At Informa, Virtual Events Are a Testing Ground for Exhibitions’ Hybrid Future

The COVID-19 pandemic was a sudden jolt to organizers of face-to-face events, and perhaps none more so than Informa plc, the world's largest exhibitions firm, which has been forced to cancel or postpone more than 450 live events originally scheduled for the spring and summer. But even as states and municipalities lock down, the need to connect buyers and sellers endures, leading organizers across the industry to turn to virtual events as a means of keeping constituents engaged and recouping some lost business. "The appetite for communities to connect online is tremendous," says Rick McConnell, president of North America for Informa Markets, the company's exhibitions division. "You’re not traveling, so your ability to control your calendar is a little better, and your desire to connect and network with industry professionals never goes away." One obvious solution that's emerged has been webinars, a familiar product, of which Informa Markets is producing around three-times as many as it traditionally would have. But these are just one element in what McConnell describes as a spectrum of digital products, ranging from podcasts and videos at the most basic level all the way up to the most complex and difficult experiences to translate online: full-scale, virtual trade shows. The latter are a relatively new offering, driven mostly by necessity, with events of any kind unlikely to return until the Fall at the earliest (even August now feels "queasy," McConnell says). But... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-05-14 17:31:50 UTC ]
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At Informa, Virtual Events Are a Testing Ground for Exhibitions’ Hybrid Future

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