What are the market trends?

Less than two months ago it seemed that the danger was somewhat distant, geographically at least, and it was difficult to foresee its consequences, but today Europe has become the main area of impact of the coronavirus and Spain in particular is one of the most affected countries.

In the face of this sudden crisis, the events sector has been one of the hardest hit. The insecurity created by this has led to events being cancelled or postponed immediately.

First of all, we have to distinguish between a cancellation and a postponement of the event (a few months later). In the latter case, companies will simply see a postponement of the action times set when designing their strategy and planning.

If a cancellation occurs, companies will have to opt for other alternatives that somehow allow them to keep in touch with regular customers, present their new products and make themselves known to potential new customers.

With this and in a context where a number of countries have declared temporary confinement of their populations, internet consumption has skyrocketed with citizens spending more time at home. It is true that it has been proven over time that online events have not been able to compete with face-to-face events, but in situations as atypical as this one, they could be viable alternatives.

In this unprecedented new situation, companies in the sector have been forced to stop and with it to look for ways to reinvent themselves and to think about the alternatives that could be found in the short term. Virtual events are growing by force majeure, and many organisers have seen the green light to move forward with their projects in this way, with the webinar format (training content in video format that is delivered over the internet) gaining prominence.

It is essential to maintain continuous communication with our public, customers, partners and suppliers. One way to follow the much-needed conversation these days, to support and understand what people around us are thinking and doing is through these webinars. Informal conversations that encourage us all, and provide a very interesting pulse of the sector.

Also key are the revision and improvement of the website -which is the letter of introduction and the most immediate source of information for our customers-, as well as maintaining a presence on social networks with outstanding content.

We are specialists in always finding a plan B, which is why COVID-19 cannot stop our sector from finding the alternative to keep connecting people.

An online event or a webinar will always be interesting alternatives to extreme situations like this, but we know that they can never replace the magic and essence of a physical event, where people can participate proactively and enjoy the in-person experience that is the pure DNA of events.

Although it is difficult to predict a highly accurate prognosis, we can say that we will start with smaller events, both in terms of duration and attendees, more specific and educational, supported by technology. With high value-added events and content, when we need it most.

We will come back, slowly but surely, but we will.