Welcome to The Future of Your Event
The Event Innovation Lab™ is an immersive event planning training seminar aimed at high-performance agencies and corporate event teams willing to inject innovation into their event. The Event Innovation Lab™ brings the latest technology and trends in the event industry at the service of the most challenging event environments.
In 2019, these highly sought after event planning seminars will be only available to high performing teams with large event portfolios or high-caliber conferences, festivals or tradeshows as well as in selected industry events in the US. The Event Innovation Lab™ is also available to suppliers to the event industry such as DMOs and DMCs.
The activities of each event planning workshop are designed around the challenges that attendees are experiencing making the training more targeted than the usual event management seminars and conferences. This is thanks to a proprietary framework developed in 7 years of research.
The Event Innovation Lab™ is the perfect product for those teams that want to:
- – gain immediate competitive advantage
- – boost attendee engagement and satisfaction
- – increase sponsorship revenue
The Trainer
Julius Solaris has created the most followed framework to correctly implement innovation, technology, and social media at events. Fortune 500 companies follow Julius advice through his research and publication in the event industry.
Julius has worked extensively with high performing B2B and B2C event teams delivering the most actionable and targeted content to implement change. Having been an advocate of change in the event industry for over 10 years, Julius brings a fresh perspective to your event team in a very easy to digest format.
The Training Format
The Event Innovation Lab™ is the perfect intersection of consultancy and training. It is based on the attendee needs, rather than on general trends. It is an immersive event planning training aimed at clearing the confusion when it gets to innovative event design practices, user experience, event technology selection, event marketing strategy and tactics
The Event Planning Seminar Process
Each Event Innovation Lab™ is based on the following process:
1. Data Gathering. The trainer sends a questionnaire or reviews feedback from previous events. All event assets are reviewed, including website, current technology stack, feedback on social media. Additional interviews with key stakeholders of the event may be scheduled.
2. Data Evaluation. All the collected data becomes part of the Event Innovation Lab™ Map, a tool that helps the trainer and the attendees to navigate through the challenges of the event. The Map, becomes the final presentation.
3. Training Day. The Lab will take place over one or two 4 hour sessions. Attendees will gather informally and attend the presentation.
4. Presentation Structure. The trainer navigates attendees through the map, alternating best practices, case studies, tools and strategies to face the most common challenges. The group will discuss and commit to change aspects of their business or event.
5. Roadmap. A simple roadmap of change will be co-created with the commitment and responsibility of all attendees.
How to book the seminar
The Event Innovation Lab™ happens a few times during the year or it can be booked for companies and agencies at least 3 months before the selected date. If you are tired of the bite-sized education at conferences for event planners, make a move in 2018 and get your team a training that will change your event and your business. Get in touch now.
What Planners Say
Julius is a fantastic speaker, he is an industry innovator and brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to our conference. His presentation was informative, entertaining and incredibly engaging.
Julius is the voice of 21st Century events industry. Research based, innovative and authoritative.
Julius is to the Events World what Google is to business today. He’s the aggregator, the consolidator, the source. He’s also an amazing communicator and speaker.
Julius Solaris is a phenomenal speaker. He was the perfect presenter to kick off our year of Innovation. He kept his topic light and fun while providing great insight into event technology. I highly recommend him for any chapter events.
5 Tips to Start an Innovation program in your event team
1. Find the gaps. Do you know what is not working? Is it a problem with your team? Is it your website? Is it the event in itself? Carefully assessing what is not working in your event is the first step to guarantee success in any innovation program. The efforts of your team should focus on what really matters and not be dispersed into chasing problems that don’t matter. Looking for feedback from attendees, sponsors and your team will give you a clear outline of what is not working.
2. Change is not Disruption. It is very easy when it gets to innovation and especially technology to jump on the latest shiny new tool or social network in the how our event will be perceived as ‘fresh’. In reality, we are just adding layers of disruption in an already delicate environment. Innovation and change should happen at small doses and only where there is a strong need or synergy, aka one tool that solves multiple problems
3. Having a Map. How do you know where you need to go without a map? Laying out a precise, step by step strategy is what makes many event innovation programs fail. Having priorities or milestones of innovation helps to keep things simple and focused. You don’t have the luxury to dedicate team members or time to newness, you have to juggle a delicate balance of contingencies. Having a map will help you to stay concentrated while delivering value. Speaking of which.
4. Value-Based Decisions. Ask yourself, am I introducing something valuable to my guests, suppliers, sponsors, team or are you just following a buzzword? Do AI or AR make sense for your event or are you just in love with acronyms? Innovation brings incredible competitive advantage only if it delivers tangible value to your stakeholders, you included.
5. Measure. It’s very easy to measure results when you invest in priority, value, and focus. At each step of the way, you will be able to pick every new chunk of innovation and measure what its impact is to the business and your event. Treat your innovation program as an event, be as meticulous as you are choosing centerpieces for your event and you will see incredible progress.
If you want to read more on the subject, you can download the free PDF, The Event Tech Bible which will give you a full framework to implement innovation in your event as well as 1,001 event technology tips for your event.
Why Do Event Innovation Programs Fail?
One of the most dreaded scenarios in event planning teams is the Vicious Cycle of Event Innovation. It looks like this.
So What Should a Good Program Look Like?
If implemented correctly, an event innovation program should look like this:
5 Common Problems With Event Technology and How to Solve Them
‘Speaking all over the world and to event planners planning the most different types of events, one thing is clear, when it gets to event innovation we all face the same challenges.’ – Julius Solaris