Nth Degree Trade Show and Event Marketing Blog

The one thing everyone seems to agree upon regarding 2020 is that no one saw it coming. Whether 2020 brought on successes or failures, business growth or hardship, health or sickness, inner peace or strife—one thing is for certain—the world has changed dramatically, and our industry along with it. But the question I pose to this new reality is how long will this change hold, and will the elements of change be necessary? Will we truly learn from this experience and use this knowledge to drive our industry forward? Or will we rush back as quickly as possible to the way things were before, in our basic human quest for normalcy? We should consider these questions as we continue into 2021 towards 2022 and beyond.

Many of us thought that by now things would slowly be getting back to normal. Unfortunately, we are still seeing COVID-19 make its rounds throughout the U.S., which means events will most likely be substantially affected for the remainder of the year.

During this time, when virtual events have taken center stage, event professionals are starting to assess the impact of this change on their business and marketing opportunities. From the feedback I've received so far, virtual events have attracted larger audiences, but these audiences have been reluctant to engage with the content and each other. Also, while some virtual events require a lower investment than physical events, their impact on the pipeline, and ROI, appears limited – at least in the short term.

While the world is waiting to see what a post-COVID-19 landscape looks like, event planners are preparing for its impact. We’re creating new budgets for equipment and technology to allow for contactless encounters, rethinking food and beverage, and considering moving conferences to warm climates to take advantage of outdoor space.

When conferences transition to virtual events, what happens to the sponsors and exhibitors? They are still a critical part of the event’s ecosystem but now have an uncertain role in the new format. Many of our clients have long-standing relationships with sponsors and exhibitors who know the event just as well as the people planning it.

Virtual events are currently becoming the way of the world during the challenging times of COVID-19. The information overload created by the quick shift to virtual can make the process challenging. How do you find the right provider to fit your needs and deliver a seamless experience?

A well-executed education program is the thread that unifies attendees at any conference. Nth Degree has a department dedicated to speaker and education management and we’re working hard to ensure success for both our clients and their audiences in the current climate. Let’s take a look at some of the ways we prepare speakers for a virtual event, and how it’s different from a face-to-face environment.

The shift from in-person learning to digital requires a different strategy and approach. Let’s take a look at some of the ways we’re approaching learning in a virtual setting and the tactics we’re brainstorming to keep the audience engaged.

Like you, I’ve read dozens of articles about what changes will be made to enable large shows to return – temperature checks, rapid testing, cleaning procedures, social distancing rules, etc. But I haven’t heard anyone talking about the impact of these changes on exhibiting companies.