As we inexorably come out of the pandemic, we are learning to live in a new world. Many things have changed in the last two years or so, probably perma- nently. Working-from-home is something that many employers now find themselves offering. Transport systems are still experiencing lower user numbers (for the better, say the users), while the theory of the ‘Great Resignation’ suggests many workers simply took them- selves out of the jobs market during the pandemic, and have not come back yet, leaving many countries with a lack of workers.
One of the things that has changed during the pan- demic is the nature of meetings. As soon as workers were sent home, Zoom and Teams calls proliferated, so much so that Zoom Fatigue quickly became a thing. There is something slightly ‘off ’ about a Zoom call, something that makes people a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it is to do with the ‘always-on’ gaze that seems to be required on such a call, whereas in the real world, one can quite comfortably look in many other places while talking to someone, instead of directly into their eyes. There were stories of participants being naked from the waist down in meetings (particinopants, perhaps) and even worse behaviour happening when people thought they were not being watched, when they were being watched, with fascinated disgust, by their colleagues.
Virtual meetings have been a great success story over the course of the pandemic. Global Gypsum has organised several virtual events. Across the industries we cover, they have provided an invaluable service to the industry over a couple of very tough years.
However, as welcome as they have been, people have often said, “Ah, but they are not as good as the real thing.” We have asked people over the last two years what they miss about real-world events, and almost in- variably, the first thing they say is that they miss being able to look someone in the eye, to shake their hand and to have a beer and an unhurried chat with them. In other words, to do the things that cannot easily be done online.
This leads me to conclude that industry events will need to change in the future, to play to their strengths. The best events, in my experience, are those that:
- Make you think;
- Prepare you for future trends;
- Connect you to useful contacts;
- Are friendly and welcoming;
- Have relevant exhibitors;
- Give you some ‘headspace’;
- Are value for money;
- Are value for time-invested.
This idea of ‘headspace’ is worth returning to. I am sure that you are extremely busy and that you have an in-tray that is piled high with important things that other people want you to do. Sometimes it feels like a treadmill, since that pile rarely gets any smaller. In fact, we can all be so busy dealing with the immediate priorities that we do not take time to think about the future in as much depth as the future merits. I have often taken the opportunity at events to try to think strategically - perhaps because we are typically immersed in information about the current status and future trends of the industry while at an event. Having a little bit of down-time - ‘headspace’ - away from the daily grind can be worth its weight in gold. As they say, ‘Fail to plan? Plan to fail!’
In any case, real-world events need to change to do well what digital does not. What can’t be done online? Drugs ‘n’ sex ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll comes to mind (to me) and I’m only half-joking. Other changes might include shorter presentations with more time for questions, more panel discussions, more expert-led discussion groups, more and better networking, more facilita- tion of ‘blue sky thinking,’ having sufficient dedicated exhibition time, and offering experiences that cannot be had in a Zoom call. One event I know of offers box- ing training and an end-of-day 90-second fight (in a boxing ring) between well-matched non-competitors. We won’t be going that far, but maybe arm-wrestling, tug-of-war (previously an Olympic sport, and the only sport you win by consistently going backwards), or standing long-jump (also previously an Olympic sport) might be fun! You may scoff, but the ‘Indian cement industry versus the Rest of the World’ cricket match that we staged at one of our events is still fondly remembered many years afterwards.
The Covid pandemic has changed the world in many ways, and it will continue to change the way we meet in the future too. We hope to meet you there!
