Interview |
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part of our economy and communities
All the changes allow us to serve our clients today and to scale up as their business demands change .
How quickly do you think live events will come back and where do you see the opportunities arising as the industry restarts ? The short answer : it depends . It depends on the industry , the company , and the audience . In North America and APAC , we are currently producing live events for some industries where face-to-face makes sense . We also continue to produce digital events and hybrid programmes in other industries that have a more riskaverse audience segment .
Due to the variance across industries , 2021 will be a ‘ bridge year ’, and 2022 will be the beginning of the new normal . For example , our Freeman Event Research shows that over two-thirds of those surveyed plan to attend in-person events by the fall of 2021 . And as vaccines become more available , I expect positive sentiment to increase .
As events do return , we see a great opportunity for more personalised and targeted attendee experiences , which will be more intimate with regional gatherings initially . We expect to move away from the idea of live as a moment in time and space . Instead , we see an ongoing , multi-platform conversation that delivers greater value and deeper connections . And with event format innovation , we ’ ll see new opportunities for attendee satisfaction and partnerships .
Crisis breeds invention . What have you seen over the last nine months that supports this phrase ? The necessity of reinventing events to transition to an online , virtual experience has meant a dive into digital and has caused us all to become more comfortable and , for Freeman , more diversified in our expertise with the medium .
Many of our customers reinvented their events amidst the crisis and
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delivered fantastic experiences . One of the most exciting event reinventions was the transformation of Meeting Planners International ’ s ( MPI ) World Education Congress from fully inperson to a hybrid format . MPI set out to boldly host a four-day hybrid event with no pre-recorded content and an online experience that matched or beat its physical counterpart – and they did just that ! |
You have received several awards for product technology innovation in the past . What kind of products can we expect to see coming on to the events market in 2021 / 22 and which areas will Freeman be concentrating on ? Freeman will continue to invest in its full-service agency which includes strategy , data , design , and business innovation .
And this year we launched Freeman Event Research to provide actionable insights based on data from a network of more than one million organisers , exhibitors , brand marketers , and event attendees .
Digital will be an integral part of an integrated engagement strategy that allows attendees to participate and engage on their terms and allowing for an ongoing , year-round conversation .
What skills / product offering gaps has this crisis identified in exhibition organising companies ?
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Left : Janet Dell |
While the event organiser business model has been evolving for some time , the pandemic ’ s impact has rapidly accelerated its disruption . Organisers have to find new ways to diversify their revenue streams , build community through new mediums and integrate digital into their longterm strategy .
It ’ s no secret that an engaged attendee is the key to an event ’ s success , so organisers must build their event strategies around this goal .
What are your targets for the next few years , both for Freeman and for your personal career path ? Our goal is to be the number one place for our customers and for talent . Global growth is a great example of how we are working towards this as the pace and growth trajectory of our agency team in EMEA has shown no bounds by winning and delivering business throughout the pandemic . The powerhouse team , which includes key new players such as Trin Basra , executive creative director from George P . Johnson ; Tasha Barnes , brand experience director previously with BrandFuel , and Crispin Bolt , strategic business director from TRO , are helping to drive innovation and lead the way on designing moments that matter .
Our intent at Freeman is to return on the other side of the pandemic stronger than ever . We know there will be no ‘ flip of a switch ’ to go back to live and there is no going back to event formats exactly as they were before . Getting back to live means moving forward with new and innovative approaches we ’ ve tried and learned from during this pandemic period of reinvention .
As for me , my goal is to make a meaningful impact on this industry . Ironically perhaps , the pandemic has given me and Freeman this unique opportunity to change how we work to connect our customers to their most important audiences . I look forward to what is to come as we create moments that matter .
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