Could the ‘new normal’ actually just end up being – ‘normal’? A new survey of marketing consultants and advertising executives by The 614 Group had astonishing results, where over 51% of marketing professionals expected virtual events to survive further when things return back to
normal.
Even as lockdowns begin to lift across the world, many companies continue the work-from-home model in order to keep their employees safe from the predicted second wave. As this continues strongly for the foreseeable future, we may see an impact on marketing and advertising businesses as they are often reliant on in-person contact and personal relationships in order to fuel creativity and innovation.
The fear starts to set in—weak interpersonal relationships, thus weak business performance. However, as we go on, companies seem to be realizing that they may be able to augment these issues.
Focusing on virtual socialization and networking events can actually help not only maintain those ties, but make them even stronger! They are now focusing more on developing this virtual environment, incorporating online marketing consultants in the mix.
The study found over 64% of people think virtual events are a great way to meet potential partners and generate leads. The unique platform would allow people from all over the world to join in, allowing a wider network to engage with. Global virtual events are an unmarked territory, and we seem to be slowly learning the vast benefits.
Well-curated virtual events would manage to bring together the heart of the business, keeping up morale as everyone navigates this unpredictable terrain. 27% of professionals expect attendance at in-person events to actually be lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Product demonstrations, research, focus groups, all strongly benefit from such a striking change. Why learn from 1 manager or supervisor when you’ll have access to hundreds, as they all put up workshops and masterclasses for budding professionals to learn from. Turns out, only 10% of people miss in-person access to their boss, while over 21% miss short conversations with their coworkers, as they cultivate relationships in the workplace.
People seem to mainly reminisce of the carefree times with their colleagues, and the social interaction – a very basic need of humans for survival. At the end of the day, marketing professionals are still learning – and as they gain better insight on the potential, this could lead to enduring changes to what business events look like.
The global corporate environment is forced to undergo massive innovation in such a short period of time. It’s the valuable insight gained during this rigorous experimentation period that could end up drastically changing the working landscape – for the better.
