Innovation

Goal

The emphasis in this research is on digitization and how digital developments contribute measurably to the visitor's experience, so that organizers and clients are offered a perspective for a plan of action in times of crisis (COVID pandemic, future pandemics). It also anticipates future opportunities and threats due to digital developments. As a result of this research, a report for the sector will be produced. The content of the report and thus the emphasis of the research will be determined with our research partner.

Background

Sectors that rely on bringing people together, such as the events and culture sectors, have proven to be vulnerable to the economic impact of the COVID pandemic. In addition to short-term financial support, it is important that these sectors become more resilient. When it comes to making these sectors more resilient and agile, digital transformation is an essential theme to get started with. The dependence on physically coming together is too big. Moreover, digital transformation in general is of primary importance for the future-proofing of sectors. The world is changing rapidly. Fast-growing big-tech companies are digitizing the world at breakneck speed. New digital technological possibilities ensure that new products and services can be developed at a rapid pace. These new solutions find their way to the customer based on innovative business models. In other words, subscription or advertising platforms have become an indispensable part of society.

This rapid form of digitization means that within a few years an entire sector with many small entrepreneurs can disappear and be replaced by a few large players. An example of the disruptive effect of 'big tech' is video stores that have been massively replaced by internationally operating streaming services. On the one hand, these kinds of developments can have a positive effect on people, customers and societies. The service is increasing, prices for end users are decreasing and new jobs are created for often young highly educated people. But there is also a downside. The power and thus the dependence on a few players is great. The great pressure on cost savings, for example, reduces the possibility of getting by with a job that focuses on physical labor. The working conditions of professions such as deliverers, drivers, warehouse workers, and home care workers are therefore under pressure.

The relationship between 'the sector' and digitization is ambiguous. On the one hand, there are enthusiastic experiments. On the other hand, a frequently heard conclusion is that ultimately nothing can replace the value of the interaction that arises by coming together shoulder to shoulder. It is precisely this ambiguous relationship to this topic, the urgency to be less dependent on physically coming together in times of a pandemic and resilience against disruptive big tech companies that make it so important to tackle this theme in an integrated manner. In short, it is important to investigate how digitization does provide added value.

State of affairs

There are all kinds of developments going on in the digital playing field that will change the basis of physical meeting. On the one hand, this concerns digital editions, for example in the form of Augmented Reality. And on the other, for events in digital environments, for example, Ariane Grande went on tour in Fortnite. Many intermediate forms are also possible. For example, hybrid conferences are regularly organized, which can be visited both digitally and physically. Streaming live performances has really taken off during the pandemic. Streaming took place across the entire width of the sector. The 2021 edition of Tomorrowland was completely digital. Pioneer Nederlands Dans Theater already experimented with live streams in 2013 in collaboration with the Pathé cinema and was therefore in a sense prepared for organizing hybrid productions. At the beginning of the pandemic, Nederlands Dans Theater was one of the first to broadcast a live performance online with 3000 paying visitors. The live streams of Nederlands Dans Theater that followed continued to develop in terms of service to the public and online experience. This also applies to other exemplary initiatives such as the collaboration between the four film festivals, ITA and NITE hotel (Noord Nederlands Toneel and Club Guy and Roni).

Boundary of the research

The hard-to-grasp word 'experience' has always been important for the events sector, but is becoming even more important in light of the rapid digital developments described. This is because it is becoming increasingly complex for organizers and clients to estimate what provides added value and what does not. In this study we therefore focus on two aspects. On the one hand, the strategic level zooms in on scenario planning and business model innovation. The central question is how companies in the Netherlands can best deal with threats and opportunities from disruption and globally operating big-tech companies. On the other hand, we zoom in on measurability and the measurement of experience related to different types of technological developments. By conducting this research, the sector will gain a better understanding of how it can provide value in times of a pandemic, by understanding the effectiveness of digital fallback options. Moreover, it gives the sector the opportunity to better respond to technological developments in general.