Rethinking Events

The last few years threw a curveball to the events industry, but they have bounced back with new and innovative ways to serve clients and engage and entertain event attendees.

The industry has come up with clever hybrid solutions that engage in-person and online participants. Embracing new technology and the demands of creating an online experience during the pandemic.

Louise says the last few years have been a rollercoaster. “The events industry had to adapt rapidly through the pandemic, changing business models and rethinking how events could be delivered. Whilst it was challenging, if you look at the positives, online events have grown and hybrid and virtual events continue to be part of the mix.

She also says that outdoor events have increased in popularity, with festivals and experienced based events becoming a growth area.

There is also a growing demand for events to be part of something more. Whether it's being part of a community centred around the event (using community platforms like Facebook Groups, Telegram, WhatsApp, Circle, Slack) or part of a series of face to face and online events.

"It feels like it's not just about the event anymore (if it ever was). It's about the before communications and afterwards follow up, and how people stay connected to the message of the event" o r n o n C s e i u o L

Howard Givner, director of the Event Leadership Institute predicted in his state of the industry address in 2021 that corporate events will shift from a revenue source to a marketing vehicle.

There ’ s no limit to the number of virtual attendees that can gain access to an online event. So in this way, online events have become a form of mass communication and part of the PR toolkit too.

Givner uses Microsoft’ s 2020 conference as an example. In 2019, they charged $2,395 per person to attend and saw 6,000 attendees. In 2020, the event was free 197,000 people showed up.

Hybrid events have the opportunity to generate revenue and PR, the best of both worlds.

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People adapt well to hybrid and online events. With more flexibility in how people work and where they are based, hybrid events continue to form part of our day-to-day lives.

Louise says “Technology adapted to support hybrid and online events and creativity soared with how events were delivered. And the way they can be recorded, shared, and used in a variety of ways such as on-demand viewing or on social media. ”

“In-person events took a while to emerge but are back at the levels we saw previously. People have missed that in-person experience and connection. ”

Louise says events companies have had to create teams to deliver specialist skills to suit the changing needs of their clients. “People now want a one-stop shop. Everything from venue finding to multimedia production and digital media, filming, entertainment, managing third-party suppliers, and everything in between. ”

She also points out that there is a shift to more conscious decisions about sustainability and making the right choices for the environment.

Visualise what success looks like for you, the endpoint, and the results you want, and work back from that. What do you want the overall experience to be for your attendees or delegates? Identify the elements that will contribute to a successful event.

Delegate what you can to the professionals, not only will this ensure that your event is delivered with the wow factor, but it also frees you up to experience the event.

Triple-check the tech, and have specialist teams to deal with the live streaming, filming, and live online elements of the event.

Think beyond the actual event. For example, how can you maximise the event’ s longevity? Live streaming, or filming to share postevent, capturing feedback or vox pops of keynote speakers/award winners, etc. Think of content that you can reuse to maximize your exposure through PR and social media during and after the event.

Plan in advance as much as possible. Venues at the moment are in high demand and the right venue can make all of the difference in the success of a high-profile event. Book now!

Define your objectives and have a budget. Even if these shift slightly they will help to focus the planning.

Consider what you could do differently to make an impact and create a lasting memory for your delegates.