Future in Focus: What Changes to Expect by 2030?

Mykyta Fastovets, CTO at ExpoPlatform, while discussing the power and prospects of technologies in the Exhibition World magazine,shared with its readers his predictions about four main areas of innovation that will drive changes in the industry over the next 15 years. So, what changes should we expect?

“What definitely won’t change in the next 15 years is the fact that face to face physical meetings will continue to be the main way that business will be conducted. Technology still has a way to go before our brains can be sufficiently fooled to accept an alternative to reality on an instinctive and emotional level.

What could change drastically by 2030:

• The infrastructure and connectivity of devices (Internet of Things). From household appliances to furniture and perhaps even “smart stands”, covered with thin “print” that can be remotely controlled to display any images/graphics (a screen). Since devices will also be able to communicate, the looks of such digital print could adapt to the situation on the show floor, or react to people approaching the stand, for example.
• 3D printing could revolutionise stand building. Every exhibitor could become its own stand builder, all they would need to buy is a stand schematic, and they could get it printed and assembled themselves.
• Virtual reality – while it won’t be sufficient to replace meetings, it will certainly be good enough to give virtual factory (or other premises) tours, even with live feeds through a drone flying around the place. Indoor drone usage might become normal.
• Augmented reality – this, in my opinion, is far more exciting that virtual reality. Google Glass didn’t take off, but I would be on the lookout for similar technology that can enhance our vision with information. Imagine walking around an exhibition with a special set of glasses or contact lenses on and little bubbles popping up above people’s heads with their name, company, business interests, and how likely they are to be a good business match for you. When you look at a stand you get information regarding the exhibitor and the company, product catalogue, etc. And, of course, people you’ve listed as those you want to meet are highlighted in the crowd. I think AR technology will become big in this industry by 2030, because it will make spending time on networking with the right people effortless.

Promising areas of development within the event industry might grow even more rapidly than we assume, as there are so many innovationsintroduced every day.