Vinicius NerisPhoto: Courtesy of InEvent
How he got his start: In his college years, Vinicius Neris was part of the team that organized conferences and meetups—and there he met Pedro Goes and Mauricio Giordano. The three became the co-founders of virtual and hybrid event platform InEvent.
"We started by creating a mobile app for one of those events," Neris recalls. "That was the breakthrough, so we decided to create something new, innovative, and unique, and our company was born."
Now, Neris has been involved with the events industry for over a decade. InEvent, and everything related to it, was not what he thought he would do as a full-time career. Like many event profs, he landed here, got involved, and stayed.
"The best thing about this journey was that, even though I come from a very different 'educational' background (I was studying to become an engineer), we discovered a way to connect and develop something enhanced by our differences," Neris says. "I’m directly involved in the company’s success through sales, marketing, social media, and customer success. I like to think of myself as someone who enjoys bringing new possibilities and finding solutions to complex problems with new ideas that can improve event professionals’ day-to-day life and attendees’ experience."
What innovation means to him: To Neris, innovation means solving an existing problem or finding a better way to do something. "This does not mean destroying what was before but building from it," he explains. "We did this with InEvent by creating unique solutions for in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. We unravel the tools people in the industry use and develop them to improve. An outstanding user experience is an answer to innovation."
Neris enjoys learning from different perspectives and being involved with new projects. "You might not always come up with the 'best, new, or great idea,' but you may be part of the team that developed that solution," he says. "It’s not always about leading but learning and following the right person that is a great thinker. Surround yourself with those you can teach—and learn from."
Memorable moments: One memorable event close to Neris' heart is InEvent Fest 2020. "It was the first edition done by our company in the thick of the pandemic," he remembers. "We rented this beautiful place in New York City with incredible views. It was an event where I was part of the organization and one of the hosts. The team planned an extraordinary closing party, and I still recall all the fun with the DJ playing music at the end. It was a great event!"
His vision for the future of the events industry: "The future of the events industry is in person," Neris says. "We will develop new tools, technologies, and gadgets, but in the end, events mean creating new connections. I see the events industry fully embracing in-person events with virtual elements like the metaverse, virtual reality, AI capabilities, and more."
He adds that it's "all about the serendipity that we can find" in events. Even though everything is planned, "the 'extra' is always included, and that can be meeting someone new, connecting with an unexpected guest, discovering a new idea, or even listening to a speaker that you love," Neris says. "Those things are the ones that I believe make an event unique, and why I believe the future is in person."
Technology will come hand in hand with that future, he adds, "which will help create seamless events and maximize your experience in them. Event planners will use them more and more, but in the end, the objective will be to connect people and spark new ideas seamlessly."
