Can Technology Ever Beat Face to Face Interactions?
Interview: Agnieszka Krysztul
Events Manager
17th October 2018
This week sees the last large event we are exhibiting at for 2018. It’s been busy: The Disruption Summit, DVD and Mission Critical Technologieswere amongst the highlights of a busy season.
As a technology company, we often rely on technology too much to support our human to human interactions. We sat down today and chatted to Agnieszka, our Event Manager to discuss whether there really is still a place for business events in today’s modern tech-driven world:
Are business events still popular?
These days we have such a high-tech lifestyle. We are working in highly competitive and fast changing environments dominated by digital technology but what hasn’t changed is that people still buy from people. Like any event, business events are organized for a strong purpose. They bring people together and give an opportunity to talk to different individuals, and meet old contacts. They are also great place to keep up with latest trends and technologies, to learn about and discover new opportunities.
Why do these business events inspire business growth?
We all attend various events in life (whether it’s a social event or for business) and we go there with the purpose to meet contacts who are all there for similar purpose. They brighten up our daily routine in life and give us a fresh view on what’s happening in our interest group. They often strengthen our relationships, broaden our horizons and bring fresh ideas. Ultimately, it’s easier to understand a person and determine whether you want to work with them when you can see the whites of their eyes!
Whenever I go to one of these events I feel I have gained something positive. I am inspired by talking to different people and by finding out what they have been up to recently. Being in a different environment with different groups of people can give you fresh ideas and new prospects. They bring value to both the business development team and to all employees who attend.
Is there really an employee benefit to attending events?
Yes. When I see my team getting involved in attending an event, they get engaged with different colleagues in the company that they don’t regularly speak to. It is good for team building inside the organization but also when they come back from the event, the value and the new opportunities get shared across the business. It involves all of us and helps the business work together.
One of our biggest successes for the events team is increasing our company’s reputation in the marketplace, not only as a trusted and valuable partner but also as a growing & successful business. Events are a powerful way to deliver that message.
What’s next for events in the future?
As the business world works more globally, there may be more technology involved in communicating across distance and we work with international clients on that basis. But I haven’t seen that detract from events where you can make great initial contacts. People are still prepared and seem to prefer flying the distances to meet with people face to face and make more valuable human connections in order to accelerate business.
This week we will be showing our product design and concept generation skills at the Engineering Design Show where our Product Designers, who often get stuck back at the studio, have a chance to meet with our customers and prospects on an open platform. These are real people working on real, exciting projects, and the best way to understand what they do will always be to see them in real life.
