Event Management and Covid Through 2021
Covid has created a revolving door of event protocol.
From the virtual and omnichannel options to the unending need for people to indeed be together, we’ve seen a myriad of needs and expectations shift. We’ve attended well-planned and well-executed events and the event that have struggled to hold it together.
After almost a year of creating online experiences for corporate events, many event management teams, planners, and marketing teams wonder when things will return to normal. And they are questioning what the next steps should be.
Trending Patterns for Event Planning and Management
We participated in a Pulse Northstar Survey among event planners, and here’s a quick look at the data and what it means for the events industry for 2021.
Fear of travel will continue to impact live events.
For future in-person events, planners expected the fear of travel, followed by meeting budget and travel budget constraints. In our circles, we’ve seen a few live events pop up. Sally Mainprize, Iron Peacock Event’s principal, was able to attend an in-person event in Sarasota in October and documented some of her experiences!
From the airport to the rental car, physical distancing, pre-bagged inflight service, and touchless service helped her to feel confident in her travels. Thanks to continued regulations for health and safety, we believe that corporations comfortable with the idea and protocols can pull off an influential in-person event.
When will more live events resume?
A key question among event management, planners, and executives has been when live events should begin to resume. The Northstar study found that “Nearly one-third (32%) report they are ‘not currently focused on live, in-person events.’”
Some of the other vital statistics on the return of live events were —
• 24% of planners reported “virtual” events only.
• 35% reported that more than half of the events they are planning are online only.
• 76% of planners say they do not plan to attend in-person events.
• 43% of planners expect to plan live events in the first half of 2021, and most answered that they expect to hold their next in-person or hybrid event in Q3 2021.
As much as we hoped for a fresh start for live events in Q1 2021, we’ll most likely be pushing toward Q3 or Q4 for a noticeable increase in live events and attendees. Many planners and industry experts are looking to when the vaccines are mostly distributed to decide when live events start the trek back to “normal.”
Critical Responsibilities for Rescheduling Corporate Events
Planners have been doing the less-than-glamorous parts of the events industry. Rebooking events, reworking contracts, and estimating the fallout for the companies who’ve planned them have not been the most pleasant tasks.
And the survey revealed that 36% of planners are still knee-deep in reworking contracts and rebooking previously planned events. Unfortunately, this task is still at the forefront of our minds.
If your teams are looking to begin rebooking events, be sure to take a close look at the following items:
1. Insurance and force majeure clauses in your contracts are much more critical in today’s planning world to alleviate the issues that follow postponed events and cancellations.
2. Start looking into the moving parts and prices when booking hotels and venues.
3. Hone in on your project management skills. Consider the event budget constraints and be prepared to use your funding where you’ll make the most impact, like advertising, quality production equipment, and the attendee’s experience and engagement.
4. Think about how to deliver large-scale influence in a smaller sphere or hybrid experience.
5. Research how you can create the best overall event experience within the confines of a post-pandemic world. From event concept to post-event follow-up, successful events will be the ones that are planned and executed to perfection.
Throughout 2020, we’ve experienced so many emotional highs and lows, particularly within the meetings and event management industry. We started the pandemic with a bright outlook and were somewhat confident that we would return to live events in 2020 Q3. Then we quickly learned that live events would be on hold for the foreseeable future. But we remain confident in the power of live events and are hopeful that we will return to them shortly!
As we continue moving into 2021, we are thankful for our clients, teams, and partners across the country. Thank you for your dedication to keeping the events industry moving forward!
