This paper shares an organiser’s perspective on data ownership. The digitisation of the exhibition industry, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has given rise to new types of events and digital offerings and more ways to obtain personal data linked to customers. Organisers are often doorkeepers for attendees, open access directories for exhibitors, and concierges to both. To meet the wide-ranging needs of the various categories of customers, organisers have turned to third-party technology providers for solutions. However, in some cases, the standard operating procedures for suppliers, acting as data processors, may not have been implemented as quickly as the technologies themselves, which, if left unremedied, could potentially lead to governance gaps. This has led to challenges of trust between organisers and suppliers, as well as organisers and their customers. This paper shares some critical areas that must be considered for organiser and supplier data relationships.
The event organiser’s perspective on data ownership
The exhibition industry business model centres on our ability to facilitate customer interactions by gathering the right data, in terms of connections and information, and delivering it to the right customers, at the right time. This paper is a a cross-industry collaboration sharing the organiser’s perspective on data ownership.
