Category: Personal Development

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has indelibly changed the ways in which we live and work.  For those planning events remotely, the advent and continued popularity of hybrid and remote is undeniably one of the era’s lasting legacies, one which has left a profound mark on the wider industry.  Yet deeper still runs the impact of another new normal: remote working.  As the results of our white paper have revealed, this practice is now firmly entrenched within the sector’s wider working culture.  But for planners — who rely on close interactions and connections to create successful events — the rise of remote working has not come without its challenges. It’s time to explore how this new normal has changed not only how planners undertake their work, but how they have adapted so swiftly and successfully to such radical change.

Planning events remotely? The Before and The After

Prior to 2020, face-to-face personal communication — between planners and colleagues and planners and their audiences — was unquestionably the norm.  Today, our vantage point at the very top of the post-pandemic era makes it easier to stop and look back at both the advantages and disadvantages of what once was.  To be certain, planners thrived on the spontaneous sparks of interaction and inspiration that truly only come when working side-by-side with colleagues in a face-to-face environment.  From a logistical perspective, on-site working offered a forum for direct and instantaneous collaboration and the facility to swiftly clarify questions, problems, and concerns as planners moved forward through the planning process of an event with their colleagues.  Hand in hand with on-site working, of course, came emotional intelligence, something that coloured the working day with shades and tones of emotion and created a rapport of shared interpersonal experiences between colleagues.

For planners — as for professionals in almost every other sector and industry — the transition to remote working has been both a challenge and a revelation.  While that spontaneous spark of person-to-person collaboration and communication may have flickered with the initial introduction of remote working, the enthusiasm shown by planners for their industry has remained undiminished.  In these few years — in a move that attests to their professionalism and passion for their industry — planners have surmounted that initial shock of change to make a true success of a very real challenge.

Adapting to the New Normal

From today’s vantage point, this success looks effortless, but planners have deployed hard graft and incredible agility to meet in real-time the demands made by the sudden move to remote working.  What’s more, successful planners have implemented specific techniques to ensure that this broader shift in the working world has not impacted the quality of their events — even as they’ve had to grapple with fundamental changes within the sector.

First among these tactics is a fundamental awareness of both the benefits and the challenges brought about by this move to remote working. While it certainly offers flexibility and financial benefits for both employers and employees, remote working can be a direct challenge to the kind of spontaneous, collaborative environment in which so many planners thrive.  In fact, it’s fair to say that this is the primary threat posed by remote working to planning teams, but canny planners have sought to head it off by any means.  While it’s true that — at a very basic level — tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Asana, and Trello, etc., can be effective platforms for communication and project management, technology itself is not the deciding factor when it comes to successful event planning in a remote environment.

Techniques for Nurturing a Collaborative Culture in the World of Remote Work

That is to say, the most effective and efficient event planners of today have taken the time and effort to establish a culture and context around remote working, setting practical guidance and clear protocols to smooth and ease the flow of communication and collaboration between themselves and their teams.  For today’s remote planners, these simple practices often include clearly indicating their designated platform for communication and/or project management tasks (i.e., Google Workspace, Slack, etc.).  Good planners — especially those in management positions — are also clear about establishing protocols in terms of the expected frequency of virtual team meetings and 1-to-1 check-ins.

Over the last three years, many organisations have made a decisive operational shift to remote working.  Yet, savvy planners recognise the power that in-person collaboration still holds when it comes to sparking inspiration and rapport among their remote teams.  This is why planners still lean on face-to-face meet-ups as a trusted tool for enlivening their work with that all-important spark of spontaneity. They know that these in-person meetings have the potential to bring new perspectives and new knowledge and, from an emotional welfare standpoint, can brighten the day-to-day routine — and even cut the isolation — that sometimes comes along with remote working.  Most importantly, meeting face-to-face offers a forum for remote planners to share and address the tasks and problems that they may struggle to grapple with on their own — challenges that simply cannot be met virtually or individually.

It may now be the new normal, but for event planners — for whom the cut and thrust of close interpersonal communication will always be second nature — the shift to remote working has proven to be a true challenge.  And yet — as with any of the many other obstacles that have emerged over the last three years — this group of professionals has risen to the task to make a true success of this profound change.

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Planning events remotely? Running live, virtual or hybrid events? Give your attendees an event experience they’ll remember with technology you can rely on. Learn how Eventsforce can make your next event fabulous and successful. Book your personalised demo now.

