We recently attended the latest EventHuddle event: “Coronavirus and the Events Industry – Crisis Management Webinar”, moderated by Kevin Jackson.
The webinar shed some light on the current situation of COVID-19, and what might be in store for our industry for the months to come. Panelists discussed the steps that we need to take to protect our organisations.
Simon Hughes (Vice-Chair of the BVEP), mentioned that “It’s about training, upskilling and getting a better understanding of how things are going to be”. According to Simon, our industry has gained a lot from this drastic change and “our ability to engage with people remotely has improved”.
Kellie Hasbury (Director of Plaster), spoke about what to expect when we are no longer in quarantine, and that “the audience will react based on their perception of the event”. So it is our job to make sure that our audiences feel appreciated and understood, through strong and clear communication. Also, it will be important to come up with different solutions such as offering special deals and privileges to those who bought tickets to canceled events.

Jeremy Summers (Partner at Lewis Silkin) and Richard Clifford (Public Affairs and Policy Manager at UKHospitality) discussed different solutions that we can apply in the foreseeable future. Jeremy mentioned that we should “have everything planned, and ensure that contracts have that flexibility to extend the date of the event”. Richard explained that we should “do something that is collaborative with the government and help the community at the same time.”
A key point that we took from this Eventhuddle is that the bounce back once this is all over will be big, and socialising will be at an all-time high. Right now, it is important that we stay connected, continue to collaborate, and show our support for other event profs.
If you missed it, you can watch the full webinar here.