"Every year, we ask 'How do we hold delegates in our space for longer? What technology can GPJ and our partners bring?' The press and media are our target audience. If they come into our space and see the same thing again, they'll walk out."
The golf course has been designed to capitalise on the Chinese's love of golf, promote GSMA's partner brands and deliver on GSMA's policy to reduce the amount of screens and Powerpoint slides at events.
Montgomery added: "We want guests to immerse themselves in an environment where they are not killed by Powerpoint. We want to create experiences that tell the story [of new tech] in a different way."
Storytelling with IBM
Vikki Bradney-Spencer, brand and communications leader UKI for IBM, also showcased the tech brand's innovations and various events.
She showed how event budgets have shifted to create a culture of storytelling, with spend pre- and post-event now much higher than it has ever been.
Her presentation finished with a five-step guide for brands looking to tell a story at events. She advised:
- Understand what defines your organisation, and your belief system
- Listen to your customers – understand how they behave
- Build an integrated experience pre- and post-event – everyone is involved
- Put in place programmatic planning, consistent standards and tools
- Use technology to engage, to share and to capture.
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