Hybrid meetings

A little nod to Minority Report, or Black Mirror… When it comes to projecting ourselves into 2050, and discussing what the office of the future might be like, IWG has drawn a little from the science fiction playbook. Even if the workspace specialist is basing this on very concrete technologies, which could…

The 40-page report published by the IACC on 12 June is based on the testimonies of 275 meetings planners worldwide. The association of meetings and events venues, which has some 400 members around the world, has thus been able to identify changes over time in practices, expectations and projections, sometimes with strong...

Are we heading for a profound upheaval in our relationship with digital technology? Of course, as with any keynote - and even more so for Apple - caution is called for. The Cupertino-based giant has a flair for spectacle and repeated revolutions. But it has to be said that the newcomer unveiled this week...

Has the health crisis changed the way people relate to the office for good? It's hard to come up with a global answer, because habits differ so much from one market to another, and from one company to another. So TravelPerk surveyed 2,000 employees, equally divided between the UK and the US, last March. And if the impact of the Covid experience is not...

What is the busiest day of the week for video conferences? How is the average length of a videoconference changing? Which tools are preferred by participants? These are just some of the questions raised by Zoom in the results of its latest study. Conducted over a one-year period - from November 2021 to the end of October 2022 -...

When was the Hospitality project launched and what were its ambitions? Fabien Violet - We've been working on the Hospitality project for about a year and a half now. It's a kind of extension of the Comet Meetings business. Originally, we offered a network of city-centre venues dedicated to strategic meetings and events.

With the fifth wave sweeping across France and Europe, how do you see 2022? Eric Viale - I'm approaching this year with cautious optimism, but with confidence. The good thing is that we now have the lessons to learn and the best practices to apply, in addition to scientific advances and vaccination efforts. We have...

Requests for postponements, cancellations of events: after a clear upturn from last summer onwards, La Rochelle has not escaped the new difficult period experienced by the events sector since mid-December. "From September to December, our activity was equivalent to what it was in 2019, and without that it would even have...

You recently took part in IBTM Barcelona: how did you feel about holding an international show in times of crisis, with increased regulatory constraints and fewer visitors? Mubarak Al Shamisi - I don't know how many participants there were at IBTM, perhaps a few fewer than before, but the main thing is...

What does the reopening of the United States to international travellers mean for an American hotel group? David Kelly - The reopening of American borders is a key moment for the economic recovery of our sector. We are delighted to be able to welcome our international guests back to our hotels across the Atlantic. Since...

As part of its Meet with Confidence programme, the IHG Group is adapting to the new demand for virtual and hybrid events. Presented last March, its hybrid meetings offer incorporated a technological solution designed by Weframe, which is now starting to be deployed in Europe....

On the Côte d'Azur, as elsewhere, the concept of hybrid MICE has made a big impact in recent months. But in a destination blessed by nature, the question of the screen event may be posed differently... "There's no point in coming to Antibes to hold a digital event. There's no point in coming to Antibes to hold a digital event: you might as well stay...

Is the recovery on the horizon living up to your expectations? Patrick Bontinck - I'm fairly confident that business will pick up again. But it remains to be seen when the recovery will really kick in. Among other factors, we are dependent on the provisions laid down by the European Commission and the institutions that...

Zoomtopia, the annual conference organised by Zoom, was held on 13 and 14 September. It was an opportunity for the remote communications specialist to take stock of the past few months, which have obviously been marked by intense activity linked to containment measures around the world. "Over the last decade,...

Speakers immersed in a 3D universe, graphics appearing as if by magic, backdrops that move or change colour at will, all illuminated by virtual 100% lighting: the new Studio Oxygène-Technologie XR, unveiled by Chateauform', takes the animation of corporate events a step further by combining the real with the virtual....

Business travel managers expect virtual meetings to replace more than a quarter of total travel volume by 2022 - exactly 27%. This is the result of a survey conducted by the investment bank Stanley Morgan between the end of June and the beginning of July. However, this is an improvement on 2020...

Has the resumption of seminar business at your hotel, the Château de Maffliers Demeures de Campagne, lived up to your expectations? Arnaud Feucherolles - We're fairly relaxed about the months ahead, especially as we've been almost overwhelmed by requests since 19 May. I've even had to...

Since its inauguration at the beginning of 1967, the sleek lines of the Versailles Palais des Congrès have interacted with the emblematic château just a stone's throw away, weaving a discreet link between the Trente Glorieuses and the Grand Siècle. The doyen of French convention centres, Versailles Palais des Congrès has undergone a major facelift. Closed for renovation in 2019, the...

How did Châteauform' emerge from this long period of virtual inactivity? Benjamin Abittan - A lot of people didn't give us much of a chance and doubted the long-term relevance of our business model. We're delighted to prove them wrong. Châteauform' has come through this crisis rather unscathed, even though we've...

The See You There (SYT) event, which brought together the key players in the events industry on 1 July, had a special flavour this year after months and months of the sector coming to a standstill. Illustrating a trend that began with the health crisis, this annual meeting of the Union Française des Métiers de l'Événement (UNIMEV) brought together...