Digital Boom: Exhibitions move online in the wake of COVID-19

By now we are all well aware of the devastating effects that COVID-19 is having worldwide. This is not another story that aims to scare or mislead you on Boris Johnson’s latest press conference. I can 100% guarantee that you will not see a single image of hand sanitiser or an empty supermarket shelf. What you will see is the way that the events industry, our industry, has had its world flipped on its head and managed to adapt almost instantaneously.

Businesses worked together to provide support for one another through this tough time. Venues have lost business as shows get cancelled. They’ve become hospitals to provide our NHS with more beds. Suppliers don’t have anyone to supply to. B2B trade shows, live music and outdoor events have had to do something different.
Before the lockdown was enforced, leading exhibition stand supplier, Quadrant2Design, opened the doors of their showroom to clients and businesses alike who wanted to take their events online. The dedicated space was easily big enough for a film set and many businesses jumped at the opportunity.

It’s all about experience…

The events industry has boomed in recent years. This sector alone contributes £42.3 billion to the UK economy. There was a clear shift in attitude as the millennial generation grew up. People now value experiences over things. Consumerist culture is on its way out and brands are testing the water with experiential marketing. Events are in.

In the UK 1.3 million business events take place each year as well as more than 7,000 major outdoor events. Fundraising events have increased by 700% since 2007. There are over 85,000,000 annual event attendees in the UK. This includes 27.7 million people who attend music events and 13 million who attend exhibitions.

There has never been a better time to get your dream job in the events industry, or so we thought.

Events Industry and Employment

A month ago, the events industry was a good one to work in. A study, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, estimated an 11% increase in event planners job growth from 2016 to 2026. That’s 4% higher than the global average. In the UK this industry supports 570,000 full-time jobs.

When you think about everything that goes into events you can understand why it is such a massive industry and source of income for our economy. It’s not just the events planners, venues, caterers and entertainment. Thousands of SMEs supply hundreds of thousands of products for events every single day.

Wrist bands, table cloths, glassware, transport, suit rental, decorations, tickets. These small products are all necessary for event planning. But there are larger, global suppliers involved in the chain. Exhibition stand contractors, port-a-loo rentals, stage and rigging hire. You get my point. This industry is massive.
And then it got flipped on its head.

Novel Coronavirus means a difficult time for industries

Just in case you haven’t heard, in December 2019, China reported a new strain of Coronavirus that we now know as COVID-19. This has devastated entire countries. The problem with any new virus is that there is no known cure or vaccine, and without ever having fought it before there is no immunity amongst communities.
Some countries have taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of their population and minimise the effects of COVID-19. China, Italy, France, UK and Spain have enforced nationwide lockdowns, with millions of people confined to their homes. The vast majority of industries have been forced to close their doors for the foreseeable future.

How has COVID-19 affected the events industry?

These government restrictions have forced the events industry to put the brakes on. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that mass gatherings “substantially increase the risk of the virus entering the country and becoming established”. Individuals face a significant risk of catching the virus if they:

• Spend time nearby (within 6ft) of an infected person
• Touch a contaminated surface and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes

It is for this reason, and on the advice of WHO, that China, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Malaysia and Thailand have banned mass gatherings. This means that all events due to take place in those countries must be banned or postponed.

Event organisers, from all countries, have also decided to postpone events. Although this has yet to be formally enforced by governing bodies, the travel restrictions and risk to health will deter people from attending. There are approximately 32,000 exhibitions globally each year. As even the World Health Organisation (WHO) are unable to provide timelines and predictions, no one knows how long the ban is likely to continue, therefore, how many events will be affected. With no events to organise, the industry had to do something dramatic.

Closed for Business

There is no way to sugar coat it. Jobs are being lost and businesses are shutting up shop in light of the current situation. This news comes despite Johnson’s plea for employers to protect their workforce.

The World Travel & Tourism Council revealed that one million travel and tourism jobs are being lost each day. With grounded planes and nationwide lockdowns, it is no surprise that businesses have had to react this way.

In a nationwide lockdown, the majority of businesses will notice the effect. Some are thriving, such as communications technologies and supermarkets. Others will barely notice the effect. And some will struggle to turnover anything this period. The events industry is arguably one of the hardest hit at this point. Employers are dealing with 570,000 full-time employees with absolutely nothing to do. With every large public gathering to be cancelled or postponed and our nation on lockdown, what choice do these businesses have other than shutting up shop?

As anyone who works in the event industry knows, we don’t stop fighting until the last minute. We can pretty much make anything happen. More innovations and creative solutions crop up year-on-year. As we’ve grown, so have the events. There is nothing that can stop us. Not even a global ban.

