What's next in live communication?

Is it a coincidence or a smart strategy that I receive the Freshbox.ch newsletter again after a long break? I tend towards the second, now, at a time when food delivery services will be among the winners.

On March 13, Viktor Calabrò of Coople said in an interview with Expodata Live Communication, that they were already in the planning of the upward trend. This inspired us to provide an outlook on how live communications companies can deal with the current situation.

On LinkedIn on March 9, trade show professional Marco Giberti says in his essay "Before and after the corona virus," it's imperative that the live communications industry view technology as a savior, not a challenge. Those who think and act now in the right way stand a chance of not only getting their company by, but of using the current situation to address long-needed changes. Digital transformation will play a key role in this. But not exclusively.

Fairs and events and all events are now not possible until at least April 19. Probably well beyond that. What alternative opportunities can companies take now to prepare for the post-Corona era - and invest the current, changed time in planning an expanded business model?

Service providers in audiovisual media: They will be the winners of the digital transformation accelerated by Corona. Because their core business already functions digitally and in part independently of live events. And because live streaming (image: Habegger), as a replacement for face-to-face meetings, will become a megatrend for entire industries that are transforming themselves, such as education at schools and universities.

Trade fair construction: Where there are no trade fairs and events, the business field of permanent architecture offers itself: Shopfitting, shop-in-shop, shopping centers, museums, permanent buildings, customer centers, lobbies, the real estate industry.

Event agencies: if no live events can take place, the answer can only be to conduct events online, as the board meeting of Expo Event Swiss Live Com Association held on Monday. Live events are becoming more and more digital in their logistical and administrative extension, the offers to flank an event with digital tools are mushrooming. They are here, they are inexhaustible and they are often free.

In the future, according to Corona, many (most?) industries will have realized that you don't have to meet in person and travel for everything and anything. In the future, therefore, it will be part of an event agency's core business that they offer online extensions and, in some cases, online replacements for live events. They are the industry that will be most dramatically affected by the digital transformation that is currently being accelerated by Corona.

Trade show organizers: Trade shows have ignored digital transformation for the last twenty years. Unlike new-economy companies like Uber (or the Uber delivery service Uber Eats), they are just getting started. For trade show organizers and event agencies alike, if they don't quickly catch up in community building digitally, they'll be overtaken by tech companies from outside the industry on the right. Exhibitor Ledvance has responded to the Corona situation and, together with the live communications agency BachmannKern, created an "online trade fair" (admittedly a not precise term) in five days. That, the technology, if not the speed, will become the benchmark.

When can we all get back to the daily grind?

Will the live communications business ever be the same? No. Will it become more reduced? No, it will be different. When can we get back to the daily grind? Maybe sooner than we think today. And we can already work towards that today.

Corona has brought to light and accentuated existing facts such as outdated business models, obsolete industries, new target groups with different behaviors, new communication and distribution channels such as social networks, also in B2B business (as in many other industries). It will accelerate long needed changes now.

There is no question that transformation can only be achieved with additional effort. But those who demonstrate steadfastness, conviction and drive can hope for a better future. The chances are that such companies will be among the winners of the transformation accelerated by Corona and digitality. This is what is meant by "crises as opportunities.

We've said it time and time again: digital won't replace live events, of course. It will make face-to-face meetings even more valuable, the Olympics of marketing. But digital will help take live communication to the next level. Mario Giberti says on his LinkedIn blog: "I see this crisis as a huge opportunity for the live communications industry to finally embrace technology to improve the famous customer journey, experience and return-on-investment for everyone."

Assistance for the live communication industry

Members of Expo Event Swiss Live Com Association are entitled to receive verbal advice from the Centre Patronal on labor and social security issues, as well as explicitly on issues related to short-time work that arise due to the coronavirus, if required. Registration at 058 796 99 54, from 8 am to 5 pm. The costs for the initial telephone consultation are covered by the association.

The Event Management Circle conducts a chat on Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m., where the burning questions can be put to legal experts. They can be submitted in the live chat and attorney Metz will answer them immediately. The complete chat proceedings will subsequently be made available to everyone on the Event Management Circle channels.