Editor’s Letter
Getting engaged
T
here’s nothing that compares to the
feeling of walking into a live event.
The noise, the bustle, the thrill of
discovering the unexpected…these are the
reasons that we do what we do.
The way that visitors experience
live events is constantly evolving, and
organisers are leading the charge when it
comes to creating unique and exciting ways
to shape that experience.
New and innovative technologies in
particular have had a remarkable impact
on live events but, despite the naysayers,
tech is only adding to the event experience,
not detracting from it.
In this issue of Engage, in association
with GES, we explore the relationship that
visitors have with live events.
In our cover story, we meet the
organisers of Insomnia, a gaming event
for enthusiasts and casual fans that brings
an online community into a physical and
social space.
We also take a trip over to Abu Dhabi to
Winter 2017/18 in association with GES
meet the team behind ibtm arabia, who are
taking networking to the next level with
the help of technology.
Later, artist Mat Collishaw talks about
how Brexit and ideas about England
infl uenced his haunting technological
installation Albion .
Engage, as its name suggests, is a
magazine inspired by the creative ways
that event organisers, including tech giants
Google and Brightstar, engage and interact
with their visitors. If the event profs
featured in this issue are any indication,
our industry is in safe hands.
Enjoy the issue,
Nicola Macdonald, Editor
[email protected]
engage
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