We have no choice but to cancel live events in the upcoming weeks. In this situation, we’re presented with three choices. Firstly, we could cancel the event altogether. This would involve giving people refunds and waiting until next year. Secondly, we could postpone the event. However, given the current situation, it is impossible to say how long you need to postpone your event for and you’ll find yourself stuck in limbo. The final option is to go ahead with your event as scheduled. As mass gatherings are banned and we’re all staying inside, you’ll have to take your event online.

Going Online

There had been attempts made to branch into the virtual events world before we were hit with COVID-19. Tech companies would often showcase their brilliance, running online conferences for their staff and media outlets. With what is currently available, it is possible to run a complete event online.

Keynote speakers can stream their talk, interacting with an audience via Q&A management systems. It was back in 2014 that Sabuhi Gard suggested virtual trade fairs would be the future for small business. The events industry has been preparing for this for years.

Even the music and entertainment industries have found a way to transition online. Coldplay, Yungblud and Christine and the Queens have all performed virtual gigs to their social media audience. More icons, such as Celeste and Hozier have also set aside a date to host a live stream. The World Health Organisation has encouraged the use of the #togetherathome initiative.

Virtual trade fairs make an attractive alternative, even without social distancing policies. Going online offers a low-cost, sustainable alternative to the traditional exhibition. Start-ups and SMEs can showcase their products, increasing brand awareness, surrounded by the big players in their industry.

Social distancing, lockdowns and the forced cancellation of mass gatherings, have pushed event organisers towards these virtual trade fairs. Physical events are a thing of the past. For now at least.

Facebook moved its global developer conference online, offering online visitor’s video and live-stream content from the comfort of their sofa. The F5 Agility 2020 conference also had to be cancelled. Again, developing a system which can bring the event online by offering break-out sessions, keynote content, certification and lab sessions to those in attendance.

As these huge events set a precedent, more events have followed to become online-only:

• • Aruba Networks Atmosphere
  • ESRI Developer Summit
  • WWDC 2020
  • Geneva International Motor Show
  • LiveWorx 2020

Transitioning into the online world we are seeing huge success in terms of visitor feedback and B2B ROI. Thanks to virtual events the industry is chugging along as always, almost unfazed.

It would be wrong to assume that all businesses were alright. As aforementioned, this industry is massive and encompasses a host of suppliers. Some of which just wouldn’t be necessary for a virtual environment. Unfortunately, some businesses won’t make it through this.

Venues and specific suppliers are having to come up with a new strategy to keep their heads above water. Leading exhibition stand designers, Quadrant2Design, have been thinking about what they could do to make thing easier for businesses affected by the COVID-19 restrictions.

Alan Jenkins, Managing Director of Quadrant2Design, said “it is hard for the business involved in the supply chain. That is true. It’s hard for us as well. But our customers who we have worked with year after year on hundreds of shows are asking for a solution. They’ve spent all this money to be told just to wait and see what happens in September. No one knows what’s happening. We would never tell anyone to do that so we knew we had to come up with an idea.”

Quadrant2Design do everything from the graphic design to the manufacture in-house. They have a huge space in Poole that they use as the pre-build zone. Without any mass gatherings or physical exhibitions to attend the space is often sat there empty.

They have decided to let their clients use this space to live stream their exhibitions. Their team will build your exhibition stand, including all of its unique design features and any integrated AV. You are free to film or stream a product demonstration or sales pitch and use the content wherever you like. This is just one example of how the events industry is working together to support those who need it.

Summing Up

To understand what is going on here, take a look out your window. People are staying indoors to save lives, and so they should. The impact that that has on the events industry will be a great one.

Luckily, virtual trade shows and live-streaming have made it possible to attend an event without a physical presence. This means that the show can and will go on for many of those who have been affected by the government guidelines and restrictions. But that doesn’t mean that the entire events industry is out the water.

Due to the size of the industry, there will be businesses that struggle. Whether that is to keep their staff in employment or to keep their door open. The thousands of suppliers involved in organising an event, as well as venues and caterers will all struggle to find their place at virtual events. More companies, like Quadrant2Design, need to work together if the events industry has any chance of survival.

For now, the events industry can just take each day as it comes. As we transition to digital events it is important to remember this is a new area for everybody. Although SME’s will thrive, with far lower overheads, other businesses involved in the events supply chain will need our support. By clubbing together, as we always have done, the events industry will thrive once more.

Natalka Antoniuk, Quadrant2Design