It is now clear that the pandemic has not been the temporary disruption followed by a quick return to normal that we thought it would be 18 months ago. But in terms of business events, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the future of events for the rest of 2021 and beyond.
Traditional events
We’re all still adapting to an evolving situation, but many of us have now accepted that we’re not going to return to the same model of trade shows, exhibitions, conferences, or any other B2B/B2C events any more than we’re going to return to dial-up broadband or video recorders. It’s a change that was already happening, but the last 18 months have forced its acceleration, meaning businesses refusing to be alert and adaptable may get left behind.
There seems to be very little appetite among both businesses and customers to keep events entirely online forever. Where Geiger and our clients are concerned, we understand the benefits that traditional promotional merchandise brings for a brand. It helps to build relations better than any other advertising medium — nearly 80% of people feel appreciated when they get a promotional gift.
Traditional events may be evolving, but the strength of traditional, tangible promotional merchandise has, if anything, increased.
Digital events
Raise your hand if you HAVEN’T participated in a webinar, online conference, product launch or presentation or some other kind of digital event since the beginning of the first lockdown.
We predict that exclusively digital events will probably become less prevalent as time goes on, however they are here to stay in one form or another.
Of course, digital events pose unique challenges where promotional merchandise products are involved. But they can work together very well. For example, businesses can send out pre/-event merchandise as well as post-event, “thank you” merchandise.
Without live, in-person events, the very act of making meaningful, long-lasting connections can be difficult. The challenge of keeping people safe is the number one priority for organisers. But as long as people feel assured of their safety, the majority will still prefer that in-person connection.
Seeing how digital events are now an essential part of the business landscape, a new compromise has emerged — hybrid events.
What are hybrid events?
Hybrid events harness the benefits of human interaction at live events and the wider reach of virtual events. Digital involvement in live events was emerging before 2020, but it’s something that’s has accelerated due to Covid-19 and adapted to something increasingly inventive as people explore its possibilities. In essence, they are traditional events that are also streamed or can be otherwise accessed digitally. This allows for larger attendance where capacity is limited or where people cannot/choose not to attend for reasons of distance, health, scheduling conflicts or anything else.
Hybrid events have great potential, especially because they offer the opportunity to record parts of your event — a keynote speech or a product unveiling — and allow attendees (or those who couldn’t make it to the event) to access them.
Hybrid events and merchandise
Perhaps more than any other kind of event, hybrid events offer multiple opportunities to connect with existing clients, potential customers, and staff using the power of promotional merchandise. Because streaming allows more people to participate in events, ticketing events (either paid or for free) gives you the chance to send out welcome packs. This comes with the greater potential to market your brand to a more targeted audience before an event even begins.
Hybrid events provide two ways of connecting with people: physically and digitally. If you’re planning on gifting promotional merchandise, then those physically present can get it there, whilst with some pre-planning, those attending digitally can claim their merchandise on a specially designed pop-up webshop that we can build and run for you in-house. Please refer to our Kitting post, where you can explore our in-house solutions for delivering your merchandise directly to your clients’ doors.
We can help!
At Geiger, every aspect of promotional merchandise is our bread and butter. From the merchandise itself to webshops; from design to decoration; from storage to delivery. No matter what kind of event you’re planning, we’re your one-stop-shop. Reach out to us at [email protected] for a chat!
