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Members of PCMA’s 20 in Their Twenties class of 2020 already have proven to be leaders, putting their own mark on the business events industry. Rebecca Lino, senior technology manager at Cadence in San Diego, Calif., shares her thoughts about the industry.
What do you like most about your job?
The people I work with are, hands down, my favorite part of my job. The team at Cadence Travel is filled with people from all different backgrounds who manage to come together every day and work toward the same mission. I manage a bunch of rock stars who make it kind of hard to not be both impressed and motivated by them every day. I feel really lucky to be able to say that.
What do you like most about the industry?
What I love most about the events industry is that we are bred to embrace change. There are many moving pieces that are ever evolving, causing us to grow and seek out the best ways to implement change within our organizations. By and large, we enjoy disrupting the norm and thrive in new environments. We’re comfortable being uncomfortable, making our jobs exciting because we never know what is waiting around the corner for us.
What’s one ― or more ― event trends you have your eye on?
The event trends that are currently catching my eye fall within the event technology realm. I believe Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and facial recognition eventually will disrupt the way that we manage, promote, and execute meetings.
RFID, which provides location-based data, will eventually have capabilities that will drive seamless attendee networking at large-scale events. It’s suggested that RFID will allow attendees to be notified via a push notification when they are near an attendee they have “flagged” in their mobile app as someone they hoped to meet onsite.
Facial recognition is on its way to providing us the opportunity to read an audience in real time during a session. We will have the ability to scan an audience, and based on the body language and facial expressions, we will be able to see if people are happy or bored, cold or hot, etc. Based on this information, speakers and moderators will be able to adjust in real time — leading to higher overall satisfaction.
Although some might be fearful of the technology paving its way into our industry, I am hopeful that it will empower us to create stronger human connections at our events.
Members of PCMA’s 20 in Their Twenties class of 2020 will be recognized on stage at PCMA Convening Leaders 2020, Jan. 5-8, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Check out the complete program and register for Convening Leaders today.