THE FUTURE OF EVENT PLANNING

Hello, this is Les Goldberg, and welcome to The Road Ahead. The Road Ahead podcast is dedicated to the future of the live events business, bringing together industry experts. Hello, production world, this is Les Goldberg on The Road Ahead. Today I have three amazing guests. I have Megan Cumming. She is the vice president of event operations at Glinder--Linder Global. I have Vicki Johnson, the principal of Vicki Johnson & Associates, and I have Lindsay Meyers, Senior Director of Special Events, University of Maryland. Everyone, welcome to the show. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Today our subject is planning. Planning for live, virtual and hybrid events. Right now our customers our clients are talking about doing events. In a perfect world. They'd all go to ballrooms, convention centers, and they would deploy. And we would go on site and have the experience for used to. But the conversations probably a little bit different. And that conversation is different because of some of the unknowns associated with COVID and the jurisdiction of where you're going to have your events and people are talking about doing live. They're talking about doing virtual or hybrid. And so that's what this whole podcast is dedicated today. And so I want to go ahead and throw out the first question to Lindsay. Lindsay, as the world continues to battle COVID, how are people approaching doing events? Are they talking about live, hybrid, virtual? What are your customers telling you every day is something different? We at the University of Maryland adhere to our state and local government agencies, which at any moment can change, whether it's a mask mandate, limited number of people in a room. So it really depends on what we have coming down the pipe. Right now, we are really planning for hybrid events, hoping that we can get as many people in the room that is comfortable as possible, but also definitely having a virtual hybrid component so that we don't lose any potential audience members, whether that's because they're uncomfortable with COVID or just it's a travel restriction. So we are ready for just about anything but hoping mostly for in-person events with that hybrid component as an offering. I love that we want and ready for live in person events. Megan, your thoughts on the same question? You know, are people approaching you and saying, I want to do a lot of it. I read a virtual which way is the the Geiger counter leading this these days? Yeah, I agree with Lindsay. There is kind of a constant conversation around the appetite for your guests. Where are they going to be comfortable? How are you going to engage them? The type of event that you are hosting. What makes sense? We're seeing really for us this fall a mix of fully virtual or hybrid components. But we are constantly connected with the local government agencies and trying to make sure that we're meeting the right requirements and making people feel safe. I think clients are cautious. They want to gather. They want to get people together. They want to connect. I think they're just nervous. And, you know, it is a weekly conversation that we're having with our clients to make sure that we've got enough of an opportunity for their customers and their invited guest to connect, whether it's through a virtual experience or coming on site and doing it safely, safely. I think the word of your quote is safely. I think everybody is striving for making sure that whatever experience they have, it's done safely. Vicki, your thoughts on this? You know, I couldn't agree more with both. Both ladies. It's it's a mixed bag. I mean, I think you need to be prepared as much as possible to do, you know, both either live or hybrid or virtual. I unfortunately have had six meetings that were supposed to take place in the next month, that in five days have now moved from a fully live aspect to either hybrid or virtual, because the nature of their members, the nature of their industry, just mandated that we we make that, you know, pivot, for lack of a better term. So I think you just need to be prepared to see everything. And, you know, don't lose sight of the fact that we have to be part of the change. We just have to take it as it comes every day, because it'll probably change again tomorrow. Wow. Change is the only thing that we know is coming for sure every day. Back to Lindsay, and Lindsay, if we, if we're talking far out an event, then let me just say, let's say we're talking about an event in January. And I'm going to put some parameters around this. Let's say we're going to have a live event. Maybe you have a guest speaker, a very well-known speaker coming in, and whatever your auditorium or your largest venue is. Do you also work concurrently on a plan for maybe the hybrid plan for that guest speaker, even though it's months out in advance? Do you work for the virtual plan? Are we working on parallel paths? We are. We always have to have COVID, non-COVID. We always have to have plan A, B, C, and D ready in this industry, no matter what the scenario is. I think we are very much focused on that in-person experience, wanting to make sure we are driving that force. And then as to the previous question, we are prepared for whatever turns may come, but we really want to continue to with that in-person as long as it's safe. But knowing that we