Recognising that glimmer of hope

An opinion piece by Greg McManus, chairperson of the Event Greening Forum

As I write this, South Africa is entering its eighth week of a lockdown that has had tragic consequences for many, particularly in the tourism, MICE and hospitality sectors. Every day we read of companies closing, laying off staff or going into hibernation. There is no doubt that we are in a weak position as an industry.

But, as the old Persian adage goes, “this too shall pass”. In spite of our current feelings and the bleakness of our immediate future, our industry will recover to some semblance of its former strength. It will, however, take very conscious and immediate steps to achieve this.

Preparing for the ‘New Tourism’

Now is the time to rethink the way we do things, and what we will need to meet the future demands of our various sectors. Perhaps the first step is to accept that business can no longer be done as usual. The needs of our various markets have changed irrevocably because of the coronavirus, and we need to prepare for this.

For example, I believe that the longlasting impact of Covid-19 is going to be the need to actively promote the safety and health of our clients. Thinking out-of-the-box about how we plan, execute and promote events, meetings, conferences and exhibitions is going to take a willingness to change. Believe it or not, there are those who think we will go back to the ‘old’ way of doing business and that change – or the requirements of change – are not worth the effort for temporary gains. But each one of us now places greater emphasis on our health and the potential for transmission of the virus. Why would our clients be any different?

At this stage, we need to implement measures to address the fears of our clients. By making simple changes to the way we manage our businesses, and incorporating best-practice wherever we can, we will be in a much stronger position to recover once the lockdown ends.

We also need to understand that Covid-19 is only the latest iteration of the coronavirus family. More, and potentially deadlier, versions could emerge in the future.

Technology – a silver bullet?

The use of technology in our industry has without doubt a spiked. But while it can solve many of our challenges, it cannot solve them all. I say this because the meetings, events and exhibitions industry is about contact and face time. Some of the most valuable outputs of conferences, for example, take place outside of the conference venue where we meet and chat with one another. This can’t be replicated using technology. We need to understand its limitations when looking to incorporate technology in our future plans.

Online registrations, paperless interactions, smart bookings systems and many other activities are possible with technology, and can address the bottlenecks that would breach the modern-day social distancing protocols we will be living under. But will online exhibitions work? Probably not, for the reasons I’ve mentioned above. While some point to the effectiveness of on-line retailers, even those retailers attend exhibitions and conferences in person to source their products.

by looking at how we operate and what we present to our markets. Develop sound ‘Covid-19-safe’ solutions in every proposal and submission you make. Bear in mind the national and international protocols that exist. Stop believing that once the lockdown is lifted, it’s going to be back to business as usual. Social distancing is the new norm. Measures that mitigate and minimise transmission of this virus – and every future virus – will become a musthave if your business is going to survive.

All is not lost, and you have the chance to make a new start. Take it.

If you need ideas or services to help your business prepare for this ‘new world’, please visit: http://www. eventgreening.co.za/news-blog/

Many of Event Greening Forum members are sharing their offerings here, from CoronaSmart’s free Covid-19 health and safety standards to handsfree sanitising stations, home office eco spaces and virtual event technology.

For more information, contact: Pippa Naude, Event Greening Forum t: +27 (0)74 369 6369 e: pippa@eventgreening.co.za