Part Two: Here We Go… Again?
Howdy all -
I committed, and am excited to share my takeaways from my time in Dubai last month at the Expo 2020. I came home brimming with insights and ideas for the team and am truly looking forward to hopefully having a chance to implement some of the great things I saw and was inspired by this year for our clients:
Here’s what pleasantly surprised me about Expo 2020:
How truly global it was from representation of the 192 country pavilions to the diverse attendee base…I loved hearing all the different languages being spoken and learning about what each country was up to from a sustainability, business growth opportunity perspective and how they were going to move forward into the 21st century.
The UAE invested so much in Expo 2020 and it showed! I didn’t have the pleasure to attend Milan, which was hosted in 2015, but consistently the people I met who attended prior Expos (also known as the World Fair pre mid 1980s) said that Milan was not as well done as Dubai. Osaka, Japan is hosting 2025….you bet I have that on my calendar to attend.
Collaboration is key. I saw so many sponsors that made not just Expo but the individual country pavilions possible. This is something we educate a lot of first time clients to our agency on what it takes to put on a well produced conference/tradeshow because the investment is high and oftentimes, a brand may not have it in their budget so they need to rely on paying partners (i.e., sponsors). Some are in-kind and some are cash. There was NO shortage of this at Expo 2020 and it was truly impressive to behold what is possible when we work together.
QR Codes have made a full comeback. So during the pandemic, we noticed QR codes making a comeback at restaurants with their menus, and wow I saw so many unique and compelling uses of QR codes at Expo 2020. From initiating clever AR experiences to giving you the description of the exhibit you were looking at to signing up to receive more information, they were all effective and engaging. Remember everyone has a smartphone these days, so when you’re employing this format, use it wisely to stay connected with your guests even post-event.
We all love being entertained. The country pavilions that stood out to me at the end of my visit were the ones that educated through interactive and thoughtful entertainment. This is NOT a new concept BUT it always amazes me that event/set designers don’t think about the end user’s experience when they design their content from day one. Successful pavilions were ones where the designers clearly thought about the audience and created the space to make them feel seen. I appreciated the country pavilions that used LED walls and closed-caption to help convey their message. With 192 country pavilions, you can imagine the ones that just simply set up a traditional museum-like display lost my attention quite quickly. Or the ones that used LED walls but had no script or closed-caption - it was almost too open to interpretation.
I have posted a few Instagram reels to recap what I experienced first-hand. Since 60 second IG reels is just not sufficient, I invite you to catch up in person or if you don’t live in Austin, let’s either meetup at PCMA Convening Leaders in Las Vegas or schedule a zoom/facetime call in January. My door is always open to discuss the future of events.
Need some strategic insight for your next brand activation? We’d love to hear from you.
