INDUSTRY IDENTITY
Reflect, RESET AND REDEFINE TEXT
Elizabeth Rich Back in 2000 and again in 2006, Australian business events industry profile Elizabeth Rich wrote provocative articles about industry identity issues.* She spent decades at the helm of the Meetings Industry Association of Australia and The Business Events Council of Australia. Sydney-based Elizabeth Rich is a keen observer of an industry which remains close to her heart. Meetings International thought it timely to ask for her views in a column in these challenging times. The industry has always grappled with its identity. However, I have been heartened to see a growing use of the broader term ‘business events’ over the past decade to encompass exhibitions, conferences, meetings, incentives and so on. But there has never been a more vital time to revisit this identity than now, during a pandemic which is bound to have serious long-term impacts on the industry's health. Thankfully, the industry embraced the ‘beyond tourism’ concept some years ago, which showed the importance of event legacies, so it is already positioned for its next essential move. There is an event life beyond travel if we want it. At the heart of our traditional industry are the live face-to facebusiness events which are convened to educate and inform, to reward, to demonstrate, to market, to problemsolve, and to celebrate. To that traditional model, we now have to add “in
person” to make it clear we have been talking about people who physically are all together in one place. For the majority of established suppliers, this is a necessary ingredient. Without people travelling to one spot to be together, there is no catering, no accommodation, no seats in venues, no transport, and no flow-on beneficiaries in destinations which have come to rely on this industry sector. These unfortunate suppliers are the ones in the eye of the current storm. But let's examine the fundamentals; the foundation on which our industry is based. Whether you are educating, demonstrating, selling or celebrating, you have a need to communicate. Convening physically to achieve this aim is just one option in the mixed bag of communication delivery options. Business events is not tourism; it is not travel; it is a form of communication. The event purpose lies at the core. All the affiliated operators supply products or services that enable this chosen communication method. In 2020 everything changed. Evolution quickly became revolution as the pace of change rocketed. We do not know whether this change is permanent or temporary until a widelyavailable, proven vaccine is found to the pernicious coronavirus. We may snap back to our old ways, similar to the 9/11 attack. Or not. Or something in between. But lessons have been learnt, the hard way. Many are still in shock
understandably. Nimble ones have pivoted where they can. Whatever happens, we are all on notice that it can happen again. Another pandemic can hit at any time. So, we need to think long term. Travel barriers and social distancing rules are complex now: hopefully, they will lighten but can quickly be reintroduced as has already been demonstrated. We grapple with changing government policies and permissions, with no international standardisation, at least not yet. Even if the brave host is permitted to go ahead, risks in running physical events have skyrocketed. Insuring against these risks is not easy. Extra work is involved in terms of compliance on hygiene and health matters. Duty-of-care issues have leapt to the head of the queue for concerned employers. What sort of liabilities comes with endorsing official suppliers? New delegate-tracking systems raise privacy concerns. In a jittery world, it's a minefield. To wade back into the water, delegates are going to need a lot of reassuring to encourage registrations. Corporate travel bans come into play. Concerned families too. Air access is problematic and probably more expensive. Overlay personal and corporate nervousness with the growing environmental concerns, and you can see the gods appear to be conspiring against travel to live events. You can see the compelling reasons to go virtual, especially if you
2020 No. 26 MEETINGS INTERNATIONAL | BIR | 39
