GENERATION INNOVATION
Narmeen Kamran , event director at Desert Island Events , shares her views on how the event landscape has changed and what matters in a post-pandemic world
o any of us really know what we are doing ? The event landscape has been ever-changing for the past 18 months and as event buyers and producers our needs are changing at pace . While most of us went online , the virtual space and social media sites were inundated with thoughts and opinions . This , for me and many others , has culminated in a saturation of frustrations , campaigns and , most of all , events , webinars , and conversations about the industry . If you are like me , you are probably feeling a little ‘ Zoomed out ’. Yes , even if we ’ re not on video calls , being ‘ Zoomed out ’ has become the buzzword of the age , and I for one can ’ t wait to put that to bed .
Putting Zoom to bed will be the greatest change we can make . Is this something against virtual events as a whole ? Absolutely not , virtual events have solidified their need and standing in our industry ,
“ We have started thinking more creatively than ever before with a big focus on tech and experience . Let ’ s keep doing that because it only betters the industry overall .”
Narmeen Kamran
but we ’ ve had too much in such a short space of time that for one moment I questioned whether this was the future of our industry , and did I want a part of it .
What are we looking for in the future ?
Stay calm , but prepared
We have been faced with uncertainty for over a year with reopening dates and Covid restrictions . However , we cannot accurately predict what is to come . Instead , we should save ourselves the stress and our mental wellbeing surrounding this issue and stay calm . As event planners , even pre-Covid , we are used to dealing with changes so nothing has changed too much , we ’ re just dealing with new uncertainty . We always have backup plans , there is always a solution so stay calm , logical , and prepared .
Communication and relationships
It ’ s no secret that communication is key , between us , clients , and suppliers . Having open discussions allows everyone to best prepare for all eventualities on their side . Remember talking about back-up