Julius Solaris

The Mobile World Congress, one of the biggest tech events of the year attracting 100,000 attendees and over 28,000 exhibitors – many from China – has cancelled this year's event due to mounting concerns over the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. This marks the highest profile example yet of the impact to events.

The US State Department estimates that a staggering 24.9 million people are currently trafficked across the globe, both for labor and sex. To understand the role event professionals have in fighting human trafficking, it's important to recognize how events exacerbate demand.

The coronavirus is a growing global public health threat that will have ramifications throughout the events industry. Here's how it could impact upcoming events and what planners can do to mitigate risks.

Andy King, an event producers of the infamous Fyre Festival, recently partnered with Evian to create limited-edition water bottles. Despite all the talk of planners taking on more strategic, senior roles in our industry, King is being rewarded for going the extra mile – in the worst possible direction.

The frequent lack of child support at events has barred many parents from attending due to high child care costs, though there are signs that the industry is waking up to the issue. So, what's the state of child care at events, and what steps still need to be taken?

CES just happened. 100,000 attendees ventured to the Las Vegas jungle to find out what’s new in technology. Event planners shouldn’t care about 95% of what is presented at CES. That remaining 5%, though, may have quite a big impact. 

Last week, I was at PCMA Convening Leaders, a gathering of 5300 event professionals. I spoke to a lot of industry leaders, attended sessions and experienced the event. My conclusion: only eventprofs willing to commit will succeed in 2020.

Many big hotel chains made headlines in 2018 when they decided to suddenly cut their group commission rates, affecting both event planners and their clients. Wild furor followed. Industry-wide fanfares of war.

Only a handful of entrepreneurs can boast having run one of the top five fastest growing tech companies in the world.