Reality Check: Are We Ready for Major Transformations?

Prior to the event on September 19-20 in Frankfurt, the ebx.lab community was surveyed on their views regarding the development of the business events landscape in these three transformation fields, both retrospectively and prospectively, and in comparison to other industries. The survey results served as a critical self-reflection and a foundation for further work.

Additionally, the initiators of ebx.lab – the GCB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO – invited three experts, one for each transformation field, to complete the reality check with their analysis of the survey results and their external perspective. Zoe Nogai (Deutsche Telekom) for generational change, Dr. Oliver Knipping (Horváth & Partner) for digitalization, and Claudia Ricci (Fraunhofer IAO) for sustainability provided additional professional insights at the start of the event for the approximately 40 participants of ebx.lab. These participants included decision-makers from marketing, communications, and event departments of leading companies and associations, as well as strategic specialists and executives from the business events service provider side, including destinations, agencies, event locations, and hotels. The ebx.lab was once again expertly moderated by Felix Rundel (futurehain).

After reflecting on the reality check and additional insights, it was time to dive into the challenges. In six working groups – two per transformation field – participants were tasked with not only prioritizing their most significant challenges but also developing tangible solutions, assessing their impact, and finally pitching their ideas to the entire community present. The ideas presented were as diverse as the methods of their development, ranging from democratized organization for managing generational change to gamification methods for sustainable impact and a roadmap for digitalized event organizations.

Over the course of two intensive days, the dedicated participants of ebx.lab 2024 laid a solid foundation for further developing the discussion outcomes. The solutions identified by the six working groups across three transformation fields are now being evaluated in collaboration with Fraunhofer IAO. These findings will be presented and debated at the upcoming digital meetup with the ebx.lab community. Additionally, the results will be published in a whitepaper and other formats.