Events build relationships. Events are much more than an effective communication tool or a marketplace for economic transactions—the starting point for a movement, a stage to share a vision, a platform to create buy-in to a goal and alignment of interests, a forum to exchange the best ideas, and an incubator for new, even better ones. Like no other medium, events help to start, nurture and maintain long-term relationships between economic decision makers and key influencers.
The path towards the new normal will have twists and turns. More than ever, thoughtful event design, curation, and contingency planning are critical.
For any near-term event, it will be important to leverage the right technologies, mitigate constraints imposed by social distancing, and maximize opportunities to create immersive environments that truly allow participants to connect. A little further down the road, hybrid event formats that connect multiple venues across the country or around the world, may become viable again.
At the same time, companies need to develop a game plan—a plan that will allow for flexibility and contingencies, as restrictions may be relaxed unevenly across geographies or lifted only to be re-imposed. Importantly, participants’ preferences and fears will have to be accounted for and addressed.
Technology, by itself, is not the solution. The spectrum of available components, services and resources is vast.
– Technologies such as broadcasting, livestreaming, virtual town halls, or videoconferencing can support formats ranging from many-to-many to one-on-one
– “Realities” can be augmented, virtualized, extended or mixed
– Interactivity is made possible through features such as online polling, voting, real-time communication and collaboration tools
– Secure technologies prevent abuse or privacy breaches
With many formats to choose from, selecting the right technologies can be a daunting task. Technology providers will happily sell their solutions to anyone who asks. And yet, merely throwing technology at a problem has rarely been a recipe for success.
HC2 Productions can help. Look for a partner who can navigate virtual events, who understands your objectives and all aspects of event planning and production, who has experience with suitable technology solutions, and above all, who is committed to getting the project done, on budget, on time, every time.
Let’s talk about a new game plan, because the show must go on.
