Is it unrealistic to expect events to be nonexistent in 2021?

As a professional event planner, I take a realistic approach when it comes to planning in general. Although, based on what I know and understand about people, as long as it doesn’t directly impact an attendee, they would hardly realize the lengths we go through to make an event better/special/stand-out. I simply do not feel that business owners, planners, etc are thinking of anything more than their own businesses (Which is completely understandable) but the fundamental essence of a successful event comes down to the attendees.

When COVID hit, I immediately saw that the industry would go through a massive change. In Singapore, currently going into Oct/Nov, events are limited to 50 in attendance and soon to be 100 in attendance. Thing is, you aren’t allowed to interact within the 50, but only with the 5 person per table rule set by the government. In other words, it’s not an event by any sense of the word.

A few key trends and shifts had already been put in place in Singapore. Companies like WEWORK must be crying because co-working spaces will be the new savior in the corporate world. Companies will start cutting costs with this work from home format and I hope it continues. The 8–5 work week is an absolute fraud and COVID has exposed this little lie.

Private dining, once a trend reserved for the rich will be on the rise. Trust me. In Singapore, per-head prices for private dining is more costly than most high-end restaurants with customers having to pay anything from $90++ — $200++ per head at a min attendance of 10 people. This is a massive untapped market and one that has the potential to change the F&B landscape in Singapore if executed correctly.

Truth is, we will likely be bombarded with “micro-events” across the next year or more due to the pandemic. Larger scale events will likely pose high level risks to countries until an official vaccine is on the market. Why rush and force a large event and expose the nation to endue a shutdown once more? America is the perfect example of a country in complete chaos and at a loss on what to do next.

Does this look realistic to you?

Recently, I was tasked to do the P&L Projections for my company’s events in 2021. I decided to take a prudent and pessimistic approach. Not because I am a negative person but rather with the current landscape, I saw no real opportunity for a real change in 2021. Why?

1. COVID will not be eliminated. As much as we would wish otherwise, I have yet to come across, within my own silos, any information about any country or company that is close to a realistic cure. One that I would consider safe for the masses.
2. Mutations of the virus are popping up globally. This makes each created vaccine moot. Sure, diseases like this are common and the virus in general only harms the unhealthy. But there is still too many unknowns. What if a mutation only impacts young children? Would we take the virus seriously then?
3. Countries are still lying about their true numbers, the death rate and what really is going on within their borders.
4. These very countries, ESPECIALLY the ones surrounding Singapore, have insanely dense populations but very low number of cases. Something I simply trust. — One main reason countries like the US is so high, is that they are doing tests 100 times more than everybody else. It is unrealistic to compare on those numbers alone.
5. COVID has also been turned into a political weapon.

Event companies are struggling.

They are making noise and finding new ways and methods to engage with audiences BUT I do not see any realistic financial reward. The corporate format of conducting virtual events was something that was around pre-covid. While only the sales aspect of virtual events are new and something that is done only on digital media platforms. Not something companies can expect to create and establish on their own but will be required to depend on social media or larger e-commerce platforms.

The showboating form of marketing a virtual event is in many ways a call for help.

There is no real financial reward for getting people to tune in to listen & watch something that they can find on Youtube.

Virtual events are a temporary way of reaching out to your audiences. Although it might be a necessary part of digital marketing, depending on your industry and audience, virtual events will not have a large future. It does not make sense as a business in the long run as there is almost nothing a virtual event can do that cannot be done on social media. There is a reason why virtual events was hardly a thing pre-pandemic.

The key thing that makes an event successful is simple. The Experience. Simply put, if the person attending the event doesn’t get an experience that meets their expectation or dare say go beyond, you have failed. Period. They will 100% only remember how you last made them feel.

Of course my post here is almost 99% dependent on how seriously you take COVID as a pandemic. With this way of living expected to be the new norm, certain experts have already predicted this to go on till 2024/2025 even.

Truth is, it’s all a massive what-if regardless of what you think. Imagine a mutated version of the virus entering the country you live in. Imagine it being able to impact children as much as it does the weak and old. What then? Would you take the pandemic seriously then?

As usual, just my 2 cents.

All image credit to unsplash.