Connect Weekly: NCBMP Virtual Event, Spain’s Tracing App & More

Welcome to another edition of Stova’s Connect Weekly column, where we share the top five news stories from the week that today’s meeting and event planners should know. We aim to cover everything from the worlds of events, technology, business, marketing, social media, travel, hospitality and beyond. Check out the top stories from the week of June 15, 2020.

BVEP Calls for Urgent Government Guidelines on Reopening the Event Sector

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) is calling for the government to relax its social distancing rules, as they have warned of the sever impact it has on the UK events industry. Concerns arise just as the Meetings Industry Association released their research revealing three-quarters of UK’s venues are forecasting reductions in revenue greater than 60%. Without clear guidelines that work for the events industry, the business impact could be astronomical. Learn more about why the two-meter social distancing rule is problematic to UK’s event industry, here.

National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals’ Virtual Event Uplifts Spirits During Pandemic

Even prior to the current social unrest and Black Lives Matter movement, Jason Dunn, board chairman of NCBMP, wondered how NCBMP could uplift its members, after witnessing many people loosing their jobs to COVID-19. This organization wanted to find away to celebrate cultural institutions that embodied and educated their visitors on the resilience and passion of the Black community. Their solution, a five-night virtual event open to the public that took place on May 18-22. Read about the event and its impact.

“We Must Do Better”: Fighting for Diversity and Inclusion During Pride Month

Though this year’s pride month looks very different from past years, the Pride movement has achieved a historic victory with the Supreme Court ruling that people who identify at LGBT+ are protected from job discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This year the focus of the Pride movement is to fight for equal rights of all oppressed groups. Thus, making it important for the meetings and travel business to reflect on and assess their diversity and inclusion progress. Jim Clapes, chair of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association and events manager for the Specialty Food Association, provides a perspective on Pride month. Read the interview featured in the podcast Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, here.

Spain to Trial Coronavirus Tracing App on Holiday Island

Spain is planning to trial its new smartphone app that is aimed at stopping the spread of the Coronavirus on its Canary Islands. This app would log contacts between people and send warning messages if any of them test positive for the virus. In late June, the app will be tested on La Gomera, due to its high volume of tourists. Depending on the results of this pilot, Spain will determine if it will roll out the app nationally. Read more about the app here.

The State of Virtual Events

As event planners started pivoting their events, Stova  acted quickly to find solutions that would help event planners who had cancelled their events due to  Coronavirus. First, we partnered with virtual event providers and then launched our own virtual events platform.  Over these past months,  it was discovered that virtual and digital experiences were new for many meeting and event professionals. To get their thoughts on the new virtual landscape,  we surveyed 150 event and meeting professionals. Check out this infographic we put together with the results.