VENUE PERSPECTIVE

Conferencing today

The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly sped up the pace of evolution and progress in the conference industry tremendously. It has however, of course, done so at great economic cost.

Bronwen Cadle de Ponte

By Bronwen Cadle de Ponte, group manager: conferencing and accommodation, CSIR ICC.

The conference industry has always been slow to change, with traditional meeting models having been in existence for decades and the winning of international meetings being the ultimate goal for many in the meetings value chain. Overnight, the pandemic changed the traditional face-to-face model to virtual and, with international travel not an option, local and regional meetings became the darling.

Given that we operate in a very traditional sector, it has been uplifting to see how our staff, suppliers, stakeholders, and clients have adapted so well, and so quickly, to the ‘new normal’. New screening, cleaning, social distancing, revenue models and new technologies have been embraced and given us a new eagerness for innovation and creativity which has been inspiring.

The negative impact of the pandemic is, however, felt in a much broader loss to economic development. Yes, we have seen venue closures, job losses, and a diminishing supply chain and attractiveness of the industry to the youth as the business events sector contracts. We have also, more devastatingly, seen the broader negative impact when professionals are frustrated by meeting online only, and when those serendipitous encounters, that normally take place at face-to-face events, do not have an opportunity to happen, resulting in little or no opportunities gained for the type of knowledge sharing and collaboration that sparks growth and innovation in our economy. These have been the real losses caused by Covid-19 for the meetings industry that will only be reversed once people are able to once again meet face-to-face and engage in the opportune encounters which inspire progress and innovation. The meetings industry needs to return to face-to-face to regain its positive exponential effect on growing the economy.

It is regrettable that business meetings were not dealt with separately from social gatherings in the government’s regulations – from the onset of Covid-19 – as our industry is already very well regulated and controlled. I believe that, due to the strict health and hygiene regulations in the meetings industry, confidence will return to the professional meetings market albeit slowly, local first, then regional and international only much later. I believe that it is more the uncertainty around government and travel restrictions that are making meeting owners hesitant to commit to face-to-face meetings and, as we get better at planning and predicting ways to mitigate the spread of communicable diseases, better formulated responses and plans and guidance from governments world-wide will bring certainty and renewal to our industry.

We will meet again, possibly in smaller groups, with less travel and more technology, but the desire for professionals to engage, face-to-face, to let knowledge exchange and inspiration in their fields flow is still there — and perhaps even more valued now than ever before.

Who is Bronwen Cadle de Ponte?

Bronwen Cadle de Ponte is the group manager: conferencing and accommodation, CSIR International Convention Centre situated in Tshwane. The convention centre was the first international standard convention centre to be built in South Africa, over 40 years ago and has been hosting international meetings ever since.