need to have the opportunity. And I think one thing we're doing at the University of Maryland is making sure we have that platform ready, making sure we have that technology ready, those people ready so that at any point we can make that turn without kind of everything falling apart. We are now prepared for those pieces so that we can make that shift, and it not be feeling like you're moving a mountain that is so. So you've got the options. You can go left straight or or right turn. It doesn't even matter. We almost have everybody waiting for those final minutes for final days so that the plan A we're pulling the trigger or B or C you don't know whether to set the chairs or not. Literally literally much. So. So Megan, in your conversations with your customers and and the reason I'm kind of describing this by putting it well out in advance, because there's a hope that in February we're going to be doing live events. And by the way, Lindsay, you win best most spirited person for live events, because I want you to know, I would go to any of your live events because I feel like, you know, there's a will, there's a way. But but back to Megan. Megan, if if a client's got a show and it's well in advance and it's and it's live, are you having the conversation that says, look, we're going to plan for live, but we're going to have a backup plan. And whether that backup plan is completely virtual or it's hybrid, is that in the conversation with your customers? Yes it is. I think that there is for the customers and the conversations that we're having. They're very cautious and they want to start planning now, and they know they want to have the gathering in January. And it is a question of what will it look like in January? What will the experience be? Because I think the clients are also really challenged with trying to plan both an in-person and a virtual right. So creating that hybrid experience, while it sounds like it's it is great and easy to do. There are some barriers to that. There are some cost implications with having both an in-person and something on a platform. There's just some education of your invited guests. If they are not used to doing something one way or another, there's a ton of communication that has to go out. So I think that through the planning process, what we're doing is having this conversations and really trying to put in some key milestones for those decisions. When would they need to pull a trigger on if they're going to have both in-person and virtual, when are they going to have some financial implications for the venue that they're looking to book? When are they, you know, have that conversation with their, their clients to, to let to let their customers know this is how this event is going to take place. And then you're right there speakers their talent, their entertainment. Right. It's a it's a big undertaking. And for them to think through all the different plans. And that's what we do as planners. Right. Everybody on this call knows you always have a plan A, plan B, B and whether that's for whether or for your, your talent all of a sudden you can't come or anything. But it's it has become, you know, it can be exhausting. The number of plans, the number of conversations you're having around all of these different options for events. And I think that's why we're seeing a lot of events planning in a very short amount of time. It feels a little bit more manageable for them. They they are looking just a shorter road versus, you know, at this point, really trying to get into the weeds of planning for something in January or next spring. I was just going to add to Megan. I think also a big thing is you can't expect an in-person to feel like a hybrid, to feel like a virtual. They're very different, as we all know, platforms and different experiences. And so as we're working to pivot, just to expect the live event to all those pieces to fold very nicely into a virtual event, to fold very nicely into a virtual event is just not reality. And so having very different expectations as you're making those turns, okay, you can pivot with this piece, but that piece you have to let go of or it looks very different is a real a real lesson and a hard pill to swallow, because we had this great experience on stage and it doesn't translate to the hybrid. And so also thinking about how you can maneuver those pieces to still work, but work in a very different way and be okay with that. Got it. All right Vicki you're up. What are your thoughts? You know, do you think when you're planning an event well in advance customers having the conversation. Well plan A plan B plan. C. Well you definitely have to have the conversation and much more now in the last year and a half than you ever did before. I mean, I, I, the majority of our clients are small nonprofit organizations and they rely on the, the revenue that, you know, that their meetings generate. And so to have this disruption for the last year and a half to two years has really been a huge impact to their to their budgets and bottom line. So you have to have the conversation. But to Megan's point, you know, moving to a hybrid component or a virtual aspect, there's a there are a lot of financial things that need to be considered when you do that, not only the the existing contract that you have and the and the terms of that contract, and whether you're