Karen Kadin, managing partner at Brands at Work, explains why the industry must harness its creativity in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
This industry is full of wildly creative and imaginative people – and they need to rally together to restore confidence – not just in events, but in creative ways to sustain engagement.
What we’re seeing is an abundance of precaution. Perpetuating fear is not helpful. This is the time for facts and for reason. I think the consequences of overreaction could be far more devastating than the impact of the virus itself. It’s a time to be measured and to take precautionary measures.
We’ve got to be fully creative and keep audiences engaged. Our industry has faced things like this around every four years and we have stood the test of time. It’s an opportunity and a challenge at the same time to help clients navigate their way through this and keep customers engaged in creative ways.
Don't push the panic button
Karen Kadin, managing partner at Brands at WorkWe’re starting to see cancellations. For clients in the UK, that seems to be disproportionate. We shouldn’t be immediately jumping to cancel. Don’t push the panic button. If the guidance says that we should cancel then we will always do that, safety comes first. But the guidance isn’t saying that at the moment.
Clients are risk averse. More than the risk of disease is the perception element. There’s a lot of fear now. I’m really worried about the freelance community, they will be very hard hit by this. We’re doing everything we can to engage and keep freelancers busy. I’m hoping the dust will settle in three to six months.
Preserving the brand reputation of clients has to be paramount. But where and when we can proceed with caution and deliver an event along with the guidance, then we should. We should be making responsible, informed, balanced decisions around live events. We should be working with clients to salvage and leverage whatever we can of their investment.
The show must go on
At the moment we’re working with clients that have had stands cancelled to create virtual booths. We’re creating watchable television quality shows with built in two way engagement. We’re working with clients so they don’t have to pull the plug – and if that turns out to be the right decision, what can we do to leverage the content? What’s the next best way if it can’t be face to face? The show must go on!
If ever there was a need for more communications it’s times like this. We’re hoping to see clients taking a view to postpone, that this will calm down. It’s the wait and see approach.
We need to keep the dialogue going and do it in creative ways. We need a more measured and responsible reaction to this. The ongoing effects could be catastrophic if it carries on like this. It needs to be sensible and not tilting into overreaction. The narrative in the press is pandering more to fear than facts. Why are we going to negatively impact the economy out of fear?
It’s calling on us to be ingenious, creative, collaborative and transparent - suspending our own self-interests and putting the wellbeing of audiences front and centre with every move we make.
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
