‘business as usual’ likely won’t resume in the foreseeable future and begun to devise new strategies to make the best of an unstable situation. For the MICE industry, this means finding ways to make events as inherently ‘virus proof’ as possible and enable them to carry on as scheduled under most conditions.

The moment that marketers spent years preparing for is already here: Generation Z’s phase of demographic dominance has begun. So, as the influence of their expectations, habits and needs becomes increasingly embedded in brand marketing and the MICE sector, it makes sense to look forward again to who and what is next.

Every paradigm shift creates new buzzwords – and for the post-pandemic business events industry, they’re ‘hybrid’ and ‘integrated’. One needs only to glance at the flurry of industry articles from the last few months to know that these types of events are looming in marketing and event professionals’ minds as they look forward to Covid-19 receding and their work ramping up again.

Online and integrated experiences are plainly here to stay, in part due to their inherent applicability during future crises. Virtual will become even more of a mainstay when the digital natives of Gen Z and Gen Alpha grow into consumer market dominance. At that point, offering a choice of participating in live events either in person or via a laptop or mobile device will become a best practice.

The ongoing shift to virtual in life, work and business has not been entirely free of hiccups. Many businesses who have moved from annual in-person events to more frequent online events are facing a challenge: virtual fatigue.

Just as nobody knew how far and deep the pandemic’s impact would be on business, nobody today can predict when its effects will cease to be felt. Or even if they ever will. ‘Business as usual’, when it returns, may be strikingly different from the pre-pandemic norm. Is there any way to prepare for the unforeseeable?

Even in the ‘post-vaccine world’, companies may need to adjust their strategies, marketing, messaging and communications to stay relevant and sustain their businesses for a period of ‘business not quite as usual. Read the full article to find out how marketers can win over target audiences with digital experiences and safe physical events when it's ‘business not quite as usual’.

As the world reeled with the loss of physical events, Pico, a global brand activation company, have had a digital leg-up. 'We were already a digital company pre-COVID,' says Gregory Crandall, Senior Vice President of Pico’s Global Activation Team. 'What the pandemic did was to push demand for digital experiences into hyperdrive' Greg explains.

With consumer behaviours now radically changing and brand loyalties very much in question, marketing professionals are straining to spot new long-term trends amid the chaos.

Brands of all kinds are still learning how to respond to the new habits and expectations. Let’s look at three of the most dramatic changes of consumer behaviour and check out the insight on how brands can boost ROI in this new landscape.

Festivalisation can give events an entertaining edge that engages attendees closely with a brand. Is it possible to achieve the same effect online? Follow the tips for using social features and other virtual tools to enhance the online/hybrid ‘festivalised’ experience.

Borderless, contactless and touchless—delving into new measures that event organisers have to take into consideration moving forward.

The medium may be different, but webinars need just as much organizing as a conventional seminar. Factors such as timing, what data to collect and what kind of interactivity will be effective all need to be considered for a webinar to be successful. In TTGmice magazine, Tay Ling of TBA Hong Kong offers marketers ideas for designing engaging webinars that improve lead...

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed changes to our daily lives to an unprecedented scale in just a few months. New normal – a new way of living and disruptions in our habits and tradition relating to the way we live, work and interact with others will – affects day-to-day activities as well as business operations.

Chris Jones of Pico+ UK shares insights on how event stand design and the event experience may change after COVID-19.

This article sheds insight on how the art of experiential marketing event experiencesleverage technology and how Pico successfully helped customers through digital transformation journey.

An interview with Chan Wee Teck, Vice President of Pico+

It's been usual during COVID-19 for inboxes to be flooded with 20 or more webinar invitations per day, as marketers consider them a simple, low cost tool for collecting data and generating leads. Tay Ling shares insights on how marketers can design engaging webinars that achieve their goals...

Online events are blooming in a time of social distancing. In Tyronne O’Callaghan’s interview with the micenet magazine, he talked about how event professionals should harness technology to ‘reimagine’ event experiences and human interactions for satisfying results.

While we are starting to see some countries ease lockdown restrictions as they manage the COVID-19 pandemic, the events industry will remain severely disrupted for some time to come. So, in the absence of events, how are businesses adapting?

It is being said virtual/hybrid events are the new normal. As marketers, are you prepared? In an interview by TTGmice, Vincent Yap of Pico Singapore, shared practical tips event planners can use for shaping effective virtual events.

When we talk about conveying the essence of the brand – the substance that makes it meaningful and unique – we are talking about storytelling. But storytelling is more than a literal all-purpose history; it’s about crafting information into a human experience. On each occasion it is used, a story needs to be refreshed so that it resonates with a different audience, time, place or product.

For brands, customer experience is everything. Good experiences generate word-of-mouth marketing, which in turn creates a continuously growing body of loyal, satisfied customers. Ultimately, it means healthy revenue growth for the business.

New technology, media and changing behaviours are causing companies and planners to reinvent the way they promote events. They are even creating new events around the technology.

Here are three imaginative ways that events are staying effective and ahead of the curve.

Pico’s Chairman looks at how AI has become routinely applied in an increasing number of industries in the past few years. With AI-powered robots now successfully drafting legal documents, patrolling airports and taking on other tasks, AI is set to proliferate even more quickly into more aspects of event, business and daily life.

Cybercrime is a serious and growing problem for businesses across Hong Kong. In his latest Hong Kong Business column, our Chairman shares his wisdom on how cybersecurity awareness can prevent losses and mitigate the risks of cybercrime.

In his Headline Finance column, Pico’s Chairman offers examples like the GUINNESS^TM Connoisseur Bar pop-up store to explain how brands are creating novel experiences to relate their stories to a new generation. With different generations having different expectations, he says, brand marketing must change with the times.

