At the beginning of 2020, people’s lives changed dramatically due to the arrival of the Coronavirus. This pandemic, and the confinement that came with it, brought the business world, work environments, and social advancement to a complete halt. However, there is a part of the population that has refused to stop, and instead, they are determined to use this slowdown to improve and progress. They will come out on the other side of this even more successful and competitive than they were before.
They are using new technologies to ensure that their businesses will not only survive, but also thrive, by evolving and creating even more advanced technologies – technologies that we thought could only exist in our imaginations. But how has this affected the events industry?
Technology and the Events Industry
One of the main concerns about moving forward in the middle of a pandemic is that success may be difficult to achieve due to the effect that context has on how things are perceived.
You might be familiar with the anecdote about the famous violinist, Joshua Bell. In case you are not, it goes something like this. As an experiment, Bell performed at a subway station dressing like any other independent artist collecting change in his violin case. He was ignored by hundreds of people and his music was completely unappreciated, earning him only $32. By contrast, just days before, he had performed in a sold-out theater where tickets cost $100 each. Clearly, context is crucial for events.
The same thing can happen with events in this virtual world we have entered during the pandemic. It is crucial to replace the missing context, filling the gaps with animations, graphics, and scenarios. Creating a ‘wow’ effect for the audience applies just as much in the virtual world as it does in the real world.
Today, virtual events have become increasingly popular as many speakers, including myself, have been able to use technological tools to their advantage. Using these tools we can offer participants unique experiences where they not only learn, but have fun in the process too.
Improving Events After the Coronavirus
At this very moment, new technologies are emerging, and when we are finally no longer confined to our homes, we will find ourselves in a different world. With these new technologies, we will be able to recreate the magic that is currently missing. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, Mixed Reality, and Connected Robots, events will become a unique and memorable experience that everyone will want to be a part of.
In fact, in a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review, Ernst & Young, and IBM Research, the key factor for business success in the future will be events.
A Virtual Keynote Dedicated to Events
99% of executives think that events are the best way to make contacts. As a #FuturistKeynoteSpeaker I predict that, after the pandemic, there will be a business boom for the events industry. The demand for live events will double and virtual events will continue to be requested, becoming 25% of the events market. My futurist keynotes are already part of that 25%, as the use of current technology to make them is vital. Not because that technology is required, but because it is the future. The digital transformation does not stop, and neither should our own personal transformations. New technologies are here to stay and they will make our lives in the future wonderful