In this session, Jack Saward, managing director of Saward Marketing & Events and Neil Thompson, founder and MD of The Delegate Wranglers, is joined by a panel of senior eventprofs from the DW community to discuss how the last 18 months has affected our outlook.
For the past 18 months, the panellists agreed that communication has been key. As an industry, we have learned to communicate differently. This has ultimately “cemented relationships” with colleagues and other eventprofs.
Asides from communication, the pandemic has taught eventprofs to be kinder to themselves and to others. We have seen an increase in kindness, compassion and commitment which has led to a more collaborative approach.
The future
The panellists stated that the value of face to face meetings should never be underestimated. Face to face meetings has a major impact on mental health and the general wellbeing of individuals. They also stated that getting out key messages is crucial, and there is no better medium to do that than by face to face.
Another topic that was discussed is hybrid events. The panellists believe this will “always be an option” and it’s important to remember it has “always been there. We’re using the terminology differently, but fundamentally what we’re using hasn’t changed at all.”
Saward said: “We are resilient as an industry. We’ll have the right people, we’ll invest in the talent coming through and we’ll move forward.” Overall, we will build back stronger and do things differently.
