RIYADH: Technological advancements had transformed the way events were organized in Saudi Arabia, delegates at an industry conference have been told. A panel discussion, held on the second day of the fourth Saudi Event Show in Riyadh, assessed how redefining and leveraging technologies could enhance the sector. Speakers focused on how new tech could influence event planning and execution, and overall experience for attendees. Daniel Pearce, director of customer success at GES, noted that current technological changes taking place in the Middle East were comparable to those happening around the world. He said: “I think the big lesson I would always give everybody is that the world gets smaller by the day. So, I don’t think there are any more specific challenges by region, but there are governance challenges from a tech perspective.” As a hypothetical example, Pearce pointed out that an independent firm based in Norway could develop a new product that could later be adapted for use in Riyadh. “The fundamental significant shift, I think, over the last maybe couple of years is the focus on our attendees, as historically we focused a lot on organizers, exhibitors, and partners. But now, the attendee experience is the important factor,” he added. Siraj Jalliel, a key accounts manager at VFairs, spoke about the impact of technologies such as the metaverse, digital twins, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality on the events industry. He said: “The coronavirus pandemic created a race, where everyone was trying to come up with new ways to deliver outstanding event experiences because obviously when everyone went into lockdown, nothing could happen in the real world.” He noted that the situation created an opportunity for the sector to develop innovative ways to provide immersive experiences to the world. “We saw a massive demand for virtual events during that time, but the key factor is how these technologies can be learned, adopted, and implemented appropriately for every event,” Jalliel added. He told delegates that the main objective of advanced technology was to make it easily accessible to all. Nick Sharma, regional sales director at Cvent, said: “From an organizers and stakeholder perspective, we have seen numerous success stories on how the pandemic accelerated how technology is redefined in events, creating a much higher impact in many different ways.” Creative technologist and group CEO at Option 1 Events, Sujoy Cherian, discussed the challenges of striking the right balance between cultural sensitivities and the adoption of new technology. He said his company operated globally in regions including North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. “What we understood was that each region had its specific requirements and own security policies, privacy policies, and different aspects that make advanced technologies culturally accepted or utilized.” He pointed out that even in the events industry, data came with privacy issues and cyber threats. “I think it’s a matter of time before solution providers on platforms like iOS and Android give us the flexibility of deciding what level of information is extracted from our devices,” he added.