London’s BT Tower said it best on Monday as it displayed a special message to herald the next phase of reopening – “Less URL, more IRL. Welcome back.”
For the past 12 months, comms industry work has been conducted very much online, virtually, and with little opportunity for face-to-face interactions. With 17th May now past and us all enjoying a bit more freedom, thoughts are turning to the 21st June and the prospect of real-life events and experiences for our clients. We’re all VERY much looking forward to the return of media launches, experiential opportunities, and at this pace we might even be able to squeeze in a few of those industry favourites – a Christmas in July – but how will they look and what can we expect as we head back into the events world?
Everything has changed
2020 has been dubbed the year of great acceleration. At no time in recent history has such a great number of people (literally billions of us) changed their day-to-day behaviour so quickly and dramatically. With the huge swell of change has come new technology, new developments, new ways of working and for many completely new life perspectives that allow us to tear up the rule book, and create a new path going forward. We don’t have to do things a certain way because ‘that is how they were always done’ anymore – if there was ever a time to question the old way, this is it.
‘Enthusiastic caution’
It’s a phrase we have seen crop up more and more recently in relation to events and experiential activities. We want to get back out there. Our clients want to get back out there. There is an overwhelming sense that we all just want to be together, but cautiously and with an understanding that there is now a whole number of factors we need to plan for and consider in terms of safety guidelines, risk assessments and back-up plans that were unheard of 18 months ago. From considering how people enter the venue, to break out rooms for those looking for some space and handwashing facilities – considering our guests’ comfort and safety will be as important as ensuring they have a good time and we land our client’s key messages.
Togetherness
This will be a key theme, catching up & creating post-Covid memories with friends & family. At the end of the day one of the key things that makes us human is the need to connect with our communities and our loved ones. Brands who help facilitate opportunities for us to come together and cater for different interests across the friends and family spectrum are going to prosper.
More open to new experiences in small ways
So many of the things we love to do were put on hold in 2020 and most of it was the really fun stuff. In 2021, expect a desire for people to hit their bucket lists, make up for lost time and push themselves out of their comfort zones. It might be small things close to home, be it new hobbies, new cuisines, new cultural experiences, but we are all going to be more willing to try new things – so how can we support this through the events and experiences we offer? It might be cautiously at first (there is that word again) but once we get into the swing of it, and with travel still restricted, we’ll all be looking for adventures and excitement close to home.
Less fear of the weather
The sun is great, we all love it and with outdoor events it really helps, but the past few months have also taught us we can adapt and change. In the last year we have also learned that meeting friends outside for walks, outdoor cinemas, dining under blankets – as long as it isn’t raining – can be quite cosy really. With scientists stressing that fresh air and ventilation is one of the best ways to prevent Covid spreading, we won’t be going inside back to our laptops if we can avoid them. Expect to see more outdoor experiences (drive-in cinemas are now again a thing) and activities year-round.
Hybrid events
Before March 2020 it’s fair to say that not many of us had watched a theatre production on YouTube, enjoyed an Art Gallery tour remotely or had even heard of Zoom, let alone used it for working, learning and socialising for nearly 18 months. Whilst there is a desire to get back out into the real world, what the past 12 months has shown us is that you really don’t always have to be physically present to experience it. So, as we return to real-life events, there will still be opportunities for those who can’t be there to still, well, be there. The hybrid event – where there will be options to either attend online or to stream in – either live or as a post-edited performance, is already being very much seen as part of the new way.