Global leaders from tourism, travel-tech, and destination management met at a private, invitation-only roundtable hosted by Mabrian, The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group, and the Global Tourism Resilience Council to explore how data and innovation can transform the future of event management.
The closed-door session, titled “Strategic Event Intelligence – Data, Impact and the Future of Events Tourism,” was held at the Crowne Plaza Docklands during World Travel Market (WTM) London and brought together a select group of senior executives from JCDecaux, ICF, This is Breeze and Queer Destinations, alongside tourism and destination leaders from Europe.
The discussion opened with remarks from Mirko Lalli, CEO and Founder of The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group and Carlos Cendra, Partner and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Mabrian.
The conversation centred on how destinations can identify opportunities, align stakeholders, measure sustainability and ensure that events deliver meaningful economic and social returns. Attendees examined how destination planning and management align with event management strategies, and the reach and potential of artificial intelligence and data analytics to predict and assess event performance at the hosting destinations.
“Events are among the most powerful levers destinations have to build reputation, investment, and community value,” said Mirko Lalli, CEO of The Data Appeal Company. “When underpinned by data intelligence, they move from one-off moments to sustained engines of growth.”
Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian, added: “This dialogue unveiled opportunities and challenges that data intelligence can contribute to address throughout the full cycle of event planning, both for destinations and event organisers, in the effort to build and refine common frameworks to understand their impact and legacy, particularly among local communities.”
Laurie Myers, Global Strategist for the Global Tourism Resilience Council, commented: “The Resilience Council’s role is to convene leaders who think beyond visitor numbers. This discussion underscored how collaboration between governments, data partners, and the private sector can redefine the value of events through purpose, transparency, and long-term impact.”
The session concluded with a consensus that events organizing must be part of the strategic plan of destinations and that advanced data insights, including sustainability indicators and predictive analytics, that reflect the specific reality and circumstances of each destination will become essential tools for travel industry and events’ producers seeking to demonstrate the true value of events for tourism.