The annual MPI European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) took place in June, and despite it being virtual only, it didn’t disappoint.  As one of Europe’s main conferences for event professionals, the show had a dedicated theme focusing on business development & personal growth and featured a packed selection of inspiring speakers.

The one-day virtual event also focused on creating an attendee experience that was more like a TV production than a Zoom call – with opening titles, a game show, a rap performance before finishing with movie-style closing credits.

From the importance of mental health awareness and collaboration to discussions about sustainability and the changing the role of event data, have a look at our top take-aways from the show:

1) Value Your Life

The opening keynote speaker, Gill Hicks was beamed in live from Adelaide, Australia. Gill Hicks is considered to be one of the most thought provoking, powerful and life affirming speakers in Australia and the UK. She is known globally as a survivor of the London terrorist bombings on July 7, 2005. She survived but suffered severe and permanent injuries, losing both legs from just below the knee.

Gill captivated the virtual audience through her heart-rending memories. A master storyteller, she shared how she defied death and went on to transform her life. The conference’s theme was “Make Your Future” and Gill was the perfect speaker to open it. It wasn’t just her incredible story of survival and transformation that resonated. It was also her perspective on the beauty there is in being alive.

She reminded us that we need to make time for each other, understand our differences and be ready to look at the world in a different way. And then we need to make a contribution that is worthy of our efforts. It was a truly inspirational speech and one that struck a chord with many event professionals, particularly after the year we’ve all just had.

Read: 10 Signs Event Planning is Burning You Out

2) Your Event Data is Invaluable

Ian Webb from Eventsforce delivered a masterclass in the value of data and the insights that can be put to good use. He explained that findings from a new research study showed that more than 1 in 2 event professionals are struggling with the volume of data collected from virtual events.  That there is a multiplicity of data available today, coming in from different directions. And we need strategies to be able to deal with it.

Read: How Covid-19 is Changing the Role of Event Data

He emphasised the importance of event teams having someone (or several people) dedicated to looking at data collected from events and making sense of it. Because whilst planners can collect data from webinars, virtual events, hybrid events, in person events, it all has to be brought together to make it meaningful. You need the insights that come from analysis to help you improve your product, service, or whatever else you provide.

Ian reminded us that it is not just about the live data either. On-demand data is also highly significant. For example, EMEC 2021 has on demand content available to all those who registered, for a further three months. People consume content differently and therefore those sponsors and speakers will be seen time and again from now until the middle of September. And that data is worth measuring at the end of the period. More insights for planners will come as a result.

He also went on to talk about the importance of making sure that the data is secure, because hackers have become ever more sophisticated. Ian spoke about the differences in data protection laws around the globe and how a savvy planner has to be on top of changing requirements. The big change for many event planners is that they now need to be even more on top of sensitive information such as health data. There is of course even more of that now, stemming from the need to be Covid safe.

3) Collaboration is Key to Success

One of the most interactive sessions of the day was the “Collaboration Challenge” where a number of contestants appeared live on screen in a live, interactive game show. The contestants were asked questions by the game show host, Euan Graham, who asked about the world in which we live, about MPI, and about issues within Europe. And all of this was against the clock.

What the audience couldn’t see though were the busy teams of helpers behind each contestant. There were no rules as to how that team could help. There were no rules as to what they should or shouldn’t do. The only rules were that the teams had to submit their answers within 10 minutes of the questions being asked.

Whilst this was a game show, it was a collaboration challenge for Europe’s MPI chapter members. It added a certain sparkle, tension and excitement to the day. Attendees watching virtually, were able to cheer their teams on and it was definitely one of the most innovative parts of an original and interesting event.

Read: 20 reasons You Should Be Planning Events as a Team

4) Take an Objective View

The final learning from EMEC is from the “Outside-In” panel. The panellists were chosen because they have an in-depth understanding and practical experience of events. But they also had a little distance from being involved in day-to-day events. They were drawn from the worlds of insurance, retail, healthcare, and learning and development. A nice mix of perspectives. The session was chaired by EventMB editor, Miguel Neves, who led their discussions around the most important issues affecting event professionals today.

Rather than attempting to solve those massive issues in one session, the panel provided us with a variety of views from the different sectors they represented. It can be too easy for event professionals to only look at what’s going on in their own sector. So the variety of perspectives managed to be both interesting and insightful.

