We caught up with event consultant William Thomson of Gallus Events to talk about online events as part of our Changing Times series of industry views on the unfolding coronavirus outbreak...
This is the worst thing that could have happened that could have pushed people to use online. But you can see how the economy’s adapted. It’s a prelude to what’s going to happen with climate change. I can’t see any way we’re going to stop the imminent onslaught of what will happen with climate change. It’s a trial run.
From about 2013 I started to be really interested in sustainability in events and the negative impact of so many people travelling so much. It seemed like online had the potential to deliver everything needed for events - without the negative aspect.
We’re all adapting to this online world. It proves we can not fly for a month and the world doesn’t end. Not only is there not a lot of negatives to online – there’s a lot of positives too. You can do things online you can’t do in live meetings. Don’t feel like you’ve been pushed online – feel like you’ve been pulled by all the things you can do.
We might be here for 18 months. But it shouldn’t be too difficult. It’s not just our industry. If the whole world was still embracing a physical world it would be hard – but everything people do for 18 months is going to be digital. In that sense it shouldn’t make it as difficult as it could be. It’s part of your new online life – it’s what everyone’s doing.
Not just back to normal
The real difficulty is no one knows how long this is going to be in place for. People are saying it’ll be ok in six months – but in six months then where’s the space for you to hold your events? If there are 12 months of events in the final quarter of the year, where’s the physical space? Also, how do we expect suppliers to fulfil all the extra demands? Plus, our attendees aren’t going to attend 12 months’ worth of events in three months – they’re not going to go to five events in a week. This eternal optimism of postponing and everything’s going to be fine – I can categorically say it’s not going to happen.
It’s not just back to normal after this. Is postponing just delaying the inevitable? Really, really think about delivering an online product instead. You can guarantee you’re going to deliver it, for a start!
A client I took on yesterday has a typical business model of a 250 delegate conference, sponsorship nd exhibition – and it’s such a big jump. There’s eight of them in the company and they’re all in their 40s. We’re doing three or four events with an online element – if it happens in October, good, but then you also have the back up of bringing people online.
The best case scenario, the absolute best thing that can happen is that it’s going to be a really tough final quarter. People should be looking to online, you’ve got to look at starting to deliver products digitally. We’ve got to do this.
Back to first principles
I’ve had calls with 15 organisations in the last week, some of them want to pivot to digital right now. With them, it’s a case of slowing down a little bit, thinking more strategically – how do you migrate people back to content and charge for it? Then you’ve got the other side, the companies that are saying ‘wait and see’, and with them, I’m telling them they need to speed up a little bit. Stop, pause, and then speed up.
People talk about the hit to the industry, I saw a figure of $2.7bn for the Australian industry. You can take it on the chin, or you can start looking at events differently. How can we minimise this?
Come back to first principles. Why do people come to an event? Is it for a cup of tea and a sandwich? No, it’s for content and connections. Digital events can deliver both of these – better.
We have to make the experience as good as possible. If you run experiential events you engage the senses – you can’t do that now. Concentrate on the things you can do better. Don’t recreate Smell-o-vision.
There are lots of benefits. People have to focus on that. Don’t think ‘oh, we’re delivering a crap product now’.
Brilliant platforms
A lot of people have anxieties because it’s based in technology. They’re not thinking about revenue and stakeholders, it’s all about finding a platform. There’s a real reluctance to jump onto this because of the tech, but we have moved so far from GoToWebinar. Platforms are brilliant now, they really are. What’s more interesting is the pricing strategy, or what you can do with digital content – the platform is almost the least important thing. It’s like with venues. A professional venue is going to be fine. But if you’re worrying about the platform it’s like thinking ‘I’m taking my event to this venue and the floor’s going to flood’. That seems to be the perspective.
Look at the strategic approach. Think about how this is going to work with the business model. Then what are your events going to look like – content, virtual booths, panel discussions? What do you want your event to be? Then find a platform. Don’t think you can only do things that platforms allow. That’s so 2012.
If this had happened 10 years ago, the industry would be in dire straits, because we didn’t have the tech support. But things are moving so quickly now. It’s gone from ‘how can you help us livestream a physical event’ to ‘how do we run a few online events’ to ‘how can we pivot the business in two to three weeks’. It’s a huge shift.
If you'd like to take part in our Changing Times series get in touch on [email protected]
Read the rest of the series:
Changing Times: Optimism the keyword for TEN6 Creative
Changing Times: ‘When this blows over we’ll have one hell of a party!’
Changing Times: IMEX America ‘full steam ahead,’ says Bauer
Changing Times: We are all in this together, says ABPCO
Changing Times: "I'm four months pregnant and I've been let go"
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.
