Events: Then. Now. Next >

The past 20 months have been extraordinary. No industry other than healthcare has been more impacted and more transformed than the events industry.?

The below articles reflect my unwavering belief in the power and resiliency of the industry which is our professional home.?

Many months after the below articles, I began my chapter at Notified, which moved through these last 20 months with positive change, innovation, growth, and a leadership position in event technology to power the next generation of this industry.

I made some declarative statements in the spring of 2020. Little did we know then the immense change this industry would endure over the next year and a half.

From Events. Strong Hearts. Never Broken. on March 11, 2020

“The business events industry resides at the epicenter of a broader global challenge, the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetime.”

“The positive spirit is a testament to the quality of the people in the business events community and strong cadence of service to others.”

“We will continue to pump our global community very soon with the lifeblood of experiences through the work we do.”

“My good friend, Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX, who made a tough & selfless decision today, reminded me of a driving principle at IMEX, ‘We Are All Connected.’ “

“We will see each other again soon, and when we do, the heartbeat of business events will be stronger than it has ever been.”?

From What’s Next? on April 2, 2020

“...organizations and individuals will increase, decrease, and/or eliminate investment in physical events, based on the environment they are experiencing right now and near term, with data to support their decisions. Every organization and individual will have a different answer. Those answers will roll up to define the future of our industry.”

“...the events industry will take one of two remarkably distinct paths:

Path One: We will embrace a broader more responsible delivery model, and redefine the scope of the business events industry as we do. We will finally and fully utilize digital platforms in concert with physical events to amplify the power and efficiency of our industry. In doing so, we will significantly grow the pie of the business events industry sustainably, much like broadcast TV did for sports over a half century ago. Path Two: We will struggle back, reverting to our historic delivery model...”

?“...the world will not give the business events industry the latitude to snap back on Path Two.”

From Business Events. On the Cusp of a Big Win on June 10, 2020

“In the mid term, we will not reference virtual events, digital events, physical events, hybrid events. Events in our industry will soon simply be called - events - redefined to include physical and digital channels.”

“The business events industry has been lagging in digital adoption for decades. Those days are now over.”

“On the other side of this crisis business event stakeholders will again experience significant growth by more purposefully incorporating digital delivery of event content, commerce and community.”

As we enter Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, we inevitably reflect on the relationships we especially appreciate.?

The events industry will not be denied its rightful growth in the months and years ahead. We are embracing technology, data, new models, and change in virtually every element of our delivery.?

Carina was right 20 months ago, and she is right now.???We are all connected.