going to be able to to work through that, but also just all of the additional equipment and resources that need to happen to basically manage in a hybrid world, two meetings at the same time, which is basically what you're doing. So, you know, it depends on the group. If you've got a large international, you know, contingency, then obviously that conversation is a little bit easier to have further out, realizing that we're probably still in a world where that's not going to be an option for them to all attend for the short period, you know, even in January. And so you can you can pretty much wrap your head around that a little bit faster than you can those that are all US based and want to get together, because we do. We want to get together. The quote of the day that's like a hashtag I want we want to get together Vicki's hashtag of the day. So, so in previous podcast, we've talked about creating a content that's for a live experience. And then when you have a virtual experience or a hybrid having unique content for the virtual audience, because obviously engagement is a big deal for people that are watching on a computer screen somewhere. It's different than being live and having the, you know, the experience of being there with all your other attendees and the energy in the room and all that stuff, trying to translate. So that transforms me to my next question. How is engagement been during the past 16 months of virtual experiences? And this is, to Lindsay, challenging. We really have to be creative in terms of what we can do to make sure that it feels engaging. We've done everything from sending swag items to, you know, having meals sent. So everybody's still having that gala experience as they're having their their three course dinner together. We've also done things, as you know, small group breakout so that you have an opportunity to engage. We're working right now and making sure that we do have a virtual audience. They're kind of proportional in size to the in-person audience, so everybody feels like they're really participating at the same level for the in-person and the virtual audiences. But it's a challenge to to make sure that we are engaging everybody in the room and they all feel a part of the conversation. I would tell you the platform that we own and invested in subtle. One of the primary goals is to achieve what you just said, to make sure the virtual experience is as close to the live experience as possible. Megan, your thoughts on this? Tell me about engagement the last 16 months. How has it felt? I agree that it's been very challenging because everyone has had to really shift what it means to engage virtually, right? You replicating the gala experience has been very tough, and there are some clients who are reluctant to let that go. They want to recreate that in-person experience virtually. And I think there have been maybe a few examples of where that's gone well. But I think the organizations that are really being successful here are those who have been able to to shift. Right. We're seeing a real big focus on the value of those interactions. So like Lindsay said, how do you create those smaller group moments? How do you really make sure that you were collecting feedback from the people that you're trying to reach out to? Can you adapt your marketing strategy? Can you look at a different way to engage? Right. It is. It's looking at the quality of it, not the quantity of people that are that are coming in. How do you really connect? And I think, you know, left the platform that you all have. That conversation I think will continue in events for the foreseeable future. How do you connect your virtual audience with that audience that is that is in-person, and I'm not sure we've solved for that yet. I think that it is. You still feel either that you are virtually watching what's happening live, or you are live in the room and you're seeing like a ticker tape of comments of people from virtual. But that true interaction, I don't know, I feel like that's still we haven't trained those attendees yet to really understand where those connection points lie, how to engage in the right way. And I think someone coming to a live experience wants it to feel very much like everything they've seen before. And I think it's our job as planners to try and continue to push the boundaries of how do you make that as a connection point so that if you are joining virtually, you do feel part of the larger conversation and the experience, and you have those like water cooler moments of bumping into somebody in the hallway that is challenging to replicate virtually, I think we're going to beam me up and I'm going to come in with particles and I'll be a holograph and I'll have that experience. How about that time to get me to have a water cooler kind of moment? I mean, bump into you virtually. Yes, but we've seen that. I mean, someone on a conference that I was watching was an event planners. They were they were, you know, relying on the gaming industry, the technology that's there. Would we have in the future, you're live, I'm a live attendee and I'm going to the event and I've got my virtual group watching me and they're voting on do I now go to this panel or do I go to the lunch break over there? And they're helping to direct me, in a way, as an attendee, kind of through the experience and. Right, I mean, what