The speaker line-up for MEET South West 2020, the region’s only trade show dedicated to the events industry, has been confirmed – with attendees promised a day full of expert advice, industry updates and practical support.
Subjects will range from future trends and sustainable events to utilising tech and marketing an event. 
Each session has been designed to enable event planners to leave with practical hints and tips to immediately improve their events.
The show, which takes place on Friday January 31 in the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, will also have an exhibition featuring some of the region’s venues, suppliers and event agencies.
Organisers say it will be bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event when more than 350 event professionals heard expert speakers provide practical insight to support them in delivering better events.
Some 80 of the region’s leading event industry businesses will be showcased with more than 10 hours of tailored educational content to help organisers deliver more engaging events.
Kicking off the day will be Destination Bristol head of tourism and interim CEO of Visit Bath, Kathryn Davis, pictured, who will welcome everyone to the show before the programme sessions start at 10am across its four studios.
Kathryn will then run a session exploring the ways in which South West suppliers and venues can maintain a competitive edge in the busy business events market, looking at trends, sustainability, disruption and more.
To help everyone stay ahead of the curve, Martin Fullard, editor of the leading industry publication Conference News, will look ahead to the main event trends and opportunities of 2020. 
A challenge all event professionals are tackling right now is how to make events more sustainable. MEET South West will explore the challenges and solutions, looking at the theory and practice of implementing an event sustainability plan.
The tech portfolio sessions include the top event tech trends to watch for 2020 with Glisser’s founder and CEO Mike Piddock. Mike returns to MEET South West after his stand-out session on ROI last year.
Helping planners maximise their time and money when investing in an event app Jon Tupper of EventsCase looks at how to steer clear of the gimmicks and provide real value to attendees and partners.
Getting into the detail will be a double-header of BAFTA award-winning Catherine Allen, Limina Immersive and DMA award-winning Tiny Giant founders Kerry Harrison and Richard Norton. Their session will show planners how to incorporate VR and AI into an event, adding futuristic fun into the programme while keeping mindful of the responsibilities.
For those looking for new and innovative ways to market their events or business can hear from AMBITIOUS PR director Lis Anderson, who will look at how tapping into your network can drive more event registrations.
Co-founder of Bristol’s Social Media Week, Lis will provide workable advice and case studies to help get started.
From the perspective of using events as a marketing tool for business, Claire Dibben and Jon Payne of Noisy Little Monkey will share stories of how they have grown the Digital Gaggle meet-up into a highly successful bi-annual conference.
They will share how they leveraged sponsorship, converted prospects to supporters and demonstrated expertise in their subject this session is perfectly targeted to corporate event managers.
LinkedIn expert and a member of its Events pilot group, Greg Cooper will look at strategies and techniques to promote events on LinkedIn. Greg’s insider knowledge will guide on how to bring the online offline.
With sponsors and partners such an integral part of an event programme, conference organiser, Rob Eveleigh of Brightelm will imparts his specialist expertise on how to work with them smarter and better.
A veteran of The Meetings Show and Confex educational programmes, Rob will explore the serious issue of how both sponsors and exhibitors can quickly and efficiently be alienated without even realising.
Adding balance, Emma Stubbings and Simon Walker will run practical workshops to help visitors find instant clarity, focus and a sense of calm when in the midst of event madness. Attendees will learn how to manage stress and leave with simple, practical tools to transform their performance under pressure.
Anyone involved in the events industry or who organises events can book a free visitor pass to MEET South West 2020 via the website and can start to plan their day here.
MEET South West is produced by a trio of West of England event professionals – Franco de la Croix-Vaubois, founder of the Event Organisers Network; Thomas Heiser, managing director of Focal Point Event Management and corporate events manager Paola Davis.
Bristol Business News and its sister titles Bath Business News and Swindon Business News continue as MEET South West’s media partner to support and promote the event to its influential readership.
