What the Hell is "Human-Centric"?

Toby Lewis - CEO, Envoku and Live Group

Did the events industry really lose its humanity? Did it get lost (or too immersed) in the new era of digital expansion, event technology and AI?

If it did, then it is back with a vengeance. In and around some of the most prevalent catch phrases of the last few years, human experience is now ubiquitous. Just like “pivot”, “post-pandemic”, and “new-normal”, it’s become a growing part of our lexicon.

But that isn’t to say an unwelcome one. Let’s face it, tiresome and somewhat traumatic as the pandemic references are, they serve a valued purpose. They described a movement and trend, and within the world of meetings and events, they called upon us to progress as an industry, one looking at responsibilities and challenges. Human-centric is no different. It’s a lesson in empathy that we must take forward with new solutions, technologies, and approaches.

We in events, as much (and often more), than any other industry, understand human experience. We live in face-to-face communication, and we understand how to work with people.

At Envoku we’ve taken this even further, developing psychology-based event technology, supported by AI, but with the addition of an empathetic and human approach. Paradoxically it’s a digital platform, but it touches on every part of the event experience, and brings with it real people, and experience. Understanding what makes us human, and adapting event experiences to individual human needs? You can’t be more human-centric than that.

Its relevant to delve into this idea of ‘human’ though if we are to really embrace this welcome dawn of human-centric event era. It needs to be set against wider trends such as the growth in technology, the introduction of algorithm, and the digitisation of society. When so much human activity is replaced by digital solutions, maybe we have lost a bit of humanity.

The word ‘human’ itself is packed with synonyms from kindness to peace, diversity and equity, and is very rarely negative. Humanity; being human, the act of caring or showing humanity. It’s also all about human interaction, anthropologically and sociable. Being human is about being real, authentic, and empathetic. That’s the real reason why we’re all so invested in it, everything from the understanding of people to the desire to make our events truly equitable and welcoming. That’s what you get at a live event, that why we do what we do

At Envoku we’ve developed proprietary technology that meets people where they are to create environments where they thrive. The definition of human centric, in our case, is leveraging technology to create better human experiences. We’re moving with the tide but in a constructive way that engages rather than distracts.

We’ll continue to research, develop ideas, and invest our energies into new products and technologies that continue this positive ‘human’ trajectory. It’s what makes events both relevant and powerful.

That, we believe, is the purest form of empathy.