EMEA Editor Foreword Damien Connelly

MICE = Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events –or is it Exhibitions?

e’ve had a great time recently catching change is essential – and W up with our industry colleagues during in-person events … or should that be that innovation fails more often than it succeeds. exhibitions? The Batumi Gaming Fest in You have to be Georgia in the Caucasus, G2E in Las Vegas, BEGE… comfortable with failure They’ve all had two common threads – excellent – not accepting of it, but attendance and buoyant business. It’s great to see comfortable that that such vibrancy return to our industry. might be the outcome

As Lavrenty Gubin comments in our piece assaying … and be able to rapidly 2022’s Batumi Gaming Fest, MICE is a great way lean from the innovation to combine business and leisure – also known as project(s) you’ve worked ‘bleisure.’ Bleisure is the foundation upon which on. Sheldon Adelson built Las Vegas Sands Corporation Which is why ininto one of the most successful operators in our person MICE is such Damien Connelly, Editor EMEA industry. As Las Vegas Sands itself comments, “Sands an essential element pioneered the convention-based Integrated Resort of a successful and buoyant industry – because with the opening of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.” in-person interactions allow various stakeholders to Now, I’m pretty sure our industry would eventually meet and discuss a variety of topics, which helps have got to this finding, but it was undoubtedly Mr. to educate people working on innovation/change Adelson’s innovatively entrepreneurial genius that projects. As Forbes noted in a recent article, bleisure allowed him to see a future that he could profit from is forecast to overtake traditional business travel. This – and in the course of so doing, he changed more will require organisations in the broad hospitality and rapidly our industry and, I think everyone would agree, leisure industry to adapt by offering new services and he changed it significantly for the better. amenities.

On which point … let’s consider an essential requirement to remaining relevant for future customer So, might I ask you all a more serious question than I cohorts – as the quote from the Greek philosopher asked in my heading: Heraclitus notes, ‘Change is the only constant in life.’ • What innovation projects are on your calendar for In noting this, it is important to recognise that: the 2023-5 time period to ensure your business • Innovation = Change. remains relevant to future customer cohorts? Sometimes it is a minuscule change, and other times it is a huge change. Either way, it is innovation. Innovation is what I have focused on throughout my career – I’ve launched and grown: video games (DOOM and Halo); gaming consoles (Xbox); retail partnerships (Shell + Costa Coffee); FMCG companies and products; grocery retail chains, telco solutions, and various gaming products. When I have been working on innovative projects, I’ve understood that

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Damien Connelly

Editor EMEA