“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”

That quote from Niels Bohr is so true.

And even though I don’t have big crystal balls.....steady!

I can’t read tarots.

And I’m not prone to visionary trances.

I'm going to have a go because I’ve seen the future.

Or at least glimpsed it, as I hide behind the sofa of my daily life. 

Guess what – it’s not all hover-boards and self-tying shoelaces, as much as my kids might wish it was.

The future is what we’ve got right now.

Just, well, better.

Take social media for example.

We get it, we use it, and, in most cases, we like it.

That doesn’t mean we always know exactly what to do with it.

Add social media to events, and you get a marriage made in heaven.

Think about it – amplifying and extending the reach of your content.

Letting your attendees forge their own connections.

Listening. Responding. Participating.

So for me part of defining the future, lies in observing how we’re evolving.

All that second screen business is now second nature to us.

The technologists might call it the ‘convergence of screen-based media’.

I call it ‘getting involved’.

Look at the biggest TV shows – X-Factor, Strictly, Big Brother. They invite participation.

And we’re no longer viewers; we’re directly involved in the outcome.

We can dig deeper, or wade in with our opinion.

More than anything, these shows are no longer just TV broadcasts.

They’re live events with an unrivalled reach.

Soon, corporate events will be using TV programmes, films and documentaries as viable sources of content.

And vice versa.
They’ll generate "long copy" content for consumers and trade content for live events.

Rather than buying in big names, the brands themselves with take on ‘small C’ celebrity status.

That’s how they’ll cut through the clutter and build deep engagement with both external and internal audiences.

It’s a long time since marketing was about awareness.

That’s why advertising continues its gradual decline, and social goes from strength to strength,

Our audiences are no longer consumers.

They’re colleagues, cohorts and co-conspirators.

The more they feel empowered, the more they’ll get involved.

They’re looking for entertainment and information.

More importantly, they want real, human connections.

The machines may be rising, but we’re still the ones in control.

And don’t ask me who’s going to win the next FA Cup.

I’m sworn to secrecy.

It’s all about the content, no it’s about the production.

I’m a big fan of what we do for a living - events, brand experiences, experience marketing. Whatever flavour of the business you are in, I’m sure you’ll agree it is fascinating.

But the part that’s really got me thinking at the moment is the constant ...er lets call it ‘tension’, between the delivery arm of the industry and the content creation part.

Which is the most important?

Well one of the strengths of what we do is our ability to produce the media through which we work, it’s like being your own Rupert Murdoch, but without that troublesome Leveson business.

That ability to be on top of the production is vital. It keeps us connected to the audience, it allows us to bring in the latest technologies, it gives our clients editorial control on the day, plus there’s brand consistency, image and all those other great things.

Then there is the content creation, the heart of the experience.

We all know that content is king.

Not only is it the heart of the event, but it has a life before and after the event. It lives forever on-line, amplifying the message and extending the reach of the campaign.

That’s exciting; we are in an exciting industry that really produces results.

At the moment so far so good, you can be in one camp or the other and do a great job for your clients wherever you happen to pitch your tent.

But here’s the thing.

Recently three clients have asked me roughly the same question; “...if we were to allocate another sum of money to this activity we’re planning, where would you spend it?”

You may choose to advise your client to spend it on the production, improve the sound or the image or the lighting, but would the audience even notice the (marginal) difference?

You may tell them to spend it on improving the content of the event; video, speakers or even to capture the whole event again for dissemination, expansion and amplification.

But wouldn’t you (and they) like to know what was achieved through this event? Shouldn’t you measure some results? And I’m not talking about what the venue was like or the temperature of the coffee.

I’m talking about hard metrics, sales, contacts.

I was recently asked during my last er..."lecture tour" if the shrinking of the event industry over the last couple of years, especially with regards to events for the financial community, was down to perception, i.e. they had to cancel as it would look bad to run events in the current climate.

My answer was no, it was down to us as an industry not having a standard way of measuring results and effectiveness.

The advertising industry realised a long time ago that if you could measure effectiveness, there’d be no long term future for them.

If we can’t point to an event and with hard data prove that this event, drove sales, increased awareness, encouraged consideration and promoted trial, then we deserve to have our events cancelled.

  

There is no I in Collaboration........d-uh

We are in the middle of a mahoosive pitch.....no names, yet!

And we have pulled a team together from all around the GPJ world to put it together; designers from UK, USA and Germany, ops guys from China, USA, Germany, and UK. Digital from China, Australia, UK, USA ... and a Frenchman.

All in all, there are 32 of us, working as one team.

And do you know what, it’s been amazing.

I have said in another post on this blog, the great thing about team work is complementary skills, so that whilst everyone is working to the same goal, we’re all doing something different. That’s how we arrive at a unique answer to the problem.

But through this experience, that effect is multiplied by 10 (for you pedants out there, that’s not an exact calculation).

Different cultures, different backgrounds, different experiences- they all go in the melting pot of coming up with an amazing solution to the client brief.

It’s really the only way to produce remarkable results.

And the kicker?

It all goes to the feed the thing we do on behalf of our clients; create live experiences.

Of course, we could have done this as a virtual team, but we would not have had the emotional connection that the live experience brings.

We are closer as a global agency for all have met (not just virtually).

We are closer for having shared a drink (please drink responsibly).

And we are all closer for having discussed (heatedly at times) issues and worked out solutions together. 

Because, ultimately, that’s how we get closer to winning.

Your Attitude Sucks !!!

In business today, we need to be aware of our reputation.
The mistaken posting of drunk photos to Facebook, that night in a club when you attempted the worm and collapsed in a heap on the floor that somebody chose to post to You Tube (George!), the indiscreet tweet, that badly written blog (steady), or even feedback from a meeting where you weren’t on top form.
We are all involved in the new reality of business. 
We’ve moved from a place where we used to follow the opinions of our  “betters;” those that society had deemed were our leaders.
Politicians, bankers, the police, certain high profile celebrities. The tide has turned.
Even as I write this, it’s becoming increasingly apparent how far we’ve come, moving from blind faith to constant questioning. 
Expenses rows, financial meltdowns, media inquires and you-know-who have all changed forever the way we view the world.
And this change is facilitated and accelerated by the increasing ability to build our own groups, both in business and socially.  
We’ve created our own communities and we believe and seek the opinions of the people we know.
It doesn’t matter if that’s a huge community like your Twitter followers, Facebook friends, the guys at work, or the members of your book club. 
You know them, they know you, and their opinion counts.
That’s why it’s horrible and damaging when that opinion turns against us. 
And once it’s out there, as the old saying goes, you can’t unring the bell.
Here’s a quick real life example. Some years ago, my sons who were both very young actors attended a workshop for Nanny McPhee (I said it was a while ago). They were in the final shake up for parts but for the first and last time they became involved in a pushing contest about which group they were to be in.
One son has left the business, but the other one is constantly reminded of that incident by the casting director, who he sees regularly eight years later.    
So unless you’re Oliver Reed (ask your granddad) or Paul Gascoigne (ask your dad) or Justin Bieber  (ask your daughter), you need to be managing your brand and ensure it lives up to the promise of you.