It’s almost that time of year again.

Wait what???

How is that even possible?

Yeah, we don’t know either.

But now’s the time to reflect. To recount. To recover. To find that gratitude attitude. What are you most thankful for? What went well this year? What went not-so-well this year? How will you head into the upcoming holiday season aka the season where another new year is just around the corner?

Before you put that out-of-office message on (we know you’re itching to do it), take a minute. Or ten. To reflect. To recount. To recover. To find that gratitude attitude.

A WORD (OR A FEW) WITH OUR CEO AND CO-FOUNDER

Did you check out CEO and Co-Founder, Margaret Launzel-Pennes’, interview with Engagez? Hear her take on the ever-changing events industry and some key changes to hone in on here!

And some more exciting news to keep an eye out for – MLP is an anomaly herself. We learn a lot from her every day and so can you. Margaret in a Minute…coming soon to a screen near you!

STAND UP AND STAND OUT

We’re here to tell you about the latest and greatest – and how you can become THE latest and greatest WITH the latest and greatest.

Bizzabo just bought Klik Experiential, wearable onsite event technology designed to empower “Event Experience Leaders to deliver enhanced experiences for attendees and exhibitors while capturing insightful behavioral data.” When our CEO was with C2 Montreal, they used it and it was an incredible networking and engagement tool.  (We wish WE bought it!)

Why did they buy it?

IRL events are gaining momentum again (music to our ears)! With that said, attendee expectations have skyrocketed. Bizzabo’s recent studies indicate that attendees expect the following:

• Painless check-in processes (no, not even a paper cut is acceptable)
• Easily accessible sessions (yes, even grandma can do it)
• Simple and user-friendly event content download (self-explanatory)
• Effortless exhibitor interactions (easy, effortless, and exciting!)
• Prioritize sustainability (nowadays, nobody wants to attend an event that is not actively seeking ways to be more eco-friendly)

In other words, they are expecting an enhanced experience.

BUT let’s not forget what we learned and benefited from during the era of digital events – namely, the real-time data and analytics that were at our fingertips.

Bizzabo’s wearable technology, we think, can help meet those expectations and deliver that enhanced experience.  It brings the best of both worlds – it merges the IRL experience with real-time digital data (still at our fingertips, this time, with the click of a button). Check out some of its key features:

• Attendees can check in to sessions, download content, and exchange contact information with others
• Robust lead retrieval for exhibitors
• Capture attendee behavioral data
• Eco-friendliness and sustainability – reduce, reuse, recycle!

It’s time to stand out from the crowd, peeps. Be a leader.

WE ARE EXPERIENCE MAKERS (Ditch that ‘Meeting Planner’ moniker, please!)

We’ve recently revamped our elevator pitch – ya know, who is POP | X? What do we do? And, well, WHY should you care? And we realized it’s time to change the narrative.

We don’t plan events. We curate journeys.

We don’t manage expectations. We exceed them.

We don’t say no. We say let’s do it.

We think the unthinkable and stop at unstoppable.

We are experience makers.

Makers of strategy.

Makers of creativity.

Makers of human-centrism.

We are POP Experiential.

HERE’S AN EVENT INSIDER TIP

Have you heard? The iconic Fontainebleau is making its way to the Las Vegas strip by Q4 2023 and we can’t wait. Glamorous Miami Beach meets quintessential Las Vegas – a brand that brings the style like no other. Let us know if you’re interested in finding out more about this dream-turned-reality and we’ll see how we can work our magic for ya!

HARD-TO-SWALLOW PILL

Let’s face it. Choosing a location for your next event is never easy (though we do have some POP Pointers for you on our top large cities, small cities, and incentive cities). And now to make life even more difficult, that hotel you’re looking at for your next event? Well, it’s booked. And the other one? It’s probably booked, too.

This isn’t easy for us to say, and we know it sucks, but you might need to be a bit more flexible when looking for dates, spaces, and rates. Availability is tight and hotel policies are even tighter. And there’s not much magic even WE can work here.

So hey, 2025 is not THAT far away (wink, wink).

#POPTIMISM OF THE MONTH

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” – Gertrude Stein

SO, THANK YOU!

Okay, now you can officially consider yourself OOO. Bon Appetit!