The time is now

Mayday! Mayday! Here we are in May 2020 and I swear I can hear the distress signal from the business events industry in South Africa as we are asked to remain calm and are told we can only commence working in level 1 – which from what I understand will be at end of 2020 or start of 2021.

As I write this column I cannot help but think this time we are going through is in some ways similar to a war situation.

I am just wondering who is winning?

We are still in lockdown, moving through the various levels, in day… who knows what?

All I currently know for sure is that I’m tired of waiting. It feels like I’ve been sitting at a bus stop, chatting with colleagues and friends and new colleagues as I wait for some direction. As I wait I am starting to realise I have either missed the bus or continue to wait for a bus that is never going to arrive. The problem has been I haven’t had my end destination in sight. I’ve decided, I’m done waiting!

In one of the many webinars I’ve attended, one of the speakers spoke about imagining yourself in two years time and forgetting the current situation. You need to be able to imagine it, for it to happen. The time is now, stop waiting, start moving or you will be left behind.

So where do I see the business events sector in two year’s time?

So here is my take: the fundamentals will remain, however technology will also have a more prominent part. People will still have face to face interactions, but health and safety will be core in making this happen.

People will need to feel that their health and safety is ensured. They will need to feel safe. In two years there will be a vaccine for Covid-19, but the world has changed. International travel will be almost where it was preCovid-19. International congresses will have a bigger hybrid event presence. We will still have people wearing masks, though not regulated anymore, and if you look around your event you will see some starting to shake hands again and even the odd hug here and there. Social distancing is slowly disappearing, though there are some that will keep their distance.

Exhibitions will be more controlled on the number of visitors at any given time, with safety and security taking the lead on stand design and the use of floor space. There will also be a virtual elements to exhibitions from online meetings to hybrid enabled seminars during the exhibition.

The incentive travel industry will also see a change by splitting big groups into a number of smaller groupings, and even more innovative programmes will be a given.

What else do I see in this future? Sustainability is finally a given in all these sectors – its importance will no longer be only a ‘nice to have’ in our events, congresses, exhibitions and incentives.

This will be our new reality.

Innovation is key, and our venues are already adapting, as are suppliers and organisers. One thing we currently have is time, time to reinvent, time to innovate and prepare for the future you envisage.

I can’t wait!

Irene Email: gomesi@iafrica.com