Future Meeting Space innovation network presents its latest research results.
In its 2024 research phase, the Future Meeting Space (FMS) innovation network evaluated which processes, products and services in the business events ecosystem will remain, disappear and emerge. Together with experts, the FMS initiators, the GCB German Convention Bureau and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, have now presented the key findings of their research in an online event titled “Emerging Opportunities, Persisting Classics, Fading Models: Business Events in a Transformative Era.”
From A for automation to U for urbanisation, last year’s FMS research process started by closely examining 13 megatrends as drivers of change, focusing on how those trends affect the business events ecosystem. Tilman Naujoks (Fraunhofer IAO) kicked off the FMS online event on 27 January by providing an overview of these megatrends and introducing a heat map illustrating how the 13 megatrends change the event lifecycle. This heat map identifies “hot spots“ with high relevance and a strong impact and “cold spots” with less relevance.
“We already know that AI, sustainability and demographic change impact business events. However, it is essential to look at these factors in a broader context and identify other possible drivers of change,” says Dr Stefan Rief, Head of the Organisational Development and Work Design Research Unit at Fraunhofer IAO. “This also reveals previously unknown trends that must be equally considered.”
Recognising and Embracing Business Opportunities
An interdisciplinary expert panel then discussed the key questions of what will remain, disappear, and newly emerge in the future of business events: astrophysicist Dr Tobias Moldenhauer (sci-an GmbH), digital nomad and management consultant Leonie Müller, and Mathias Sondermann (Senior Director Experience Excellence, SAP) analysed and discussed the results based on their very specific perspectives and experiences.
Finally, the online attendees, logging in from six continents, were given an outlook on five business opportunities that were identified and empirically evaluated during the FMS research process. These product ideas were developed based on the identified market changes, discussed with experts and are rooted in the heat map hot spots. Ideas such as “ExpertDetect”, a platform for speaker research, “EventTwin”, a digital twin for efficient event planning, or “LearnLoop”, a tool for the automated dispatch of learning nuggets, all have the potential to add value to the business event ecosystem in the long term.
“The latest FMS research results again emphasise that we must remain flexible and adaptable to meet changing market conditions. The future of business events and the success of Germany as a destination for meetings and conferences relies on innovative solutions, the integration of technology and the consideration of the needs of different generations,” adds Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB.
Outlook 2025
In its 2025 research phase, the Future Meeting Space innovation network focuses on the relationship between the two megatrends, AI/automation and demographic change. The aim is to develop solutions that can help organisations deploy their professionals efficiently while exploiting the potential of automation. One of the key questions to be answered is which tasks and processes can be meaningfully automated using AI and robotics without compromising the quality and experience that business events provide.
A management summary with the key research results of FMS 2024 can be downloaded free of charge. The complete Fraunhofer IAO research report will be published in February and can be requested from the GCB via email.