The panel questioned some of the established beliefs that event professionals have. They raised sometimes awkward questions about whether organizers can ever be truly sustainable at the same time as encouraging groups to travel the globe. But the key issue they raised was about how relevant and enticing new in-person events will need to be to attract people in a post-pandemic world. The virtual option was attractive for many attendees there.  And most agreed that what planners did pre-Covid may no longer be as attractive as it once was.

Conclusion – A Catalyst for Change

Overall, EMEC 2021 demonstrated a truly fresh way in which a virtual production can be put together. It was thought provoking in terms of content and also displayed some truly innovative methods for delivering such content.

Collaboration was one of the key drivers of the event from its inception. And you could see how the Executive Producer, Paul Cook, collaborated with the sponsors, the speakers, the crew and the delegates to make this production into a powerful experience.

But a key takeaway from the day was something that Paul made clear in his session. This event was a catalyst. No single event can provide all the answers, but this catalyst event lived up to its theme. The design, delivery and content in the EMEC 2021 production will continue to help event professionals make their future.

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Almost a year has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world of events upside down.  Many events got cancelled. Many got postponed.  And many more went online.  The dramatic shift to virtual events created all sorts of new challenges for planners.  From rethinking agenda design and managing remote speakers to dealing with new tech and finding interesting ways of keeping people engaged.

eBook: Virtual Events – How to Keep Your Attendees Engaged

Yes, virtual events will never replace the face to face experience and in-person events will slowly make a return in some form or another.  But if there’s one take-away from 2020, it’s that virtual events can be incredibly valuable.  You can still create a sense of community with audiences.  You can reach out to more people who typically don’t attend in-person events.   You can still provide education and learning and give attendees the tools that help them engage and make valuable connections – much in the same way you would for your in-person events.  And you can still generate revenue too.

With all this in mind, we thought we’d share our top stories from 2020 covering different aspects of virtual event trends.   These were ten articles on our blog that really hit the mark with our readers and give a good indication of the kind of topics that organisers seem most concerned about too.

Based on unique page views and social media shares, have a look at our most popular event management stories from 2020:

#1 Seven Ways Events Will Change in a Post Covid-19 World

No one really knows what events will look like in a post COVID-19 world. Even when in-person events resume, the reality is likely to be that for a significant amount of time, attendees will be split between those willing and able to attend physically and those who will not. We have seen a number of interesting articles across industry sites which give organisers a lot of good information on what live events may look like in the ‘new normal’ and some of the things they need to think about for their future planning. Demonstrating different approaches and advice, have a look at some of the key things to consider when encouraging attendees to come to your in-person events. Read more.

#2 How to Manage Sponsor and Exhibitor Expectations Around Virtual Events

The new virtual event environment has made the whole process of securing sponsors and exhibitors a lot more difficult for organisers – both in terms of providing value and managing expectations.  But the reality is that virtual events can be incredibly valuable for these important stakeholders.  They can help them reach out to more people.  They can engage with them in more creative and memorable ways.  And more importantly, they have more opportunities to extend this engagement long after the event is over.  Take a look at some of the key things you need to do to get the buy-in you need from your sponsors and exhibitors around virtual events. Read more.

#3 Infographic: The Impact of Covid-19 on Meetings and Events

As the Covid-19 situation spread across the world, our industry faced an unprecedented time of risk and uncertainty.  This infographic looks at the results of a research study conducted at the beginning of the pandemic with 550+ event planners investigating what impact it has had on meetings and events.  It also looks at how organisers are making critical decisions around cancellations, the uptake of virtual events, what challenges they’re facing – and how they’re spending their time working from home.  Read more.

#4 Ask the Experts: Virtual Events – What Can We Do Better in 2021?

If we look back at the year and assess how things went, what would we change? How did organisers deal with the new challenges they faced? What were the biggest lessons learnt?  And what can we do better in 2021? EventTech Talk spoke to some of the industry’s well-known virtual event experts to find out more about their views on the event landscape this year – including what went well, what didn’t and what they think will be the biggest trends over the coming year. Read more.

#5 Key Skills for Running Successful Virtual Events

Managing virtual events requires a different set of skills from event planners – from filming and broadcasting to writing scripts and dealing with new tech. But according to a recent poll from Eventsforce, 53% of event planners don’t feel they have the skills or experience in running successful online events. This could be very worrying, especially as these events are going to be around for a while.  Have a look at some of the key traits and skills organisers can focus on to run more successful virtual events. Read more.

