Events, whether a private party or a promotional corporate event, have always played a part in connecting people and communities. Technology advances have changed the way in which people plan and host events.
The earliest events and gatherings promoted peace and friendship between tribes and clans. Did you know that the first known event planner was Cleopatra? She hosted very fancy meetings to attract lovers. Cleopatra entered one meeting by sailing down the Nile River on a boat filled with candles, perfume, and lavish food, in order to impress Emperor Marc Antoine. Back then, messages were hand delivered and it could take weeks if not months to deliver them.
The French royalty continued elaborate parties and events. Rich aristocratic women were in charge of event management and entertaining the King. The most notable was Madame Pompadour, the mistress to King Louis XV of France, and Marie Antoinette. Numerous feasts, festivals and weddings required skilled planners, to coordinate the music, food, costumes, and themes.
The Industrial Revolution created the need for meetings and events to expand beyond parties for the rich, in order to grow businesses. With stronger economies and increased manufacturing, it became necessary for people to set up meetings, trade shows, and events in order to collaborate and grow sales. More transportation options, such as rail lines, meant people could attend more events and meetings.
In the 20th century, the growth of event planning as a profession took off with the investment of wealthy families who required the services of planners to handle the preparations for their wedding, parties and receptions. The complexity of events, both personal and corporate, began to require professional help to organize the various elements, from sending invitations to managing caterers.
The introduction of mobile phones and the internet had an enormous impact on event planning. Communication can happen at any time of the day and from anywhere in the world. A person can create, find, register, and document an event by using one small portable device.
Prior to the 1990s and 2000s, event organizers had to use hand-written registration processes and all documents were physically mailed. It could take days to reach the right place and documents could easily get lost. Now, documents can be emailed or uploaded instantly and registration forms can be filled out online.
Before the internet, attendees had to pull out a physical map to find the location of an event, which was sometimes difficult and stressful. Now, you simply need to type an address into Google Maps to receive step-by-step directions in real time.
Do you want to know who’s attending an event? You once had to call your friends or ask them in person. Now, through social media and events organization websites, attendees can see virtually who is interested in or attending an event.
Before the internet, flyers, posters, and word-of-mouth were popular ways to advertise events. Now, people can search for events by using websites like Facebook. Users can type in their location and find hundreds of events they may not have even known existed.
The most considerable change technology has provided is to have more control over event management. Software and websites allow people to build advertisements for events with user-friendly and professional formats. Ticket sales and registration are organized in one spot. In the fast-paced world of the internet, time is limited and valuable. Event management websites and apps save people time while providing easy options for creating events.
Special events spending worldwide was recently estimated at $500 billion. Globalization has played an enormous part in the success of the event planning industry, as events take place across the globe. The current pandemic might have hit this business pretty badly and slowed its growth temporarily. But events have a very long history and they are certain to remain an important part of our daily lives. Vitalis Events is a proud member of that industry, since 2003, and we would be delighted to help you build your next corporate event, in a safe way.