Giles Cattle of Strata Creative Communications has said there is both a hunger and urgency among its clients to capitalise on the relaxation of restrictions to hold in-person events in the next few months.
From Monday 17 May, indoor events for up 1,000 people or 50% venue capacity, not including staff, contractors or exhibitors, have been allowed to reopen in England. Outdoor events for up to 4,000 (or 50% capacity) are also allowed to resume, and special dispensation has been given to seated stadiums.
Cattle, who is Strata’s director of creative, strategy and business development, said that while all its clients want to return to face-to-face, they also want to minimize exposure to the risks of cancellation: “We are seeing slow commitment but keen interest and planning for large scale national and public events, but more confidence in smaller more manageable B2B events in the same timeframes – and bigger B2B longer term.”
“No one wants to talk about hybrid at the moment,” he added. “I think there is uncertainty about the differing value and impact in-person and remote audiences will experience at the same event and politically clients are finding it hard to decide how to navigate this disparity. They talk about either 100% face to face or 100% virtual. They know both now but not hybrid as a planned choice.”
Greater focus on ROI
When asked what the news of step three means to the agency, Cattle said that Strata is planning for the uplift in events in its calendar, which promises more work than the second half of 2019 pre-Covid-19.
“We have to deliver more, and more efficiently, with a greater focus on ROI than ever before,” he said. “Our clients have had to work around reductions in event and marketing team headcount, permanent or still furloughed, and budgets, which all means they rely more on their agencies to help them ramp up to deliver a full calendar of projects.”
He added: “It does mean the agencies that really deliver on creativity, brand guardianship and efficiencies together will engage audiences and meet business objectives on the one hand, and help clients synergise their spend in a more competitive market in the future on the other.”
Dealing with Covid-19 uncertainty
As for the current mood among Strata’s clients with regards to a return to live, Cattle said: “Every channel in marketing is diluted and live remains among the purest and most impactful – they know – they feel – the value of face to face as well as we do, hence the strong appetite for returning to it.
“However they are struggling with Covid uncertainty still, which we as an industry have to help them navigate, and a keener focus on spend – which again, we have to prove value, with robust metrics, efficiencies, and greater amplification to demonstrate ROI to equal digital and other marketing channels.”