it's wide open, what you can do. So beaming you in so that you and I can have a virtual experience at the water cooler, I think is awesome and would love. I'm going to have to change my name to Scotty Me Up. That's right. So so Vicki, tell me about engagement for the last 16 months. You know, I think I think one of the takeaways that a lot of my clients have done from having virtual meetings in the last year and a half or so, is that they've realized that they really need to reevaluate the value of both their content and how it's delivered, because you can't deliver it the same way. I can't sit at my desk and watch a virtual, you know, participate in a virtual meeting and not get sort of sidetracked by the other monitor and the 20 emails that have just come in in the last five minutes. So it's a very different world. And so I think you, you know, I think that organizations are realizing that, that they need to look at all of the stuff that they've done in the past, throw it all up in the air and reevaluate, is the content really valuable and is and how are they delivering it, and can they deliver it in a different way, even when they go back to live programs, that really brings a whole different level of experience for the attendee. Got it. Okay. Well, my next question is to Lindsay. Lindsay. It's a two part question. First, our audience is ready to go back to live. You've definitely told me that everyone wants to go live and I want to go live. And what does the fall look like? Do you see any live in the fall or do you see live in the first quarter of next year? It really depends on the audience and the demographics. You know, age, region, interest levels will really vary depending on if that audience and if the goal to get who's in person. You know, for those who are more technical savvy, for those or less who are for those who do want to travel, for those who don't want to travel. So I think it's there's no one answer if audiences are ready to go back or not. And then to to your second point of will we see? I think we will see live events in, in targeted areas that are really intended to deliver, maybe to a smaller audience where you have a concentrated group of people in, and then there still is a larger audience in the virtual. I don't think in the next six months, even 8 or 12 months, we're going to see Return to normal, or maybe the new normal or the new norm, or what we had expected as normal. So Vicki and Megan, do you agree? Are people ready to go back to live? Are we going to see live events in the fall? My answer is yes. I think people are absolutely ready to go. I think you're seeing this in concerts that are taking place in sports, games that are happening in gatherings that are continuing to go. But I think everybody it's a yes, but they do want to see some precautions put in place, right? They want to know what the plan is on site. They appreciate, I think, hearing, you know, if masks are required, if a vaccination is required, you know, a negative COVID test. I think a lot of people want to see that. I know there's definitely been some pushback, but I think there's a general sense of, yes, people want to get back and gather. I think the second part to that is organizations are still, I think, deciding if they're going to fund their employees being able to travel. So it's a question of can I get sponsors and can then they send people to the event that is being produced live, or are they want to participate, want to be there? But, you know, like Lindsay said, it's a much smaller audience and, you know, they want to support it virtually. So I think there's the desire to do it, but there's still some hesitancy around what that in-person experience is going to be. And if as a company, they can support that financially or if it's up to the individuals, I mean, there's no doubt that people want to go back to seeing each other and sitting at a bar stool and really having that kind of networking opportunity that they, you know, haven't had. The biggest issue that, you know, organizations are grappling with is that, you know, do you put in the precautions in some of the, you know, some of the things like vaccination and masks and that kind of thing, or do you not? And I'm kind of seeing groups all over the board. Some of my clients are absolutely 100%. We are having this meeting in September. No matter what happens, we are doing it and we are putting in precautions to be able to do it. And others are saying, listen, if we have to put in precautions to be able to meet, then we're just not going to. So yeah, there's no, you know, when when my clients ask me, Vicki, what are you hearing? I can't answer that because I'm hearing everything all the way from A to Z. So. So I'm curious, Lindsay, you could opine on this. Do you think people would be more comfortable if the audience, everyone had to be vaccinated if, like I've heard this in concerts, they're saying you have to either be all vaccinated or some concerts or show your negative test. But for this question, let's say you could we have a show going on in the fall in November where a client said only vaccinated attendees can participate? Do you think more people would show up or feel comfortable under those circumstances? I mean, my gut says yes. I think there's still a lot of speculation with everything that science is telling us. Is that the end