Happy Monday everyone! We hope you had a great weekend.

As always we are helping ease you back into the working week with a round-up of last week’s main event industry news, including any interesting stories and insights that can help you improve yourself, your company, or your events.

Enjoy!

EVENT INDUSTRY NEWS

Pokemon No! at Peterborough Arena [Conference News]

Whilst companies have been embracing Pokemon Go, and finding ways to attract players by creating special deals etc, Peterborough Arena has announced that they will be off limits to Pokemon Go players, stating it is due to health and safety that they have decided to take on this measure. What’s your opinion on venues turning away Pokemon Go players? Are they losing potential business?

World’s first artificial intelligence event matchmaking app powered by Grip hits 1 million swipes [Event Industry News]

The ‘Tinder for conferences and exhibitions’ has recently hit 1 million swipes. This AI event matchmaking event app suggests potential people to network with, when both people match, a chat feature allows them to connect and arrange meeting at the event.

PRODUCTIVITY

An Introduction to The Event Planning Cycle [Eventbrite UK Blog]

Planning for an event is no easy feat; there are a lot of different tasks to undertake not just before the event, but during, and post-event. To help you visualise all the key areas you need to cover for your event, we’ve created this event planning cycle infographic for you.

‘Pokémon GO’ Hurting Workplace Productivity? How To Stop Addictive Games From Distracting Employees [Forbes]

Has Pokemon Go taking over in your office? If so, this is a common scene worldwide, which sees many employees distracted by playing the game during office hours. It may be time to implement measures that ensure this game isn’t hurting productivity. Find out some of the ways you can control this situation.

TECHNOLOGY

Alton Towers to launch virtual reality experience for corporate groups [C&IT]

A new virtual reality ride is coming to Alton Towers for corporate groups. This is a great example of how new technology is being utilised to add to an experience, rather than just being used for the sake it. The ride will combine with VR to take people on a journey through space. We’re interested to see how successful this use of technology is for Alton Towers.

MARKETING

How To Advertise (Without Actually Advertising) on LinkedIn [Inc.com]

The title may say ‘on LinkedIn’ but there are definitely key takeaways from this post that can be used on all social channels and any other content you may be creating. This post shows you how to break down what it is you are advertising, in a way that educates or entertain your readers, without it being just a sales pitch.

Why Birchbox Wants Fans to Call Them on Snapchat [Convince and Convert]

An interesting experiment that we are sure to see more of, comes from Birchbox asking fans to call them on Snapchat. For an hour, every Monday, Birchbox’s social media team will be reachable via Snapchat’s call and video software. This could be an extremely effective way for millennials to contact businesses.

AND IN OTHER NEWS…

Winnie the Pooh cloud appears over children’s charity event in Dorset [Metro]

Look’s like someone at this children’s charity event had a contact in the heavens, as this Winnie the Pooh cloud was seen over their event. This goes to show that sometimes it’s the things you have no control over, the things that just miraculously happen, that can end up being the centre of attention at your event. The best event organisers are the ones that know what to do in this situation, and how to ride the wave so it’s in their favour.

What news did you find most useful (or interesting) last week? Share them in the comments below!