Recovery of Live Exhibitions and Events in a Safe and Secure Way

Fu Bingbing

Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs belongs to the top 20 exhibition organizers by revenue worldwide and operates a 100，000 sq meter exhibition center in the city of Utrecht， the Netherlands. In the coming years， we will invest heavily into further expansions of our exhibition center in Utrecht to continue to meet the highest technology and sustainability standards. The international exhibition business of Jaarbeurs is consolidated in the VNU Group， a globally operating exhibition group with offices in Utrecht， Shanghai and Bangkok.

Here comes an exclusive interview with Heiko M. Stutzinger， COO of Royal Jaarbeurs | VNU Group regarding to the currently hot industry topics.

“When the global pandemic took grip in 2020， the industry came to a standstill which deeply impacted our business. At Jaarbeurs we took the opportunity to review our plans， and redefine the way we do business by restructuring our operating model. This led to a nine-point business plan， underpinned by digital innovation， safety and sustainability. Our industry changed overnight. We – as most players – introduced online webinars and virtual platforms in lieu of exhibitions， and did our best to keep our communities and customers engaged and connected while being physically apart. ” says Heiko M. Stutzinger，“now， as we hopefully enter the post-pandemic phase， we’re still looking at how to keep exhibitions open in a safe and responsible way， using the right technology to add value in today’s omnichannel driven customer journeys.”Heiko M. Stutzinger comments that it has been an exceptional time for everyone in the events and hospitality sector， and of course China plays a hugely important role as the largest market in Asia. It has been fascinating to witness how the country has adapted and responded so quickly， putting procedures in place to create a safe environment for businesses. However， they see that managing the disruption caused by Covid-19 is a huge challenge – even for China.

It still triggers a lot of uncertainty in the Chinese exhibition market， driven by shutdowns of major cities / districts with the obvious implied short-term cancellation of events. This will continue to challenge them throughout 2022. On the other hand， the domestic Chinese market is so strong， that leading trade shows can run – if they can run – practically without international travel. Many large corporates already have established a presence in the PR China and can leverage their local staff to attend shows. So， he is sure they will keep seeing a fast ramp up and China will keep driving the exhibition industry in Asia.

In addition， another important development has been the digitalization of the exhibition industry， using immersive and engaging ways to keep people connected in place of face-to-face. With the emergence of China as a leading global tech-giant， it can play a pivotal role in creating new digitally driven business models all along the value chain. Heiko M. Stutzinger predicts that they’ll see a lot of innovation in the event-tech sector with the famous“China-speed” in the coming years.

The sustainability which Heiko M. Stutzinger gives us his insights into is more than just a buzz word of modern times， it’s something they at Jaarbeurs have been thinking for some time now， and is a cornerstone of their business plan and operations.

“The recent COP26 event attracted the world’s attention， because we’ve all seen how quickly the world can change in a very short time. We need to leverage this and embed sustainability into our procedures in place. The Net Zero Carbon Events pledge’ sets an important industry standard to work to over the next years. As an industry it’s important that we do our best to collaborate with partners， suppliers and customers to drive sustainable and meaningful change. Our teams are very passionate about finding better ways of working to reduce our carbon footprint. For instance， finding ways to reuse raw materials， controlling and reducing waste and looking at ways to generate our own green energy. We host 2.3 million people every year at our venue in Utrecht， and have a great opportunity here to implement our sustainable practices. It’s wonderful to see our hard work paying off too. We were recently awarded the golden Green Key certificate for the fifth year in a row； an international quality mark for sustainable businesses in the recreation and leisure sector.” says Heiko M. Stutzinger.

Heiko M. Stutzinger points out that there’s no doubt that there are tough times ahead， and the industry won’t bounce back overnight. But all the right signs are there； 64 per cent of global meetings and events budgets are planned to being increased this year and people are starting to travel again. But consumer confidence underpins all of this， and Heiko M. Stutzinger， they have to show real value and increase ROI to get people walking through exhibition doors. Our role as an industry is to “remind” people of the benefits of face-to-face meetings， the value of building and nurturing relationships， and showing that there really is no compensation for doing business in person.

“Building trust is nearly impossible in a purely digital meeting set up. After all， exhibitions provide invaluable networking opportunities and an inspiring space for creativity. Over the past months our industry has proven that we can bring back live exhibitions and events in a safe and secure way.” Heiko M. Stutzinger stresses， “I hope policy makers understand that we can stage our events and marketplaces as safe as possible in these demanding times and let us open with respective safety measures.”

“We’ve made great progress over the past few months， throughout lockdown and beyond， to create a blueprint for digital and remote events. We are well versed in creating a safe environment and embracing sustainability which is at the heart of our business. But most notable of all， we’re proud to be back staging great events to keep people connected. As we move forward， we will need to monitor trends and respond and adjust in real-time， while continuing to invest in these important areas. We all have learnings to take from the past two years that will equip us for the future. But the best way to futureproof our industry is to continue to innovate， listen to customers and invest in our assets. ” adds Heiko M. Stutzinger.

“Before the pandemic we needed passionate， knowledgeable people… and nothing has changed in that respect. Like all businesses in hospitality， it’s all about relationships.The pandemic， however， reminded us that we need certain skills in our armoury； the ability to be agile and responsive， a can-do mindset， and of course digital skills are a prerequisite in this day and age. It’s no secret that in order to attract and retain the best talent， businesses have to be an attractive place to work. Not just in terms of packages offered – but in terms of brand reputation and credentials. Younger generations care about the environment， a work-life balance and companies whose values align with theirs； ergo， if you want to attract the very best， you have to also strive be the very best. It’s an ethos that has served us well at Royal Jaarbeurs | VNU Group！” comments Heiko M. Stutzinger