A Conclusion
Not surprisingly, new research tells us that in-person meetings and conventions are something that 83% of Americans miss. Trina Camacho-London, Vice President of Global Group Sales at Hyatt Hotels Corporation and MMBC says: “Research proves what many of us have long suspected to be true. Our collective experience of physical distancing has us craving the day that we can all come together again and meet in person." Our disrupted lives will indeed never be the same, but irrevocably changed; however we will enter into this "Next Normal" invigorated, transformed, and ready to connect again.
As a society we will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic as people who rely on digital and "the cloud" more than ever before, but also people who have radically changed ourselves. Those of us who have had the luxury to work from home have massively slowed down our usual hectic lives; many of us have had some time to reconnect with our families, and have revisited our own personal goals. Shana Sissel, Chief Investment Officer of Spotlight Asset Group recently told InsideETFs about an unexpected benefit from the current crisis: "This has caused people to have to slow down...I almost feel like I'm connecting more to people that I took for granted before."
One of the biggest things that COVID-19 has exposed are the flaws in our global supply chain systems - shown most dramatically in global healthcare workers in some of the wealthiest countries in the world being "dangerously ill-equipped" to deal with the crisis. However, almost overnight we saw corporations, groups and individuals step up to deal with the challenges. It's this proud legacy of hands-on problem solving and innovation we can take into our "next normal"; and as Wolfgang Lehmacher explains (on the next page), those companies that invest in the best talent and technology will come out on top.
Various safeguards will be coming into offices in new an innovative ways as we slowly return. For those companies who have employees on site, more than half of all respondents surveyed stated that measures were implemented such as hand sanitizing stations (85%), additional cleaning (71%), protective clothing (70%), or restricted access to communal spaces (59%). We will be bringing our new, most likely masked, selves into our sanitized, medically monitored and socially distanced office spaces. Othman Loraki, CEO of Color explained the situation to Protocol: "This is literally the first time in human history where we're going to try to reintroduce 350 million people back into the workforce amidst an infectious disease that we are trying to suppress". The World Health Organization has guidance on "Getting Your Workplace Ready for COVID-19" here.
Our parent company Informa has collaborated with association partners and peers including venues, suppliers, contractors and health, government and local authorities to develop industry-wide Informa AllSecure standards that raise the bar on safe, hygienic, productive and high-quality organised event experiences.
It means that when exhibitors, speakers, sponsors and attendees come to our events, they can connect, learn, know more and do more business, effectively, safely and with confidence. All Informa events will be run according to official government and local authority guidance in the first instance, as well as any venue or location-specific regulations. In addition, all Informa events around the world, irrespective of format or location, will follow the ten Informa AllSecure priority commitments which include: enhanced cleaning, personal hygiene, non-contact registration, avoidance of physical contact with physical distancing including at food and beverage stations, use of PPE.
Additionally all Informa events will have access to a qualified first aider and a separate quarantine area if possible. All Informa events will follow relevant health authority guidance on screening participants. This may include checking the temperatures of everyone on entry, through thermal scanning or other screening processes. Lastly, should it be necessary, all Informa events will work with local authorities to trace and contact participants at our events, subject to local privacy regulations.
As we are revisiting our own personal goals we are also reinventing our business strategies. Whether you are management or entry level, there is no one in business who is not right now reevaluating what they do for their companies and their customers. Wolfgang Lehmacher advises large companies look to startups for inspiration in his article: "How startup power can eliminate pain points in the time of pandemic" explaining how startups are helping the business world through this pandemic with everything from assistance to working from home to cybersecurity and innovative supply chain solutions.
Annobio Morelix takes it a step further, calling the post-pandemic economy “The Great Reboot” reminding us in Inc. that “half of the Fortune 500 companies started during a contraction, and… more than 50 unicorns started in the Great Recession”. He recommends that businesses “take advantage of the opportunities in complements and substitutes” that this reboot has to offer. CNBC even offers this inspiration to would-be entrepreneurs: "it might not be such a crazy idea to start a company right now" and the "coronavirus pandemic is in many ways serving as a 'catalyst to creation'”. This HBS Working Knowledge blog explored some of the ways companies are applying innovation - from "Just Walk Out" technology "that combines computer vision and AI to bill customers directly as they walk out of the store" to museums and galleries continuing their arts' mission through online engagement.
At Informa Connect we're learning from our customers and innovating, on a daily basis. This can been seen in the work our teams are doing to connect with digitally with our audiences in new and different ways. In just 16 days, Informa Connect's EBD Group transformed what would have been a Paris conference to a digital solution for their BIO-Europe® Spring event. This fall our cutting edge Biotech Week Boston events (including Bioprocessing International, BioPharm America™ and more) are all offered virtually. The BioPharm America™ site describes their optimized digital event with "scheduled virtual partnering meetings, recorded content, some live sessions and virtual networking opportunities during the week of September 21–24. Company pitches and program sessions, as well as enhanced Sponsor and Showcase Company content will be available to compliment your partnering preparations. On demand content will be released up to 3 weeks prior to the event. Tune in no matter where you are based and engage with content without interrupting your busy partnering schedule during the main event week."
In the Harvard Business Review Article "Shift Your Organization from Panic to Purpose" the authors explain that "this moment provides a rare chance to reflect on why we’re in business to begin with." They continue: "There may never be a better time to activate in this way. For once, leaders can boldly let brand purpose drive business decisions."
