3 Chances the Corona Crisis Creates for the Event Industry [August 2020]
Times of crisis pose major challenges for all concerned actors and players. However, if the right solutions can be found, problems can turn into valuable chances. In this article we want to examine which chances the corona crisis creates for the event industry.
Crisis — time for right decisions
The word crisis originally comes from the Ancient Greek word for “decision”. Thus, the original meaning does not evoke going through hard times but to make (tough) decision. During the current crisis it is clear that a passive entrepreneur who carries on with business as usual and who does not take his fate into his own hands is at a serious disadvantage. Especially in contrast to a resolved actor who brings about change. But what are reasonable changes for the event industry during this current crisis?
Chance 1 — Personalized Tickets
Personalized tickets are controversial throughout many parts of Europe. But they should definitely become an option for any event organizer. In many instances personalized tickets are already in use and the the pandemic has created more useful cases for personalized tickets. Organized through an app they can the fundament for many other features. Tickets can become forgery-proof and their reselling can be organized by the conditions of the organizer. Extortion or a buy out of large parts of a ticket quota can be restricted and controlled.
Chance 2 — Live Services
The corona crisis creates new challenges for the logistics of an event. Barriers and ways must be deployed and marked, distances have to be kept. Regarding this, it is important to minimize and control contact possibilities. For this live services could be of major use. For example through an app vendors in a stadium or concert could be directed directlyto to the seat of a customer. Alternatively, selling snacks, food and drinks from booths could be coordinated through digital means.
Chance 3 — Reorganizing the flow of information
Well before the pandemic short-term changes were already common place for any event organizer. It always poses a challenge to inform visitors about this reliably and in short notice. This is especially fatal during the Covid-19 pandemic in which restrictions can loosen or tighten short-term. An app could spread new information even while an event takes place. Thus, an app could become an important tool to cover the enormously increased need for information during the pandemic.
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Apps offer the opportunity to implement all these chances technically. In practice leading ticketing vendors failed to implement them — partly due to their centralized structure. Therefore, we see the biggest chance for the event industry in the creation of a ticketing platform that places organizers and their customers first. The inability of ticketing vendors to adequately deal with the increased informational need of customers is a good showcase for the advantages of a ticketing platform.
