Article actual date: Jun 11, 2021

It is undeniable that 2020 had been a turbulent year for many, and the aviation industry had definitely drawn one of the shortest ends amongst others; travel restrictions had wrought airlines of its ever-important travelers, and with no demand to fly, over 46 million aviation-related jobs across the globe were put at stake.

However, the industry has seen glimmers of hope and recovery, with Airport Show Hybrid+ 2021 being the shining beacon amidst the fog of uncertainty. Convening leading experts and innovators from airports, airlines and air cargo firms alongside tech providers and state officials, this year’s iteration marks the event’s first foray into the hybrid format, and it hopes to prime its attendees for the takeoff of the world’s aviation industry away from the COVID-19 slump.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, highlighted the event’s significance in the current business climate.

“ [The] Airport Show is going to take place at a time when the worst year in aviation industry history is getting behind us and we are emerging from the coronavirus pandemic’s impact.” [1]

Piloting this event is Reed Exhibitions, whose expertise and foresight helped readapt and hybridise the initial Airport Show 2020 into the success that it is today. Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East, had mentioned the region’s esteemed interest in pushing forward with an event that would help kickstart the aviation’s return to the skies.

“It was challenging to organise the show at such a critical juncture when the aviation industry has just started to show signs of recovery. But several national and international companies as well as regional buyers showed confidence and came in significantly big numbers considering the travel restrictions around the globe.” [2]

Soaring Past Physical Boundaries with Hybrid Solutions

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Looking back at 2018’s Airport Show, over 7,000 regional and international attendees were physically present at Dubai World Trade Center’s spacious halls [3]. But considering the current uncertain landscape, a portion of the event must be hosted virtually to enable international attendees to update themselves on the latest developments and innovations, many of which would preempt the kickstart of their aviation facilities in the new normal.

Without the needed expertise to adapt, the journey towards hybridisation can seem daunting, and one might doubt if it is even a potential solution for future events. In Airport Show’s case, their worries diminished over time as they collaborated with Jublia on forging their very first digital and hybrid events.

The Solution: Jublia’s Hybrid AI Engagement Hub

Following the Airport Show Digital+ held in November last year, Airport Show Hybrid+ signified the final stages of the event’s transition from a physical to digital, then hybrid format. The organisers strategically implemented the process to ease attendees into hybrid territories through active ongoing engagement, all while reshaping the event behind the scenes to adapt to pandemic scenarios.

And while the digital event can be seen as a simple refresher that filled the lull period before the hybrid iteration, it played a particularly crucial role that allowed us to fully dissect and understand the event’s complex needs. Interactions between digital attendees, alongside the organiser’s sentiments, highlighted the importance of cross-platform engagement and enabled us to pinpoint specific hybrid requirements. One such requirement eventually came through as on-site virtual lounges, where suppliers had a gateway to interact with virtual buyers through our platform.

Airport Show Hybrid+ amassed over 6,000 attendees from over 55 countries, where both physical and virtual attendees were able to curate their event experience to create the most meaningful connections, and access the most relevant resources.

However, the virtual experience can be radically different from a physical one. In an online space, the attendee’s five senses won’t be as actively engaged as compared to an in-person event. So, how does the Jublia platform actively engage event attendees?

On top of live engagement integrations like video calls, text chat and instantaneous Q&A features, Jublia’s virtual platform also had a unique dimension of its own: flexibility. Driven by Content 360°, our integrated engagement hub provided round-the-clock access to on-demand content that enabled attendees to strategically plan and curate their agenda across 10 different content tracks at Airport Show Hybrid+.

Here’s what some happy attendees had to say!

The system was very intuitive, fuss-free and easy to use.

– Skyguide Swiss Air Navigation Services Ltd

Meetings were easy to schedule through the platform and all relevant information was displayed in a pre-set agenda which was easy to read.

– Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP)

The ease of how these meetings were arranged was impressive.

– Technital SpA

Skyrocket Your Business Matches with Match 360°

A core function of business events banks on the exchanges between delegates, and Airport Show Hybrid+ is no different. With over 7,000 platform visits occurring over the event, Jublia’s engagement hub had an immense amount of traffic that had to be directed towards ROI for the attendees.

With Match 360°, however, the crowded “airspace” was soon under control as attendees were able to input tags that defined their purpose of visiting the event. Powered by Jublia’s proprietary recommendation engine, RevRank, attendees were able to specify tags which outlined their respective key interests.

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From general tags like exhibitors or buyers to specialised interests such as airport check-in gates or even wildlife control systems, the event covered a comprehensive list of industry-related terms to streamline the search process, supporting each attendee’s quest to reach the most relevant content and connect with the right industry partners. All that’s left is for you to select from the list of tags and areas of interest, and Match 360° will work its magic!

Speak to Us!

We at Jublia are thankful for being selected to be the hybrid and business matching platform for Airport Show Hybrid+. Through this opportunity, we have connected numerous aviation experts of the world and hope that our services played a significant part in the next take-off of the world’s aviation industry.

Want to know more about how your event can be hybridised? Contact us at info@jublia.com today and we’ll assist you in piloting your maiden journey into the field of hybrid events!