News
GERMANY – New White Paper by ebx.lab Community: “Transforming Business Events”
Shaping Change in the Areas of Sustainability, Digitalisation and Generational Shift
Where does the business event industry stand with regard to the major transformations that are taking place in today’s world? How can we move from coping with change to constructively and actively shaping our future – especially in the areas of sustainability, digitalisation and generational shift? These questions are at the heart of a new white paper, which was developed last year by the ebx.lab community in a co-creative process. The publication features five use cases for the three areas of transformation, each outlining specific action steps to address a set of key challenges. ebx.lab was launched in 2023 as a strategic innovation workshop by the GCB German Convention Bureau jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO.
Be it rapid technological advancement, the consequences of climate change, the cost-of-living crisis, geopolitical conflicts or other challenges, we live in times of fundamental change that will also fundamentally transform the world of business events. Adaptability, transformation and innovation have never been as much in the focus in the recent past as they are today. At the same time, there have hardly ever been more solutions, technologies and opportunities at our disposal for initiating positive change in the business event world and society as a whole. After having focused on “Business Events and AI“ in 2023, the second ebx.lab edition in 2024 collaborated with thought leaders in events, marketing and communication to identify relevant change scenarios that impact business events and developed recommended actions to actively shape the industry’s future.
From Challenge Heat Map to Solution Design
Before the ebx.lab community came together for an in-person workshop in autumn 2024, the community members were surveyed to assess the status-quo of the business event industry in the areas of digitalisation, sustainability, and generational change. This reality check included both retrospective and forward-looking perspectives, as well as comparisons with other industries. The survey results served as a critical self-reflection and formed a crucial basis for the subsequent work process. Additionally, the initiators of ebx.lab – GCB and Fraunhofer IAO – invited three experts, one for each transformation field, to complete the assessment with their analysis and external perspectives.
After reflecting on the reality check and incorporating additional insights, the approximately 40 ebx.lab participants worked in six moderated working groups – two for each transformation field – to not only prioritise their most pressing challenges but also develop concrete solutions, evaluate their impact, and pitch their ideas to the entire group. The ideas presented were as diverse as the methods used to develop them and ranged from democratised organisations for managing generational change and gamification methods for sustainable impact to a roadmap for digitalised event organisations.
All prototype use cases, including recommended actions, as well as a summary of expert insights and the reality check survey, have now been published in a white paper titled “Transforming Business Events. Between Sustainability, Digitalisation and Generational Shift: Identifying our Industry’s Future Potential”. For a free download, please visit the ebx.lab website.
ebx.lab: A Closely Connected, Co-Creative Community
The ebx.lab is an initiative of the GCB German Convention Bureau. It is implemented in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO and is strongly supported by our international partners PCMA and IMEX. Recognizing that innovation primarily arises through cooperation, the ebx.lab aims to serve as an independent platform for collective solutions and collective intelligence – acting as a catalyst for new impulses and fresh thinking. The format functions as an agile and creative experimental field: marketing and communication professionals from various industries exchange ideas in a protected environment on strategic challenges related to business events and work together on new solutions.
The third edition of the ebx.lab will take place in 2025. For details on dates, topics and contact information, please visit the ebx.lab website.
About the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.
The German Convention Bureau (GCB) is tasked with securing and further extending Germany’s position as an internationally leading and sustainable destination for conferences and meetings. Driving innovation in the meetings and conference sector, the GCB provides its members with premium market research data. The GCB develops target-group-specific marketing activities for international markets as well as for Germany and supports its members and partner in marketing their offering. The GCB’s 160 members represent nearly 400 businesses and include leading hotels, convention centers, venues, destination marketing organisations, event agencies and digital service providers within the German meetings and conventions industry. As “Strategic Partners”, Deutsche Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn, and the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) support the work of the GCB. The IMEX Group is the GCB’s “Strategic Exhibition Partner”. H World International is the GCB’s “Premium Partner 2024”. The darmstadtium, the Frankfurt Airport Marriott Hotel – Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center, the Schleswig-Holstein Tourism Agency and Thuringia Tourism support the GCB as “Partners in Focus 2024”.
For further information, please see www.germany-meetings.com.
Dr. Martina Neunecker
- Director Communications & Strategy
- +49 69 24293025