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| Source : htp://www.socialscoremedia.com |
Shared economy coupled with the twenty first century’s technologies is changing the norms. In every field, new ways of doing anything are appearing simply by sharing. It is said to be eco-friendly, sustainable and cost-saving. The long well established companies of each industries give dirty looks to the outsiders and their success.
The law seem to be at a lost about what to do about it. Boundaries are generally blurry and each country or even city has its own advancement on the matter. Nonetheless, shared access economy is the next big thing to take into account while planning an event.
For one, innovations such as Airbnb and Uber which count million of users offer more options to travel and accommodate attendees to an event. Some more specific event-related platforms are emerging. Now you can share space, staff, decoration and save money. Even some traditional brands are joining these new actors: Mariott shares its spaces through LiquidSace. This all seem to work for the better to every stakeholder’s interests.
However, if we take a look at the big picture, industries are shaken and cautions are to be taken. Indeed, thanks to internet and mobile technology sharing is more and more easy but due diligence will wonder about safety, quality and legal matter. Better vouching and user rating systems and applications may lower the event planner’s role, its knowledge no longer required to ensure the best event experience (at least that what the customer may think).
With its flaws and strength, the shared economy in the travel and event industry has a scarce but growing adoption. Indeed, it is said there is three reactions to it as an event planner:
- It is the next big thing but still does not impact my market, I shall stay out of it
- It is the next big thing but still not safe to adopt, I will wait for the proper regulations.
- It is the next big thing and I am proactively joining the movement.
The shared economy poses some challenges to the traditional business model but also means opportunities to be eco friendly and cost efficient.
We care to introduce you to two share economy event-related services:
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| Source : http://www.showslice.co.uk |
Showslice is an online procurement platform based on collaboration from large event organisers. By signing up on the website, any event organiser can share information and procurement with other members.
The idea is to rent instead of buying. Someone organising an event can for example rent the infrastructure, the A&V equipment or even the production crew to another professional from the event industry. This platform breaks down the barriers of communication by providing in an easy way to get in contact with people meeting the same event requirements, and is an efficient tool to save on budget, labour costs, time, planning effort and waste production.
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| Source : https://liquidspace.com |
LiquidSpace is a collaborative idea available on internet or via a mobile application, which creates a bridge between people looking for meeting spaces, and those who have meeting spaces to share.
On one hand, any people looking for a meeting space can easily access to large range of offers for private offices, boardrooms, meeting rooms or conference rooms depending on his location, date and room size criteria. With Liquidspace, the booking is convenient as there is no contract to sign, nor phone calls to make. On the other hand, any person having available unused workspace can list it on Liquidspace to get a chance to win extra money from renting it. The users can decide of which members will rent their venue, set the price and offer a rent by the hour or by the day. To make the experience even easier, Liquidspace provides a calendar service which updates automatically through the self-service booking and payment system. This collaborative tool is also a way for professionals of the event industry to promote their brand with a custom profile page, links from their business website, special promotional offers, mass emails, search engine optimization and much more.
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