Our Point of View

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.

Exhibition data collected from pre-event to post-event can be analysed more effectively using holistic methods. Let’s explore ways of securing intelligent data to yield competitive value, and examine how Pico enhances attendee engagement by creating multiple touchpoints that extend beyond physical exhibitions.

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.

The metaverse will allow us to create engagements that we can only begin to imagine now. It is not just about technologies; it is about providing different forms of engagement. Read the full article to find out how brands can win over customers with the metaverse now being the new frontier for audience interaction.

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?

Having foreseen a digital future for the events industry, Pico has in the past five years pursued a digital transformation strategy, applying technology to enhance the experience and promotional effectiveness of events. More and more brands found the results impressive, and the pandemic further boosted demand for such services.

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.

Virtual events have swiftly become the norm; but while organizers have grown to appreciate their many advantages, keeping audiences engaged remains a challenge. In many cases, audiences have simply become fatigued by online events that seem too long, too predictable, and lacking personalisation. The result is too high a proportion of audience members zoning out; or even worse, logging off.

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.

Virtual networking was a key component to enable interaction and exchange of ideas in navigating the next normal in this pandemic. Let’s dive deep to see how brands’ virtual events can be activated through an insights-driven approach with interactive components.

The sudden tilt toward online events in 2020 triggered an onslaught of digital and virtual event solutions of varying degrees of usefulness. Let’s look at the common ROI-affecting challenges and proven ideas of reaching customers online, continuing effective dialogues and digging out actionable insights for ROI measurement and strategy optimisation.

Given COVID-19’s ferocity, most businesses are trying different ways to reach their customers and continue their operations as much as they can. Many of them are ramping up investment in digital solutions, social and e-commerce platforms. Some businesses would opt for transforming their events to virtual ones. And the key to a successful virtual event is keeping your audience engaged.

Businesses are striving to continue dialogue during the uncertain COVID-19 pandemic period. Pico+ has been helping brands understand sentiments of consumers and providing hugely customisable virtual offerings, allowing them to navigate the virtual landscape in effective engagement with consumers.

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.

In an interview with M&C Asia, Pico’s Vincent Yap pointed out the importance of providing virtual events solutions to continue driving the meetings ecosystem amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, live events will remain vital because of the irrepressible need for human interaction. Hybrid events are likely to evolve as 'the new normal' for the industry.

E-sports is catching the attention of brands and marketers for their dazzling near-term potential.

Expos and mega trade shows and Olympic Games; the sheer scope and scale that make them so alluring to the visitor can also be their undoing if wayfinding is not up to the task.

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.

‘Festivalisation’ has become a buzzword around events ranging from business conferences to exhibitions and sports tournaments. It marks a striking change in how events are conceived and planned.

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.

Gregory Crandall sheds light on festivalisation and young audiences at HKECIA’s conference.

The upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics are set to show just how pervasive technologies have become even on the level of international events. The Chairman picks Olympic tech with the potential for wider applications in future events.

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.

It is almost inevitable that drones are set to be an essential part of daily life. But there are still looming concerns about safety, privacy and vulnerability to hackers.

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 Chairman explains how art events effectively seize the chance to attract tourists and draw attention from international media. Art and brands can also work together to attention-getting effect.

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.

When companies go green, so do their events. Gregory Crandall has ideas on how planners can respond.

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.

Blockchain is already creating opportunities for event professionals. Caroline Bee shares some real-life examples of how blockchain is changing the ticketing ecosystem for events, decentralising event marketing and making events more secure and efficient.

Events play a major role in reflecting companies’ environmental credentials. Pico’s Chairman provides some tips on how event agencies can help their clients highlight their sustainable visions

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.

A wide spectrum of interactive elements at an event acts as incentives that attract newcomers and encourage loyal fans to return – ultimately allowing the event’s messages to reach a wider audience.

Hotels that make wise use of smart technologies will become popular with event planners and improve their competitiveness within the industry.

Museums can utilise different technological features that personalise the visitor experience and further enhance the museum’s overall attractiveness.

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.

Technology is becoming a major consideration for every brand and every product. To take advantage of these opportunities, companies should invest in technology applications and hire the relevant talent to promote innovation, transform their businesses and create more efficient solutions.

Digital natives from the Gen Z generation are still inclined towards a physical retail experience, provided that it is delivered with a right mix of experiences.

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.

Blockchain’s great potential for ensuring the integrity and security of data is also expected to open up new avenues for the events industry.

Cutting-edge identity recognition technologies are maturing and bringing greater convenience to many aspects of daily life. However, there are still legitimate worries about the security and integrity of the personal information we share with companies and institutions. Does blockchain offer an effective solution?

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.

Event professionals are pulling out all the stops to break out of the constraints of traditional venues and event formats.

Ticket scalpers have been making hay in Hong Kong. The Chairman talks about how tech could combat ticket scalping in its tracks.

The rapid development of the e-sports industry will continue to drive new opportunities and create new challenges for a wide variety of industries in the near future.

 Event professionals should create a sense of community that lasts far beyond the event date…

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...

From making events more secure to enabling greater personalisation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral technology.

Caroline Bee explains how Augmented Reality is transforming the retail sector – and why event planners should take note.

There is no doubt that AR is fun to use, but it is not ‘just for fun’. IKEA’s AR app, for instance, helps shoppers visualise how furniture might look inside their real homes. AR has become an indispensable tool for successful brands to create deeper and better connections with their customers...

Advanced technology has a bright future in events, especially when applied to communication, information sharing, security and visitor flow. At the recent PyeongChang Olympics, companies delivered leading-edge technology solutions...