We opened our agency in 2003. During this time we experienced many crises. Each of them was special, but one could nevertheless follow the logic. During the second or third crisis, we came to certain response models and understood what needed to be done quickly and what not to rush into. And in general, we were filled with a certain confidence that now we know how to overcome crises. There was an implicit assumption here that all crises would be similar.
What happened next was what happened: our market—the market for organizing events commissioned by companies, mostly large ones—not only sank, shrunk or shrunk, but was officially banned. What is not prohibited was achieved by the understandable fear of the people, the client and the participants. If previously the incoming flow always decreased at different speeds, now it has literally been turned off.
Since last year, we have been developing (as it turned out, we did not do it as quickly as necessary) a platform for online events, Zeen. The platform had nothing to do with potential viruses, but was a resource for expanding the audience of classic events. Despite high readiness and a certain understanding of how events can be done online, clients did not automatically transfer their projects online - they mostly simply canceled or postponed them. There were and are projects, but still there are much fewer of them than before.
There are several reasons why one did not automatically flow into the other. One of the deepest ones is that when the familiar world collapses around us, turning to new unfamiliar technologies is simply scary. And clients did not see any special commercial need to do projects right now due to general consumer pessimism.
Predictions inflate the ego of the person making them and in the process he irrevocably convinces himself that they are right. So I would call what follows not as forecasts, but as creative fantasies, attempts to invent some elements of our market during a period of serious restrictions.
Regarding the restrictions. Disinfecting surfaces is not so difficult; in the case of events, it is more difficult to avoid crowds of people. People are very necessary for events. So let's take it as an assumption that the brave or the reckless will gather in small groups of 50-100 people. What will change in the market? What new formats will emerge?
Offline + Online
The event takes place in a small venue with real participants. The main audience watches and participates in the event online. What is important here is the degree of participation of people online, high involvement, otherwise we are simply competing with streams.
If you make several of these mini-venues, you can create an event with a wide geography and convenient logistics for guests from different places. There are a lot of variations of combining online and offline and a lot has already been done here and in other countries.
What difference does this make? Participation in an event becomes a luxury. Not everyone can afford it, not everyone is invited to it. Similar observations can be heard about the education market: online education for those who cannot afford offline education.
Pop-up area
A site visited by small groups of participants over several days or even weeks. Branded space with proven CJM for all guests, whenever they arrive. Guests can arrive in slots if exclusivity is important, or at one time if involvement is more important.
https://event.ru/companies/aleksey-berlov-partner-eventum-premo-nas-zhdut-novyie-formatyi-meropriyatiy-post-karantinnogo-perioda/
