13 Apr , 2020
A ‘New Normal’ for The Event Industry
Scientists and countries around the world are starting to adopt a narrative that warns of how things will not go back to normal immediately.
As an industry, we have to start computing what that means for us.
When a second phase of the virus kicks in, large meetings will still be banned by most countries. Sporting events, but also large trade shows, will struggle to be accepted unless a vaccine materializes or other major game-changing event happens.
It doesn’t mean that the industry is doomed.
Small, local meetings will be the way the event industry will start to build its comeback. Local Social events will be the fist stage kickstarter.
We have been the first in the industry to strongly advocate the pivot to virtual. While some were still trying to save the unsavable, we forecasted that virtual would be the only viable way to keep business going.
Digital will still play an important role in bringing smaller events together in a coordinated effort. Think coordinated events happening all over the world connected by technology and sharing a common spirit. Elevating the small meeting to a global meaning will be your main task for the remainder of 2020.
When Twitter appeared in 2008/2009, we were among the first to recognize the power of hashtags to put delocalized events under one roof. It turned out this was the largest combination of social media and events during the financial crisis, where travel was limited by the recession. Social media will once again play a key role in connecting local communities on a global scale.
Some of the most used words of the past two months include “unprecedented,” “unchartered waters” and “the new normal.” The latter is the one we need to focus on to keep things going.
An industry that is struggling to the core needs to pause and start evaluating what is next.
Research seems to point at large meetings suffering in the short term. There is no harm in starting to evaluate a strategy that could safeguard the business of small and large events alike in a post-lockdown era.