The events provided a platform for greater collaboration among organisers, venues and suppliers.
“Cvent Accelerate is about uniting our community to explore innovations and challenge conventional event strategies,” said Jack Ukil, head of Cvent Australia.
“Engaging with numerous professionals across events, hospitality and marketing has been incredibly insightful, offering diverse perspectives that inspire new possibilities not only for us at Cvent, but for the events industry as a whole.”
High attendance at both events reflected the industry’s preference for in-person events. There were 523 attendees in Singapore and 341 in Sydney.
Presentations showed advancements in business events and hospitality, the latest trends in both markets and compared the local landscape with international markets.
Industry experts discussed event retention, planning and management, technology and how access to data can further support sustainability goals.
Leading innovators shared transformative ideas on using attendee foot traffic to generate power for events and outcomes from experimenting with aeroponics and reducing food waste.
Sessions on enhancing efficiency and cost savings with event tech, including AI opportunities, scaling event programs, innovative event design and the importance of event data resonated with attendees.
Product demonstrations and explanations of software solutions complemented conference presentations and panel discussions.
Event planners expressed interest in managing budgets amid rising costs, while hoteliers highlighted staffing as an ongoing concern. Both groups acknowledged the pivotal role of technology in addressing these challenges, viewing it as a catalyst for success.
The Cvent Accelerate events contributed to environmental conservation – for Sydney, 294 trees will be planted in a mangrove reforestation site in Mozambique, and for Singapore, 504 trees will be planted.
Investment made towards the reduction of carbon dioxide equivalents through renewable energy projects totalled 48,081kgs and 82,706kgs respectively, for Sydney and Singapore, with 90 per cent and 96 per cent of attendees travelling locally.
“Events provide a prime opportunity for organisations to demonstrate their values and put words into action. Advanced technology allows us to track and understand the impact of events on our environment. We can use this information to implement better practices to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Nico Nicholas, CEO of Trees4Travel, Cvent’s sustainability partner.