The Chairman relates how projects such as Expo 2017 Astana in Kazakhstan and previous Olympic Games emphasised the importance of meticulously detailed preparation in ensuring that events go well.

Events upgraded with new technology are the focus of a Headline Finance column by Pico’s Chairman. Pico’s own Born to Run virtual running platform and ‘Our Harbour 1881, Our Stories’ are examples of how interactivity can bring fresh appeal to familiar histories – and even the ancient activity of the marathon.

As Pico’s Chairman points out in Headline Finance, cyber-crime tactics are constantly changing – and businesses and individuals need to be vigilant to keep up. Common-sense measures like using unique and complex passwords can make a huge difference in security – and help businesses maintain their reputation as a trustworthy partner.

Many businesses rely on data to predict consumer behaviour and optimise their strategies – but for good predictions to be made, ‘good data’ must first be collected. In his Headline Finance column, Pico’s Chairman describes how immersive new technology like VR will yield more accurate data at lower cost – and lead to better results for businesses like retailers and event planners.

The sharing economy may be exciting and trendy, but as Pico’s Chairman points out in his Headline Finance column, new sharing businesses still need to do the usual research and analysis to define their target market and find their competitive edge.

Pico’s Chairman takes note of how brands are increasingly diversifying beyond their traditional market segments in an effort to build a bigger following. The key to success? Starting with a brand image sufficiently strong and defined to add distinction to almost any product, for almost any audience.

In Hong Kong Business, Pico’s Chairman explains how facial recognition technology is steadily becoming more sophisticated, opening up endless possibilities for security, access control and marketing applications.

In Hong Kong Business, Pico’s Chairman discusses the increasing value of data to businesses, the importance of data protection strategies and the devastating consequences of cyber-security breaches.

The current corporate social responsibility trend is to engage stakeholders in community work. In fact, the ways companies can give back to communities are endless; but as Pico’s Chairman says in Headline Finance, CSR initiatives should also be consistent with the company’s own mission.

Darren Lim gives us a clear picture of how ‘festivalisation’ can boost attendee engagement to events of all kinds.

The promise of truly high speed mobile VR/AR and video livestreaming is about to be fulfilled as 5G edges closer to the mainstream. For event planners, 5G should usher in a new crop of tech that will make audience experiences more vivid and engaging than ever – even for audiences far beyond the confines of the venue.

How do you market to an unpredictable demographic? In his latest Headline Finance column, Pico’s Chairman looks at the online lives of Generation Z, and the consequent need for marketers who know the trends and are willing to react fast.

Brand experiences – direct, personal and sensory – can be a powerful way for companies to build real customer bonds amidst the digital age clutter. In his latest Headline Finance column, Pico’s Chairman provides insights to the cause and effect of experiential marketing.

Good events don’t just happen – and in his latest Headline Finance column, Pico’s Chairman shares his insights on why. At the centre of it all is the event planner, who must embody a very particular set of qualities to create great guest experiences.

Sponsorships can be smarter and yield better results – if you choose the right channels. In his latest Headline Finance column, Pico’s Chairman describes how a sound diversified sponsorship strategy can be built up from knowing your audience and the experiences they expect.

Customer behaviour has changed in this digital era – even when the customers are the clients of B2B firms. As Pico’s Chairman explains in his new Headline Finance column, the B2B world is responding with marketing strategies that use tech to pinpoint target audiences, and reach them with fine-tuned content via digital platforms and AI.

Trade shows, conferences and even meetings are increasingly taking their cues from music festivals and fan festivals. An article by Darren Lim from Pico+ looks at how and why ‘festivalisation’ can boost engagement, including by tailoring events for maximum audience appeal, providing a choice of brand-audience interactions, and even by letting audiences plan their own agenda. Read it all here.

How technologies can make collecting and analysing useful data an engaging experience for event attendees – and lead to the creation of events with an even greater personal touch? Read the full column here.

The Pico Chairman’s latest Headline Finance column builds the case for data at the foundation of every successful marketing event. Specifically, the Chairman relates how vital it is to ‘know’ a brand’s target audience before shaping events and brand interactions around their behaviour and preferences. Read the full column here.

With budgets being squeezed and trade shows becoming samey, Pico’s Vince Ota tells Biz Events Asia how event professionals can get creative with layouts and booth designs to reinvigorate the trade show experience for everyone.

Ensuring environmental sustainability is an important part of corporate social responsibility. With consumers around the globe increasingly concerned about environmental protection, businesses of all kinds have responded by ‘greening’ more and more of their operations.

 To build a community, event planners should engage with conference delegates or event attendees and understand their preferred mode of communication.

i Light Marina Bay 2018 brought a glow of attention and buzz to Singapore’s Marina Bay precinct. Barnabas Chia tells us how his team worked closely with the event’s stakeholders to deliver the sustainable light art festival – and disclosed how the event will expand next year.

Storytelling gives event planners the opportunity to craft an immersive experience that engages audiences at various locations and touch points. This creates real connections with the audience and is truly memorable.

Darren talks about how ‘festivalisation’ can have a positive impact on the event experience and how event planners should utilise the concept in order to drive the optimal outcome.

As there are many kinds of events, there are equally as many inspiring concepts. From a creative perspective, we look to event engagements that excite, inspire, and are truly experiential. There are many trends for how to achieve this, but the most important considerations are...

Facial recognition will certainly continue to grow, and people will come to see it as a routine part of daily life. However, some people still feel uncomfortable about the technology. Some feel that having their facial images captured at an event, or having their movements tracked there, infringes on their personal right to privacy. They forget…

Related by Teo Hui Hiang of Pico Singapore, the ‘hacks’ include advice on effectively using tools for social media and event data management, how to streamline guest registration, and much more. Read it all in PCMA.