Cvent CONNECT Europe 2024 came to an end on Thursday at the Metropolitan Hilton Hotel in London. Over the course of three days, the event tech giant accomplished the impressive feat of organizing the largest conference for event professionals in Europe to date.
While shows like IMEX Frankfurt and IBTM World Barcelona are much larger, with around 12,000 attendees, Cvent brought together nearly 2,000 event professionals at a hotel in central London. Industry associations such as PCMA and MPI have had some success in organizing Europe-wide events. Neither comes close to what Cvent has achieved.
The secret to Cvent’s success in gathering so many European event experts may lie in how the company capitalizes on two key verticals in the industry. They are Venue Procurement and Event Management.
The ecosystem of events is more than just a visualization of Cvent’s business, it also showcases the company’s ambitions. This exemplifies the complex ways in which Cvent has become a very important industry player. The scale of its all-in-one event management offering is impressive. It is complemented by the reach of its supplier network, which dominates sourcing in the United States and is expanding globally.
The complex logistics of a unique gathering
While it’s impressive to have nearly 2,000 European event professionals gathered in person, it’s worth noting that not all attendees were at the event at the same time. Some are on site for specific training sessions or awards ceremonies. The keynote address was held in the hotel’s Admiral Suite, an 800-person theater-style room. There is no stage. All meeting spaces in the hotel are utilized. Due to its multi-level and multi-building layout, getting around was a challenge for some attendees. As a result, some major meetings were postponed.
London is home to many event agencies, making it an ideal destination for hosting events, and Cvent plans to continue to do so. The downside is that many attendees won’t stay overnight, making the meeting less cohesive. Many people will “drop in” for a few hours as they catch up on their busy fall event schedules.
Since not many hotels in Europe have the capacity to host this event, one has to wonder whether a conference center like London’s ExCel would be better suited to host it. It is held at the Business Design Center in London. Although it seems keen to keep it at London’s largest conference hotel. It has been announced that it will return to the InterContinental London – The O2 in 2025.
multi-level events
Cvent markets Cvent CONNECT Europe to several categories of attendees. They reflect Cvent’s marketing segments. The basic division is between planners and suppliers. Planners including event professionals, marketers, IT and technical staff can purchase tickets for $513 (£399). Suppliers or hospitality professionals, including partners, convention and visitors bureaus and unique venues, can purchase tickets for $771 (£599). Cvent customers can get tickets at different price tiers, including free tickets, depending on their contract.
Partners are essentially event agencies that use Cvent tools, and they are an important part of Cvent’s growth in Europe. The largest number of Cvent team members are based in the UK and Germany. It relies on partners to implement and support its products in multiple languages across European countries.
There are multiple layers to this event, making it difficult to fully grasp everything that’s going on. It includes:
The conference included a keynote speech by Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal. This was followed by a Q&A session with celebrity MC Dermot O’Leary. Additionally, there are product roadmap and update sessions, research showcases, workshops, and more. A themed fireside chat with Latin dance champion and television personality Oti Mabuse.
Live lab hosts live demonstrations
The event was a massive Cvent sales pitch. Even Cvent doesn’t deny this. It’s a tough but smart sell done in an interactive and human way.
The Innovation Hall occupies the largest conference space in the hotel. In addition, a small trade show was held to showcase Cvent products and services. The space also features an “expert bar,” private meeting areas and select partner booths.
Audiovisual giant Encore, also owned by Blackstone, was present along with four event technology companies that have integrated their technology into Cvent’s event management platform. They include InGo (referral marketing), Sessionboard (content and speaker management), Walls.io (social wall) and Wordly (artificial intelligence translation). All of these companies fall into Cvent’s category of untapped but unacquired activity, at least for now.
Cvent Technology Journey
Cvent also offers 28 of the same technology tours. Participants visited different locations at the venue, where Cvent’s technology was demonstrated in action. The tour began with registration, learning about badge printing tools and options, and Cvent demonstrating its advanced badge options with built-in RFID technology. Next is a meeting scan outside the breakout room. The final stop was the Innovation Pavilion, where the tour guide highlighted the many Cvent products being demonstrated. This is an ideal place to explore RFID technology for tracking attendees at multiple locations within a conference venue.
The vast majority of meetings have Cvent staff serving as presenters or moderators. Two exceptions are two sessions hosted by Skift Meetings: interactive webinars based on the recently released Skift Meetings report “Designing for the Web: Creating Events for Meaningful Connections.” Additionally, “Doing More with Less: Strategies for Hosting High-Impact Events on a Budget” explores solutions to today’s challenging reality of rising event costs and tight budgets. Guests at the conference include expert planner Clare Melton, interim event manager at Advent International, and Jane Baker, founder of Rise at Five and head of international marketing at Headspace.
Disclosure: Skift Meetings hosted two editorial sessions at Cvent CONNECT Europe and was recognized as a Silver Sponsor for its editorial contributions.
