A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
The future we didn’t see coming The end of 2019 had us all looking forward to starting the new decade strong. With new clients in the bag and repeat work secured, we hired additional resources in anticipation of a record year of doing what we do best at idna – conceptualising big ideas and delivering spectacular events and conferences. But, oh boy, the “big year” we anticipated turned out to be big in ways we never imagined. 2020 was the disruption we didn’t want, but desperately needed. By Tamlynne Wilton, chief ideas officer, idna.
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hen the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the event’s industry was caught with its pants down. We weren’t prepared for the fallout as country after country went into lockdown, bringing our industry to a standstill overnight. We realised quite quickly that we have been playing in the shallow waters of the fourth industrial revolution all along. To survive, the old faithful ‘out-of-the-box thinking’ was not going to be enough – we had to break the box and look for a circle. The one saving grace, in my opinion, is the natural resilience of the events industry to adapt at the drop of a hat. And we did, stepping out of our comfort zones to learn new skills and create new products. A year later and we are still here, post-pivot, looking ahead at a future of events that we did not see coming, but one that will accelerate much-needed resilience and sustainability. Taking a post-mortem on 2020 and 16 Business Events Africa May 2021
analysing the road ahead for the meetings industry, we must ask ourselves if the industry is in its death throes, as more and more people move online. The answer is a resounding no. Humans seek out human interaction. We are social creatures. We are not built for isolation, no matter how much ‘fun’ it is to work from home in your pajamas, we are built for emotional exchange. Virtual technology has provided us with an additional layer, another way of engaging our audiences, but it’s there to provide just that – another layer and additional value, it’s not a replacement for in-person events. The future is hybrid In 2020, it is technology we turned to when in-person events were on an indefinite hold. So, to move forward, we know that we need to achieve a happy medium between in-person and virtual events that work together to
meaningfully connect people. The future is in a hybrid offering that seamlessly combines the strengths of both in-person and virtual events: • Choice We have so many choices in every other sphere of our lives, why shouldn’t we choose how we engage with an event? We make choices based on our individual preferences and circumstances and will go where we feel most comfortable. • Inclusivity People who have previously not been able to attend, are now able to have access to content that they otherwise would not have been able to access. A hybrid model offers an affordable, flexible, and open solution that appeals to an even bigger audience. • Commercial Hybrid events – if done correctly – have www.businesseventsafrica.com
