Interestingly, the effect of technology on the meetings and events industry, along the pattern above, was also
forecasted in the three scenarios thoroughly studied and presented in “What will the exhibition industry look like
in the year 2020” at 74th UFI Congress by Professor Dr. Oliver Klante of HSBA Hamburg School of Business
Administration which was supported by HHL Lzipzig Graduate School of Management and AUMA (Association of
the German Trade Fair Industry). The first scenario, “personal-continental-profiled”, stated that with political
reforms towards a strong Europe, unlimited mobility, global exhibition groups without own exhibition space,
continental leading trade shows and high tech and high touch impact, the following would emerge: a power of the
big exhibitors, a growing relevance of exhibition company branding and trade show branding, changes in the value
creation by customer integration, and exhibition space that is no longer a cost unit. The second scenario, “crosslinked-fragmented-eventful”,
addressed that, with the prospect of Europe being pressured by a new ‘gravitation
centre’, a restricted mobility due to numerous existing conflicts, an exhibition industry being highly fragmented
and under extreme stress of competition, there would be focused special trade shows within the domestic market
and less globally industry/branch trade shows, performance consumption based on new media technologies,
intense efficiency-and service-orientation, and renaissance of consumer-shows. The third scenario, “virtualcustomised-anytime”,
emphasized that with the global multi-polar world with its economical centre in Asia, highly
restricted mobility due to numerous existing conflicts, virtual trade shows and less physical trade shows, there
would be an extreme shortage of time for every market player, a new business model like www.google.com, and
rapidness and knowledge as driving forces for the exhibition industry.