#6 Events and Covid-19: How to Manage Your Delegate Expectations

Research shows that 1 in 4 event planners see managing delegate expectations as one of the biggest challenges of the job in the last year. Organisers want to be doing everything they can to protect their delegates. They want to make things easier for them, continue educating them, whilst minimising disruption and anxiety.  But it’s not easy. Have a look at the best ways of communicating with attendees in the three most likely scenarios – cancelling or postponing an event, going ahead with an event and making the move to virtual.  Read more.

#7 Covid-19 and Event Insurance – What You Need to Know

Event planners all around the world are having to make difficult decisions in a constantly changing environment.  Many are also having to deal with the financial consequences of cancelling and rescheduling events – which adds another level of burden especially when it comes to dealing with insurance cover. So what are some of the critical things organisers need to understand about event insurance in the current climate?  What should you realistically expect from your insurance provider if you’re cancelling an event and how can you prepare for the future? Read more.

#8 Nine Most Commons Mistakes with Virtual Events

In a short period of time, organisers have had to quickly adapt their skills set to a virtual setting.  They’ve had to understand the increasing expectations of delegates that require more and more from a virtual experience.  They’ve also had to deal with many issues that typically come about in an online setting. Have a look at dome of the most common mistakes that appear time and again in the creation and delivery of virtual events – along with some best practice advice on how to avoid them. Read more.

#9 How to Make Money from Your Virtual Events

Although a lot of online events these days are paid-for affairs – the majority remain free to attend.  And this is partly because many organisers become a bit stuck when it comes to thinking how they can charge for virtual events – a recent poll showed that 40% of event planners are concerned about charging people for their online events. The reality is that virtual and hybrid events both present a perfect opportunity for event organisations to increase their revenue – whether it’s through ticket sales, bookable items, exhibitors or sponsorship.  And it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. Read more.

#10 How to Choose a Virtual Event Platform

Virtual event platforms can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. What might seem like a good solution for one event may not work for another.  So how do you choose the right one? Based on recent discussions we’ve had with clients and other organisations pivoting to virtual events, have a look at some of the key things all virtual event platforms need to do to help organisers make the most of their technology investment. Read more.

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Change in our industry is nothing new. It’s something event planners have been dealing with in every aspect of their job. But 2020, we saw some truly significant changes due to the dramatic impact of the Covid-19. Event design has changed, venue operations have changed and how attendees consume content has changed. It is a lot to deal with for event professionals. And we have no idea what’s coming next.

But as we start 2021, it’s important that organisers step back, evaluate and prepare to ensure success in these unpredictable times.  With that in mind, we have put together seven post- pandemic skills that event planners should focus on today. Let’s take a look.

1. Sales, Persuasion and Negotiation 

The ability to sell is within each one of us. It’s not just for the people that have the job title of Sales. We are all persuading and negotiating with each other throughout our day to day activities. Most of the time we don’t realise we are doing it.

And it’s a good thing, because whatever your role is, you are going to need your inherent ‘sales’ skills more than ever before. With clients, with stakeholders, with delegates. Selling, negotiating and persuading skills are crucial in a world where the events landscape has changed beyond recognition. Even selling in-person events will be different. For attendees to want to come to your event, it really needs to stand out, meet hygiene standards and focus on in-person experiences. And then there is the business of selling the virtual. Talking to clients about virtual and hybrid events will soon become part of the everyday language of all event professionals.

Related read: Ask the Experts: Virtual events – what can we do better in 2021

2. Social Distancing Design and Management

Social distancing and its importance in helping to reduce the spread of Covid-19 has been uppermost in the minds of venue managers and event planners for many months now. Even when a vaccine to combat the virus has been rolled out across the globe there will be a need for social distancing to continue.

Therefore, at least in 2021 social distancing management needs to be in place. And in-person events have to be more carefully and creatively designed with safety and sanitation measures in place.  Event design is about to become more complex for planners. But, it also provides an opportunity for savvy event professionals to make a bigger impact.

Related read: 7 ways events will change in a post-Covid 19 world

3. Community Manager Mind-set

As virtual events bring event audiences more online – embracing the mind-set of a community manager is also going to be a key post pandemic skill. Whilst you do not need to have the role of a community manager, understanding what they do and how you can help them will be very beneficial.

Community managers are all about engaging with the community that is important to the organisation. It could be a community of staff or the community could be subscribers or viewers or potential buyers. However, understanding the communities that your organisation needs to engage with and then being able to assist with ideas on content and social media activity will certainly help.

