Events are a big deal for every person and business entity. We’re all social creatures, and we need to socialize. But the pandemic changed all that. Thankfully, new trends have been formed to help deal with the pandemic. These trends have made events possible, even though they’re a bit different than before. Moreover, it’s predicted that these trends will continue.
COVID-19 Protocols
Let’s take the most obvious one out of the way: COVID-19. The pandemic is reaching its second year, and although more than half of the people in the world have been vaccinated, the virus is still running rampant. As a result, people with vaccines still have the potential of getting infected. Despite this, many countries like Australia and Denmark are opening their doors to tourists, some even holding huge parties. However, this isn’t going to be the case for the US anytime soon.
COVID-19 protocols will likely exist until the end of the year, and as event planners, you have to be prepared for it. This means vaccinating your staff, practicing social distancing in events, and having personal protection equipment at the ready. Most of all, you have to follow guidelines for your events, but be creative along the way.
The pandemic is a serious problem in the event planning industry. However, there is another problem looming above its head, and that is the great resignation.
The Great Resignation
If you’re wondering why business has been slow, it’s not because of the pandemic. There’s a good chance that you might have heard of the great resignation. It’s a catastrophic event where more than four million Americans left their jobs. We’re not going to delve into the reasons why. There are plenty of articles that are discussing that right now. But we will explain how you can get through this.
There’s a good chance that you’re experiencing two main problems: understaffed events and the lack of clients. Well, there is one prime solution for these two problems, and that is to double down into marketing. You might be thinking that no one’s in the right mind to take a risk that huge. But that’s precisely the point, no one in the industry right now is marketing themselves because of the same fear, and that’s why you should.
Market your services on all physical and online platforms. For example, hire a good e-commerce product photography service to take pictures of your events and show them to people. Tell recruiters you need more people working for you. Skyrocket your budget, and do it at considerable risk. Eventually, the turnover will be good, given enough time and patience.
Digital Parties
Digital parties aren’t going anywhere, now that we got a taste of it. There’s a good chance it might slow down once the pandemic ends (more on that later), but it will eventually pick up once again because of how globalized the world has become today.
The best part about digital parties is that people can do it with barely any hassle. In the beginning, exploring platforms like Zoom and Skype can take a lot of time from ourselves. However, now that these platforms have learned from their mistakes, they’ve improved their user features, making them a lot accessible, even to people who aren’t as tech-savvy.
So ensure that your event planning business is still doing digital parties, and make sure to invest a lot more creativity into these parties when you can.
Hybrid Events
Last year was a time of hybrid events because some quarantine restrictions have been lifted, and it seems that this trend will also transition into this year.
Hybrid events are all about making the best of both worlds. It’s making an event both digital and physical at the same time. Why do people like it so much? Well, experts believe that it’s partially because of nostalgia. It’s almost been two years since we’ve had physical gatherings, and that’s enough to bring some nostalgia in people. Another reason is that it’s much cheaper than traditional gatherings. So expect businesses to do this a lot more.
The End of the Pandemic?
It’s time we talk about the end of the pandemic and what it means for these trends in the future. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that the pandemic status of the world might be lifted this year, as long as we follow the trend of vaccinations. So what does this mean for the industry?
Experts believe that it won’t affect the trends on this list as much. Many in the industry will still follow COVID-19 protocols to avoid unwanted infections, and the great resignation depends more on the economy than the pandemic itself. Both digital and hybrid events might take a big hit at the start, but they will eventually come back because of their cost-efficiency.
Overall, despite the pandemic coming to an end, these trends will continue. Make sure that you invest in them immediately if you want your business in the event planning industry to succeed.
