MAY | THE COLUMNISTS
This month’s Access
columnists weigh
in on Viagogo’s
ticketing troubles,
how brands can
connect during
lockdown, and what
to wear while working
from home.
Innovate to survive
Carl-Erik Moberg, Co-founder at
TicketCo Connecting in lockdown
Simon Richardson, Creative
Strategist, Amplify Business…from the waist up
James Morgan, Founder, Event
Tech Lab
The event and ticketing industries
are facing their biggest challenge
in living memory. Companies are
reeling amid the Covid-19 lockdown,
and revenues are drying up. Already
we are witnessing the signs of
change.
News recently emerged that the
Competition and Markets Authority
has launched an investigation
into Viagogo’s £3.2bn purchase of
ticket resale website Stubhub. It
comes amid online rumours that
Stubhub’s future was under threat,
after it asked the US government
for financial support. Ticket
resellers have attracted criticism in
the past for enabling tickets to be
sold for high mark-ups.
It remains to be seen what impact
the actions of these two major
players in the sector will have on
the industry and what the wider
implications of Covid-19 will be.
Unfortunately, it is likely that some
event organisers and ticketing
suppliers will not survive the crisis.
The ability to innovate and
adapt is vital to surviving in the
short term, and flourishing in the
medium to long term. It is often
start-ups, scale-ups and tech firms
that are the most nimble and able to
adjust to the market the quickest.
Innovation and creativity are
what makes the events industry
such a wonderful sector. And it is
innovation and creativity that is
required now to adapt, survive and
thrive. With the world in lockdown, brands
everywhere are clamouring for
ways to stay noisy. Mass event
cancellations have left the events
industry in limbo. IRL events,
whether festivals or trips to the
local, are a major part of our societal
fabric. They form a significant
chunk of our identity.
So what happens when they
disappear en masse? How are
brands supposed to build those
real connections with audiences in
the absence of getting up close and
personal with them? Everything
we do now needs to adapt to these
unprecedented times.
What we do for our audiences
needs to help them get through
this crisis. Events that are helping
people with pertinent issues like
mental wellbeing or staying healthy
and connected are the ones that will
come out of this smelling of roses.
The community spirit is just as
important between events. Filling
the void left by the cancellation
of football everywhere, Leyton
Orient of all clubs were the ones
to pull together a massive, Twitch
streamed Fifa tournament. It united
clubs from around the world, from
Accrington Stanley to Ajax.
We’re in a brave new world at the
moment, and no one really knows
how things are going to change
from day-to-day. Be alert to spot a
positive role to play, and ready to
make it happen quickly when you
do. Most or all meetings and events are
taking place online. From regular
internal meetings to external client
meetings and conference calls -
image is still important.
During lockdown you want to
look as professional as possible,
within an appropriate context.
You also want to make sure that
the technology you are using is
optimised. Here are some tips to
make sure you look good online.
Its best to use either a desktop
computer or a laptop. The
connection on an iPad, smartphone
or tablet is not always stable or good
quality. Make sure you have a fast,
stable internet connection in order
to transmit images.
Place the webcam high enough so
that you do not have to look down
or upwards, to avoid the ‘double
chin’ or the ‘dark eye socket’ looks.
Have a look at the shot and make
sure that your eyes are in the top
third of the screen. The backdrop
is also important. Some of the
popular meetings platforms such as
Whereby and Zoom have an option
to add a virtual background.
Turn off distracting background
noises, and choose an appropriate
outfit depending on who you’re
speaking to. A fancy blazer with
sweatpants may be embarrassing if
you suddenly need to stand up and
walk out of the picture frame to get
something. Also – don’t forget to
smile when you introduce yourself!
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