4. Risk Taking

In 2021 more risk taking will definitely be required. We are not talking about big make or break risks, but experimentation is needed. No longer is there any set approach for events. Yes, the principles remain similar but making in-person, virtual and hybrid events become real successes will involve trying new approaches, testing what works and learning as you go. In many ways, risk taking can be quite refreshing. And as the events sector is known for its creativity, problem solving and entrepreneurial spirit there will be many people that embrace it. To succeed you will have to take risks. How else will you stand out from your competition?

Related read: How event planners can use this time to stay competitive

5. Seeing the Virtue in Virtual

According to a recent poll from Eventsforce, 53% of event planners don’t feel they have the necessary skills nor experience in running successful online events. This could be very worrying, especially as these events are going to be around for a while.

The good news is that many of the skills needed by event planners have already been gained by delivering live events. These skills can be easily transferred across to help deliver virtual productions.

However, whether you are a planner or have a different role, all event sector professionals need to understand what goes into creating and delivering virtual events. This is essential as virtual events form such an important way in which all organisations can keep in front of their customers and stakeholders.

On-Demand Webinar: How to become a tech-savvy event planner

6. Helping Develop Hybrid Events

Closely following on the heels of virtual events are hybrid events. Hybrid events are combination events that enable in-person delegates to meet at a physical venue and for virtual delegates to attend via a web-link.

These events are perfect for providing attendees with real choice as to how they can participate. And whilst many countries have lockdowns going on, hybrid events offer local in-person hubs to be created whilst at the same time they enable organisations to reach out across the miles to welcome virtual delegates. Hybrid events are important in helping organisations stay in front of their customers.

Therefore, they need to be understood and included in the event strategy mix. Critically all event professionals involved in hybrid events must make their programmes work for both the in-person and virtual delegates.

7. Data-Led Decision Making 

As the events sector has been dramatically impacted by Covid-19 any old assumptions that were relied on to make business decisions are now of no value. Everything has changed and continues to change. Therefore, it is more crucial than ever that organisations study their data. Not their old data but the new data. The data that will give them clues and insights about what their customers actually want.

Whilst ‘gut instinct’ as a means of making decisions will never disappear (and neither should it), analysing data will become even more important. And that analysis needs to be deeper than before. It cannot simply be a cursory glance at some analytics. It needs to get to the root of understanding what is going on in different sectors and in different regions across the globe. People that understand how to analyse data and bring it to life in a way that the C-Suite understands are going to be in big demand.

Where to Find These Skills    

Some of the skills highlighted may feel overwhelming. Or you may already have them in abundance. But, whatever your situation, it’s a good idea to be honest about what you and your team members are good at. For example, some people are much better at risk taking than others. The good news is that many of the key skills can be developed through your own efforts. There are numerous blog posts, eBooks, videos and podcasts that can assist.

And in addition, there are many options for developing skills through learning programmes and courses developed by industry associations, film schools and commercial companies. Many of these are available online which means you can learn in your own time. If you need to call in external consultants and training providers, then do so. It will be an invaluable investment

The post pandemic skills we have highlighted are quite specialist. You could decide that you want to become an expert in all of them and that would take a considerable investment in time. But that may not be totally necessary. What is necessary is that you understand that these key skills are the ones to develop across the organisation that you are part of.

Conclusion – Time for Action is Now

Event professionals had to deal with a lot of change and disruption in 2020. The events that we have come to know and love have been impacted. The reverberations of the changes can still be heard and felt. But, whilst it is hard for those professionals that wish for the sector to remain as it was, those times are gone.

Covid-19 pressed the pause button on many industries and allowed time for reflection. As we lean into 2021 that time is over. Now it is time to move forward and get as many of the new post pandemic skills as possible. It’s time to embrace the change and come up with new event formats for clients. After all, one thing is for sure they will be looking to you for new initiatives and new developments to help their business succeed. How much you help by becoming their go-to resource will in large part be down to how you adapt and develop.

Your journey may not be an easy one but it’s time to act now.  Grab the post pandemic skills you need and delight your clients in 2021.

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Running virtual events?  Eventsforce VCD is a fully integrated virtual event platform that can support you with registration, live streaming, audience engagement tools, remote speaker management, networking and virtual sponsors and exhibitors.  Watch video, book a demo or get in touch with the team to see how we can help!