Luddites are people who are opposed to increased industrialization or new technology. The term Luddite is derived from one Ned Lud, a member of one of the many bands of English workers who destroyed machinery, especially in cotton and woolen mills, that they believed was threatening their jobs, at the onset of the Industrial Revolution. (Thank you Wikipedia. What would we do without you?) Luddites in general, oppose change and consider anything new or different as bad, period.
The Return of the Luddi herein represents the resurrection of fear and rigidity in the events business, as clients and service providers still resist the adoption of new ways/technologies like virtual meetings and virtual worlds, when confronted by the realities of the current economic climate.
Yes, things should have been better by now people, but they’re not. Let’s not let the evil Empire win and end up like Ned Lud, a footnote in the annals of event history. Instead let’s embrace what makes practical sense and offer clients reasonable, technologically informed choices that blend the old with the new.
Oh and sorry about the bad Star Wars pun.
