“More and more companies are becoming environment conscious now and they prefer to work with event partners that share the same values. Events can produce a lot of wastage like food waste, plastic, paper and electricity. It is important to find solutions that use less wastage like handing out free reusable coffee cups, stop using paper for invitations and itineraries and rely on emails, evaluate the amount of power used by generators to decide alternatives to reduce the amount of power consumption etc” Said Natalie Crampton, the Founder of TEC.
In an interview with MediAvataar MENA, Dubai based events entrepreneur shared her journey so far and how events industry has taken some serious turns in order keep abreast with the newness of all things digital.
Here is the complete Q&A…..
MediAvataar: What lured you into the world of events?
Natalie: My passion for events started at a young age whilst working part time during high school at a conference and wedding venue and, I have not looked back ever since. I love the creativity and planning behind events and I like the way events make a difference to businesses, whether it is creating better employee engagement or customer leads. We make a difference.
MediAvataar: In the past decade, how has experiential marketing changed?
Natalie: People are bored with generic trade shows and conferences. Experiential events create a more engaging environment and memorable moments that customers will always associate with the brand. Today’s experiential events use more interactive technology like VR headsets, photo booths, drones, social media interactions and livestreaming to make events more interesting and shareable. It creates more interactions between the brand and the customer.
MediAvataar: Technology is a big part of any activity that happens on ground today, your thoughts
Natalie: Yes, today’s events are driven by technology. Few of the major trends I see are:
Virtual Reality- Usage of VR to give an immersive experience is increasing. VR can be used to explain complicated systems or bring a product to life so that people can experience what the product can do to transform their lives.
Projection mapping- Stimulating 3D projection mapping experiences can engage your audience with immersive and interactive content. Projection technology maps light onto buildings, cars, stages or other objects, thus bringing it alive. It adds extra dimensions and optical illusions that make static objects animated and playful. With projection mapping, you can create any sort of environment, for example, you can turn a warehouse into a party hotspot.
Drones- Drones are perfect for capturing fast moving actions like a race or a sports match and it can be streamed directly to screens at the venue or live streamed, to engage with attendees. Drones can also be used to perform aerial stunts at an event or trade show.
MediAvataar: Which technique is more exciting and useful to the brands?
Natalie: It depends on the brand positioning and the type of event. For consumer products, projection mapping is a great idea; if it’s a futuristic concept VR can be used to explain it in simple terms to the audience and, drones are perfect for capturing images of fast paced events like sports or for performing aerial stunts at concerts and consumer product launch events
MediAvataar: Are marketers all ears to these ever-changing tech dynamics?
Natalie: These technologies help to create a more immersive, entertaining and engaging event so it is in the best interest of the brands to adapt to the ever-changing technological advancements
MediAvataar: Is environment sustainability really a talking point in the event’s ball game?
Natalie: More and more companies are becoming environment conscious now and they prefer to work with event partners that share the same values. Events can produce a lot of wastage like food waste, plastic, paper and electricity. It is important to find solutions that use less wastage like handing out free reusable coffee cups, stop using paper for invitations and itineraries and rely on emails, evaluate the amount of power used by generators to decide alternatives to reduce the amount of power consumption etc
MediAvataar: How does your company embrace this mammoth cause?
Natalie: We are very environment conscious and we follow the same procedure that I listed above
MediAvataar: Which markets around the globe are most and least receptive to events?
Natalie: Everyone likes events. In some countries maybe companies are not willing to splash much on events but we can be creative and work within the budget
MediAvataar: Tell us about your journey as a woman entrepreneur in the region.
Natalie: Being an entrepreneur is a stressful but fulfilling role. It was tough at the beginning, but my husband and family were very supportive. As the business grew, I had a strong team and, my husband also joined the company full time. Now that I am Mom to twins, I try to delegate more work so that I can balance both roles.