Planners are scrambling in late 2021 to reinvent themselves and plan two meetings at once—one live and another virtual—to protect against losses and capture attendees not yet ready to leave their homes. Is this the best strategy going forward to distinguish your association, corporation or charitable event from all the others? I would argue that it isn’t.
Instead of spending twice the money to do two events at once that require different production capabilities utilizing two completely different formats, consider spending your budget to create an experiential live program that no one will want to miss. Make sure your marketing efforts include assurances for attendees that you will adhere to all U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention post-COVID safety protocols. And if some of your normal attendees do miss out because they are not fully vaccinated or don’t want to travel yet, that’s fine, because chances are you will capture them in 2022.
If you give attendees all of your best educational, keynote and content offerings on a virtual platform, what incentive do they have to get on a plane, book a hotel room and attend a networking dinner?
If you give attendees all of your best educational, keynote and content offerings on a virtual platform, what incentive do they have to get on a plane, book a hotel room and attend a networking dinner? Research shows that attendees don’t retain content on a virtual platform as well as when it is presented in a live format. Recent event data also indicates that virtual attendees usually spend time with others they already know and don’t venture into new experiences or exhibits like they would in a traditional trade show or at a live program. When workers are at home 24/7 they tend to pay minimal attention because of constant outside demands and distractions that include multitasking on their phones and navigating in a space they share with roommates, a spouse, kids or pets. We now know that by keeping attendees in their homes, we reduce chances of creating and developing meaningful, long-lasting relationships between colleagues and sponsors that lead to productivity and positive outcomes for all involved. So as soon as we are no longer forced to be home, why don’t we create a reason to leave?
Take note planners: The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) recently conducted extensive research on patrons of the arts. Their results correlate strongly with the meeting and event industry. When APAP asked patrons if they still planned to take advantage of streaming and virtual arts options for concerts, theater programs and dance performances in late 2021 and 2022, the overwhelming majority (over 90 percent) said no! They don’t want this type of programming as a substitute for live events. This data is highly significant because it means that as soon as they feel safe enough, the majority of patrons of the arts plan to come back to live shows. Provided venues have taken proper precautions to socially distance, enforce mask wearing and institute other safety protocols, arts enthusiasts will be back in seats and attending performances—including much older adults who have been the most compromised logistically by the pandemic.
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Why would someone want to miss out on a live meeting, especially if they have been cooped up for over a year? Give them a reason to come back. Pack your meeting with interesting keynote speakers, poets, visual artists and other experiential offerings tied to your meeting theme that you can’t get in a virtual space—exciting visual exhibits, outings to unique locations with decor or outstanding scenery, team-building charity projects, bands, games, sports parties, fabulous music, performance art and networking fun. Or blow them away with a live concert by your favorite celebrity act, performing just for them.
Show your attendees wonderful cities from a new perspective. Make them want to live in the moment and appreciate the joy of travel and gathering with others like never before, because this time they will fully appreciate it. We only live once and soon it will be time once again to LIVE, LIVE, LIVE! Now isn’t that kind of meeting or event worth saving for, planning and attending? Count me in!
Photo: More than 50 plants were delivered to assisted living facilities following Caesars Entertainment’s “Plant Some Sunshine” CSR/team-building event at WEC Grapevine in November 2020.
