Another Year Wiser
It’s our birthday this week! Looking back at this time last year (when we rebranded), so much has changed. What have we learned? Where do things stand? How much whiplash have we been able to withstand? What is the current state of our industry (really, truly)? That’s worth talking about.
As the case numbers drop, we’re seeing inquiries go up. While some of these are social, corporate is also starting to dip its toe back in the water. Most planners are navigating internal challenges: reallocated or shrinking budgets, mixed messages regarding office openings butted up against the very real need to bring people together (meetings mean business, people!!!). We’ve been here before, but we’re cautiously optimistic that we’re on an upward trend that will hold this time. We’ll continue planning for the worst, while parallel-pathing for the best, and encourage our clients to do the same.
We’ve successfully pulled off several large programs - both indoors and out. A handful of them had been rescheduled and covid protocols forced us to get creative in ways we wouldn’t have considered before, even for the better in some cases. And of course, with any event where people are gathering live, there’s risk, but with safety precautions in place, proof of a vaccine and/or a negative test, we’re confident safe live events CAN happen because we’re doing it. We know others are as well so hats off to us all for forging ahead and figuring out how to deal WITH these circumstances, not go around them or avoid them altogether by just not holding events. Need further evidence? We’re seeing spread containment in schools and at sporting events that follow the same protocols. Progress is being made.
Industry events are happening as well (again, finally!), but approaches, experiences and messaging about the future of the industry vary widely. Last week my colleague and I attended the Experiential Marketing Summit (EMS) in Chicago after having been rescheduled twice. The experience was (unfortunately) just ok. As planners, we KNOW this was for good reason, and there were probably several contributing factors but in this case, we experienced first-hand how it feels to attendees when there’s a budget shortage. Content is still king, though last week the agenda was driven by the sponsors’ agenda (“It’s great we’re live again, but the future is digital!”). We were in person for this event and wanted to have that multi-sensory experience but in many ways, we were left wanting more because so much of the messaging and focus was still centered around a screen.
With that, here are some lessons learned:
Adjust as best you can and for anything you’re planning in the future, make sure you have the ability to do so factored into your contracts. You must ALWAYS put the attendee experience first. EMS was at a HUGE convention center (that they were obviously on the hook for) - this was probably perfect for a crowd three times our actual size. From an experience standpoint, this drew attention to just how dramatically smaller this event actually was than what it was originally intended to be.
Remember that social distancing and mandated mask-wearing will be the norm for the foreseeable future and it is STILL challenging for attendees. We’ve received feedback that it feels so much less natural to approach someone when you weren’t entirely sure if they were that person you were speaking with the day before (when mask wearing). Try to create spaces outdoors for meetings where you can. And incorporate faces on name badges - it’s a small but important detail.
Though we’ve made so many amazing strides in the digital space, we still have a ways to go. I’m in awe of what our industry took on to keep us meeting during the pandemic and we’re all going to benefit from what we’ve learned. But it’s not a pendulum swing back to the other side - virtual will be the way many of us continue to meet because of the benefits it provides (e.g., sustainability, scale, etc.). We’re still finding our way back to the middle now and it will be a while before we figure out what this looks like. Be patient, stay open and continue innovating - ALWAYS through the lens of the guest. There are so many more options now - it’s up to us to come up with ways to use them effectively.
Along those lines, remember that humans need to FEEL and TOUCH (too). After the containment of the pandemic, we are all starved to some extent of the tangible. For those exhibiting especially, a screen can only take you so far. Get the experience in the actual hands of your guest - they will remember it more, actually use it and be more inclined to evangelize.
Get people together for live, meaningful conversations. One of the brightest spots of our EMS experience was a small networking dinner, which was well done and served as a nice backdrop for quality conversation with industry peers. I’m glad we sprung (the extra bucks) for those. We shared war stories and swapped secrets and built each other up, as if comrades in arms. We agreed that though things will never be the same, we’d emerged from our cocoons newer, fresher, wiser versions of our old selves - and with a vengeance to keep marching together into the future.
It’s been one helluva year, and we’re still growing up. Jacky has a few more grey hairs. But doesn’t that make them seasoned and distinguished? I think so.
Onwards.
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