all, be all, and but I think that's a step in the direction of making people feel more comfortable. Megan, you agree. So I do agree. And I think we've had clients who are reluctant, like Vicki has to put some of those measures in place because they don't want people to have to choose, you know? So it depends on the organization. But I, I do think that's that is becoming the standard of what you're seeing for concert venues, for indoor large scale events. And I think that as it becomes more prevalent in kind of your own personal life, clients are getting more comfortable with being able to to mandate that. But we have seen some pushback for events that we've been doing this for some audience members who choose not to come, and that's their right for our clients. And they want to make sure if someone doesn't want to come because of those restrictions, how do we still keep them engaged? And that's where then that question is do you create something virtual for them, or do you just move forward with your policy as the organization, and that you'll engage with them in a different way outside of the event? Got it. Vicki, your thoughts? Yeah, I mean, I agree with with both. I mean, it's you know, it's a it's a tough call because I'd like to see, you know, personally I'd like to see this be the standard. Just as you have a driver's license, you need to be able to have, you know, a vaccination card. But but again, there are lots of clients that are, you know, that are just as hesitant to make their members and attendees make that decision and decide one way or another. And they're really on the fence. And it's and it's difficult to really, you know, you can give them all of the information that you can, but at the end of the day, they need to do what their comfort level is for the time being and then have them just manage that going forward. Okay, this is my final question, and this is to Lindsay first. Lindsay, what have you learned during the downturn about the meetings and events business that you could share with the audience? And planners are resilient, I'll tell you that much. And I think that even more we have become. Needed even more than before in terms of guiding the process and guiding what is going on in the industry and guiding what standards and regulations say, and interpreting that because it is changing on a day to day weekly basis. And so being able to guide that process has become even more challenging, but even more relevant and necessary for a lot of, you know, the clients and the industry that we work in. Megan, your thoughts? What is the one thing you've learned about our business? I think I you know, our special event industry is full of just amazingly adaptive, creative individuals who have seized the moment to overcome the challenge that was put in front of them. And all of us had to very quickly learn new skills, try something new, you know, try to be that leader to our clients of knowledge that maybe we weren't super sure of. But I think the biggest takeaway outside of just continuing to be amazed by all of, you know, everybody that I know in the industry is just the connection point that we really are all just humans struggling with a lot of the same issues. And I think I have loved getting to know the people that I've been working with more and and being able to relate to them, you know, kind of as just just a person to person on that level of knowing, like we are all in this together and we are all struggling with something and being able to support one another through that, I think has been tremendous for me. Vicki, wrap us up. Tell us what your thoughts are, what have you? What have you learned about our business? Two really key things. I think, first of all, because we have to Megan's point, we have all been through this ourselves together. And even though each of our experiences have been very different, it's very relatable. And so having those conversations with clients has, has really it's benefited because we're all working through this together. So that's a real key thing. I think the other really big important thing that I've learned is that most organizations have really have a business model that they've now been able to really look in the mirror and realize isn't necessarily the financially the most beneficial business model, that you cannot put all of your eggs in one basket, with membership and meetings being your two key components for revenue generation, and that you really need to diversify like you would your portfolio if you were, you know, investing in your with your own money. And that I think that's been a real key takeaway for a lot of a lot of clients that they just really need to reevaluate how they do business in the future. You know, I've heard so many good things about resilience, learning to do different things and and diversifying and with say, it's been a very interesting discussion and I want to thank Megan, Vicki and Lindsay. You all are amazing. And you know, the show must go on. I feel it and I hear it, and I can't wait to get back to life with all of you. Hopefully I'll see you in a ballroom, in a convention center or someplace where a lot of people gather, and hopefully we'll be doing it without masks at some point in the future. And everyone, thanks again, this is Les Goldberg and The Road Ahead. Guys, gals, good job. Thank you, thank you, thank you.