20CENT MOOD Choosing between continuing to suffer or living with it
Hello my friends,
First of all, let me take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the New Year. I hope that it has started well for you and that it is filled with positive elements.
For this first post of the year, I could speculate as many do on future trends or share my predictions and expectations for the 2022 vintage. But rather than practice the exercise and list a plethora of premonitions, I'll instead focus on another topic: whether to continue to suffer or live with it.
It is barely mid-January and already many appointments have been moved or even cancelled from the 2022 agenda. It is true that trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences still have to deal with the uncertainties of the pandemic. However, I can see that there are two waves in the events sector. On the one hand, there are those who are still suffering, and on the other, those who are creative and want to move forward while dealing with the pandemic. Let me elaborate.
On one side, there are event organizers who are preparing their trade fairs or congresses and are anxiously monitoring the contamination statistics and the rules imposed by local and national authorities. All the necessary adaptations are planned by these organizers. But if the figures are going the wrong way, or the constraints are too costly, the only alternative is to postpone or, worse, cancel the event.
And at the opposite side, there are organizers who say that they have to live with this pandemic and this virus, as well as others to come, you never know. Also, the business has to be able to continue because postponing all the time or stopping is not a viable option. So, these organizers have taken appropriate measures according to the guidelines imposed by the authorities, but they have also gone further. They have found digital alternatives, they have taken even more stringent security measures, they have developed additional tools for connecting exhibitors and potential visitors, etc. And above all, they have not only taken the necessary measures, but they have also taken the necessary steps to ensure that the event is a success. They have no intention of postponing their events. All their efforts are aimed at ensuring a presence and above all fulfilling their role as facilitators of encounters between professionals. Admittedly, their events this year will perhaps be more modest in volume, or they will be hybrid by combining physical and digital meetings. But their events will take place. Of course, don't get me wrong. These organizers are not lunatics and if the health situation imposes it or the authorities prohibit major events, their congresses or fairs will be postponed or cancelled. But they have more alternatives and this approach is much more proactive than the first. And I'll let you guess which of these two schools of thought reassures professionals and potential visitors or exhibitors the most.
Of course, I am not going to conclude by pointing the finger or classifying the organizers according to their approach. However, I would like to invite you to think about the following question, which should not only be asked in the world of events: Are you going to continue to suffer from the pandemic or are you going to concentrate your efforts on getting out of the current slump?
...I look forward to writing to you very soon
20/CENT
My 20/cent20cent Mood