8 Association View
TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES
Emma Duffy , co-chair , ABPCO , details how geopolitical challenges can bring out the best in the events industry
t seems to be the nature of our industry that we lurch from one challenge to another . Whether it is terror , Y2K , ash-clouds , GDPR , pandemics or financial downturns , there always seems to be something getting in the way of making event organising simple . On the flip side , these can be balanced by so many positives : technical integrations , financial upturns , remote working , personalisation , growing awareness of DEI , scientific and medical advancements .
The real challenge is keeping the positives in-sight and making the most of them instead of worrying about a looming disaster , that often isn ’ t as bad as it could have been – or at the very least , contains a silver lining . Covid-19 is a great example : though a devastating experience at the time , it did allow us to rapidly get to grips with and deploy both digital and hybrid event concepts .
However , it turns out that for many , neither hybrid nor digital are an effective replacement for the in-person experience , as they don ’ t allow for so many nuances when it comes to communication and interaction . So , we have responded with a return to face-to-face events wherever it makes sense to do so . That is the most fundamental part of learning isn ’ t it ? Trying something and seeing if it works , and if not , trying something else until you find the thing that is right for a given situation .
Of course , the challenges presented by the current economic crisis have cast a shadow over the work of so many in the industry , with profound implications for the sponsors and attendees of our events , along with the associations they support . With reduced budgets , sponsors are seeking cost-effective ways to maintain their presence , attendees are constrained in their ability to spend on conference participation , leading to a notable decline in sponsors and conference registrations amongst the many events run by the ABPCO membership . As a result , our associations are facing a strain on their income , which ultimately affects their capacity to develop effective learning and development programs , which they tend to deliver via events .
This all means that there has never been a more important time www . conference-news . co . uk