TRENDS
Elevated
EXPERIENCES Who could ever have imagined that everything we knew about events a year ago would change so drastically? Meetings gets to the heart of what 2021 has in store.
T
he year 2020 has been one that will forever stand out in our minds – through the hardships of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic have come many learnings, some of which have helped organisers to understand what really draws audiences into attending their events. What has become increasingly evident as lockdown restrictions kept people apart is that connections – and connectivity – have become paramount to how we move forward through what is a challenging period for all. Beyond building business, through our shared experiences, particularly during this time, we have been able to establish much deeper
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connections with one another, and it’s all taking place in the form of meetings.
THE NEED TO UPSKILL Stats from a McKinsey report, which covered what business recovery will look like as a result of the adverse economic effects of Covid-19, noted that the first eight weeks of lockdown saw digital adoption within business and consumer industries quantum leap by five years. This skyrocketing growth and trend towards new technologies, to ensure that meetings and connections are made, mean we need to keep pace with the tech and upskill in the right areas. HYBRID DIVERSITY Massive in-person conferences that run over consecutive days have, for now, been put on hold and it remains to be seen whether those numbers will ever be achievable again – at least in the short term. According to data from the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) released during the last quarter of 2020, 76% of planners are taking their events virtual. Even prior to the pandemic, the push towards digital had already seen venues coming to the fore, with an assortment of innovative
offerings to provide bespoke eventing solutions for their clients. Social distancing and travel restrictions in the current context mean that in-person attendance for small numbers of locally based individuals is possible, while the success of your virtual attendance boils down to what your platform can support and the strength of your marketing efforts. This also underscores the need to have a refined strategy of who we target because volume, in this instance, doesn’t equate to market growth.
MERGING PLANNING AND MARKETING STRATEGIES Understanding your audience has never been so important. With time and money both being resources that would-be stakeholders are spending with increasing discernment, highlighting the value that your project or campaign can deliver on could possibly seal the deal on audience buy-in. Emphasising not-to-bemissed elements will ensure stronger uptake; however, all planning around this needs to be done with your target market in mind, while not losing sight of your business objectives. Nowhere is the crossover between planning and marketing more evident than in a digital environment. From social media and email
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