Saving the world one event at a time

I was reading about all the challenges that remote work and digital technologies are creating for our generation. I watched?Scott Gallaway advise other generations to get out of the house, go to the office, and find a way to interact with people,? even if they are allowed to work entirely remotely. And I totally agree with this concept and idea.

I must admit that I use Zoom more than I often should, skipping some face-to-face meetings and utilizing the comfort of my home. I've become very selective about which specific meetings I will attend face-to-face. And, in the long term, I don't think it's the right thing.

I have often said that live events are a valuable marketing tool because humans build trust face-to-face. Events provide a unique opportunity to connect people through real meetings and accelerate business decisions that could take months (or years) without that particular face-to-face interaction. I think that younger generations experiencing remote work early in their careers, without previous in-office experience, will also select which face-to-face meetings or business events they choose to attend, using different expectations when compared to my generation, who worked full-time office hours for many decades.

If you read some of the stuff I've published, like the?Business of Events Masterclass , you probably know that I love tech, particularly event tech, and I'm a big fan of using tech as much as possible when producing events. Nevertheless, using too much tech is not good. This reality could help the events industry continue to position our value as the "human connection" that events provide. Just try Googling "digital detox retreats," and you will see how big the digital addiction topic has become, not only for younger generations but for every single generation.

I believe that events are part of the digital detox strategy companies should promote to their employees. We want to spend "human time" together as part of a conference, corporate retreat, or trade show and be sure that we will maximize that human connection by having the right meetings and experiences - building trust with relevant people and companies for our business.

Spending time in the analog world is critical for all of us. Events will continue to be one of the best (if not the best) ways to invest in marketing activities in the analog world.

If you analyze some research about GenZ and Millenials, you will see that they greatly value face-to-face time over digital meetings. Regarding the many issues caused by the digital world, including mental health struggles, we will have a better narrative for saying that events can save the world one event at a time.

For those who believed that younger generations would walk away from business events and replace those events with digital meetings or interactions, I suggest rethinking that thesis.?

Events are back, better and stronger than before Covid in a post-Covid world, reinforcing the concept that human connection matters (a lot).

We are also learning (finally) that event tech is our best friend for innovation and moving into modern and more efficient events that serve their audience and communities better.

Events are not dead. Event tech is alive and well. Together, both should create a successful series of events for many generations.

And save the world, one event at a time.