"Continue to step on the gas"
Johannes Plass is on the advisory board of the IAA International Autombilausstellung, which has moved from Frankfurt to Munich. In an interview with Expodata Live Kommunikation, he talks about the future of events and how Mutabor made the transition to the home office painless.
Expodata: What does a Corona day in the life of Johannes Plass and of Mutabor look like in contrast to a previous day?
Johannes Plass: I stay at home, don't travel anymore, all communication is done via teams from Microsoft or the smartphone. You could say that within the space of one trip to Tyrol, I've been put in the work situation that I was very critical of before and whose advantages I'm now gradually realizing.
What are the biggest challenges for Mutabor right now?
It's clear that everything to do with events is very difficult right now. First projects were postponed, then canceled. New things are only coming about with great difficulty. All of this is having a huge impact on our finances. Fortunately, we have other essential business areas besides the live business that are stable. At this point, we have to praise those entrepreneurs who continue to step on the gas.
Will Corona ever settle down and enable business as we were used to? Will it lead to positive transformations, including in the live communications industry?
I think the longing for human exchange will remain. History shows us that. Even after the plague, people came together again in marketplaces, to give a striking example.
We see three main triggers:
There will be a massive change in the way we work. Instead of on-site business meetings, we will hold significantly more digital meetings. What everyone is now learning in the home office will remain in the future. Travel for projects will decrease massively, which can only be welcomed.
Live formats that survive will become much more digital, according to Corona. The digital experience and the digital preparation of exhibition content will become a new branch of live com.
People will decide even more consciously which event they attend in the future. The large and content-rich formats will prosper, B-class events will disappear.
Let's take the example of the auto show, which, like many industry trade shows, is undergoing transformation. Your article in Horizont says the IAA wants to become more of an "exchange platform". You say "towards more thematic exchange and driving experience for all" or "to enter into dialog by strengthening the topic of conferencing". That still sounds a bit like "old economy" to me, like old wine in new wineskins. Surprisingly, I find nothing in the interview about "networking" between exhibitor customers and IAA visitors. Why is that?
The new IAA format focuses on the division of target groups, which previously tended to be given by visitor restrictions, first press, then trade audience, then public. In the future, the dialog is to be pushed by the experts exchanging ideas at a B2B Summit including a conference, while the audience is to have more contact with the future concepts in the Open Space. The whole thing will be linked by a digital layer that brings together the entire exhibition and content offering and will be capable of much more in the future. And a press article is always just an excerpt. I think that the dialog will be greatly promoted by the new concept. Not all details of the new concept have been presented yet, so I can only ask for patience. What is currently being developed between the VDA, Munich and other participants will speak for itself.
Another topic could be the "IAA 365/24/7", an online extension, not replacement, of the trade show 365 days a year. Are such topics in the VDA's field of vision?
The IAA is transforming itself into a platform. This also implies a digital offensive. We certainly have to see how quickly we can achieve this transformation.
How has Mutabor responded to Corona and how can opportunities be generated for Mutabor and the live communications industry?
Well, first and foremost, of course, is the health of our Mutaborians. We all moved to the home office as quickly as possible and owe a lot to our IT at this point. It's fair to say that we moved as far as possible without any problems. The chances for the Live-Com are not the best right now, because currently no one can plan. Only when the virus is defeated and we have the antidote in hand will live formats boom again. The question is how many market players will survive the crisis. That's why I see dazzling future prospects for companies with staying power.
What message do you have for the live communications industry?
It goes on! In 2021.
