Fall 2020
If we’ve just been waiting for the COVID-19 crisis to pass to go back to business as usual, we’ve missed a rare opportunity to see our lives and our work in a new light. Here are some ways our world has changed and what we hope will stick once the pandemic is behind us.
Cover illustration by Sarah Coleman
view digital edition special edition subscribePandemic Pastimes: How Hobbies Help Us Deal with Stress
Many have turned to hobbies as a way to cope with quarantining. And that, neuroscientists and mental health professionals tell us, provides many lasting benefits beyond serving as a distraction during the crisis.
5 Questions About Race — Asked and Answered by Black Tourism Professionals
Black executives from seven destination marketing organizations across the country call for open dialogue about race and racism.
Talking to Strangers in a Pandemic
Meet Cart maven Emily Hope Dobkin, founder of a company called Betterish, brings people together by having them share their stories in online sessions.
What Won’t Change
The pandemic has shifted our work and life priorities. Here are some things we’ve started doing while stuck at home that we plan on sticking with.
Reskilling and Rethinking to Ride Out ‘Titanic Shifts’
As we make our way out of COVID-19, the business events industry must prepare with new skills and by understanding and embracing new business models.
Rethinking Restaurants in a Pandemic
When indoor dining fell victim to COVID-19, some chefs and restaurant owners pivoted to preparing meals for the food insecure — and will make that part of their business model when the crisis is over.
An Epidemic of COVID-Related Waste
Measures to tamp down the pandemic have halted the movement to make F&B serviceware more sustainable.
Will the Pandemic Change How We Look at Mental Health?
As more studies show that Americans are experiencing feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression caused by the COVID-19 crisis, some hope it will bring mental health issues into the spotlight.
The Freedom of Remote Work for People with Disabilities
Virtual setups — in the office and at meetings — provide many people with disabilities more opportunities to work, learn, and participate. Here are five ways to ensure your digital events are accessible for participants with special needs.
Roping in a Global Audience
When an Oklahoma City cowboy museum closed its doors to visitors in March due to the pandemic, it found a social media star on the premises to keep its audience engaged.
Smile! How a Photo-Booth Rental Company Reinvented Itself
When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened SnapBar’s bread-and-butter business as an events supplier, its founders pivoted to creating city-specific gift boxes which led them back to events.
‘A Foundation of Values:’ Nightclub-Turned-Event Space Sends Message
Founders of the 74Wythe space in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood install mural celebrating New York CIty’s pandemic-time heroes, but commitment to social issues goes deeper than surface.
Why Expos Don’t Convert Well to Virtual
The exhibit revenue model is based on selling real estate — the larger the lot and better the location, the more we can charge our anchor exhibitors. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate well to the virtual space.
Meals on Wheels
Virtual attendees at the 3rd Annual Food on Demand Conference sought guidance on how to manage the cost of using delivery services with their business so severely impacted by COVID-19.
Risha Grant on Inclusion: ‘Wade Right Into Your BS’
Diversity is not a problem — it’s a strength, says entrepreneur and speaker Risha Grant. “Inclusion,” she said, “is where we suck.”
Thinking Inside the Box
How one virtual conference broke up a full day of screen-gazing with an “experience box” that had been delivered to participants’ homes, containing items to be unveiled at particular times during the day-long event.
A Hybrid Event Playbook for 2021
The good news is you have more control over your next event than you may think. But you need to develop a strategy.
We’re in This Together: ‘Sharing Risk in Highly Uncertain Times’
Panelists at a recent PCMA webinar agreed that all stakeholders — planners and suppliers — have to work together during this uncertain time and get innovative with business models. Here’s how a cartoon set the tone.
More Than Child’s Play: The Toy Association Launches Three Virtual Market Weeks
The Toy Association offers an affordable digital alternative to an in-person event, bringing together toy manufacturers (sellers) with specialty retailers (buyers) before the 2020 holiday season.
‘Surviving to the Other Side’
How the Live Events Coalition is lobbying for federal support for 12 million live events industry workers.
More Planners Than Suppliers See Hybrid Events as Most Likely Recovery Scenario
In the sixth in Convene’s COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard series, planners and suppliers are predicting the pandemic’s economic fallout will have a deeper impact in 2021 than previously thought and are honing their digital event design and marketing skills.
A 24-Hour Virtual Event Attracts Attendees From Around the Globe
One association turned its virtual event into a 24-hour marathon — and some engaged attendees pulled all-nighters.
8 Marketing Lessons Learned From Taking Events Online
The shift to digital sweeping the meetings industry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that virtual events require a different marketing approach than live events. Here’s what the last four months have taught the industry.