Wherever we are in the world, when business calls, we set our alarms, and go by foot, by car, by train or by plane.
For each, the reason for travel will be different in terms of business intent, but for all, the common theme is meeting, discovering, sharing, learning, and ultimately building the next great thing. How that translates in business terms, will be numerous.
Events provide an ideal environment to kill many birds with one stone, as they bring likeminded folk, industries, interests together, in the one room. Kettled, face to face, looking one another in the eye and working out the cut of their jib, so to speak.
A theatre of human interaction that email, Zoom or any other digital communication can’t quite recreate.
On a weekly basis, The Excel, like so many event venues around the world, plays host to thousands of people, all with a common cause. But what is it that makes those delegates decide to attend? To make the effort? To choose that moment to travel to?
The answer is ‘environment’. Though, this needs a little more unpacking to get to its heart. When we say environment, we mean:
“As humans we feel nourished when the environment ‘wows’ us, caters to our needs and gives us the space to achieve.”
Professional Environment
This perhaps is the most straight forward to address. Delegates need to be reassured that an event is critical to them. The right brands, right people. After all, knowing all your customer base are attending, saves attending multiple events.
Venue Environment
Again, this is perhaps a little more obvious in terms of impact, ability to display, discover, and meet. As humans we feel nourished when the environment ‘wows’ us, caters to our needs and gives us the space to achieve.
Local Environment
Firstly, bleisure. That word. But as we recently discovered, over 60% of business travellers to the Excel and other great venues around the world actually place the ability to network above anything else. Culture? Well, in the Excels case, by travelling to London for their event, delegates are more than aware that they won’t be lost for a world of choice beyond the Excel. More power to networking in and around, during and post event and more reasons to choose to travel.
The Excel welcomes over 4 million delegates a year. Not just good for the Excel, but good for the local environment and this is an important point.
” For the local community, it provides opportunity, a buoyant local environment and of course, exposure to those other cultures too.”
The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that for every $1 generated in direct travel and tourism GDP, more than $2 are generated on an indirect and/or induced basis.
For the local environment, that’s a lot of jobs. Think hotels, restaurants, bars, cultural events, icons and heritage and so on. Jobs that enable all walks of life, from business owners to the vulnerable, to minority groups, youth, and women amongst many others. Ultimately, this coming together of delegates and the local community is a great enabler for both; Delegates move faster towards business ideas taking flight, while experiencing another culture/environment first hand. While for the local community, it provides opportunity, a buoyant local environment and of course, exposure to those other cultures too.
So, before you set that alarm, head off by foot, by car, by train or by plane, spend a little time checking out the environment, for the sake of the environment.