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.

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.

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.

Covid-19 has fundamentally changed how we conduct business, especially the business of events. Much of the industry made the shift to virtual almost immediately and that shift is expected to persist through the fall. Although the decisions to go online were swift, they weren’t easy for many companies. How will potential attendees react? What impact will this decision have on a brand? What skill sets do we need to deliver an engaging digital experience? Scary stuff. However, we have realized that, despite the challenges, Covid-19 has presented us with an amazing opportunity to build larger audiences for our programs than ever before.

In the post-pandemic world, people will emerge from their homes and venture back out into society. They’ll visit friends, favorite stores, and re-opened restaurants, but will they step foot on an airplane? Will they buy concert tickets? Attend a conference? There’s no doubt our world will look different in the months or years to come. We may even get that extra elbow room on airplanes that we’ve longed for as modified social distancing becomes commonplace.

A pandemic hit. Cities closed. Large gatherings were no longer allowed and every event across the nation was forced to cancel, postpone, or go online. As a result, event planners have had to take a step back and reevaluate what events will look like in the coming months and years. What is the right approach, or what steps can we take, to get events back on the calendar? How do we safeguard aspects of the event that were already in motion during the pre-pandemic planning period? Is this an opportunity to test new waters?