Congrex: “Virtual events have the potential to reach an unprecedented audience”

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3rd Nov, 2020
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A group of association and congress experts, Congrex Switzerland organises and manages conferences all over the world with multifunctional services for events of all sizes and shapes. Since the beginning of March, they have formed a team of 12 specialists in virtual exhibitions anticipating the ongoing trend that foreshadows an increase in hybrid meetings. HQ interviewed Silvano Schär, Congrex Switzerland’s head of sales and marketing.


Headquarters: The shift brought by COVID-19 has also tested congresses’ format and concept. How has your way of organising a congress changed after the pandemic?

Silvano Schär (in the photo): With the restrictions on international travel and large gatherings, virtual and hybrid meetings have become the new standard, so we have put a lot of effort into redesigning the conference experience. A new approach was needed, taking into account both the limitations and advantages of virtual events, while striving to offer the same value to everyone involved. Online participants expect to engage with exhibitors and fellow conference attendees as they would at a real-world conference. If they are not able to do this, we risk losing them. Therefore, the programme needs to be built with elegant presentations that hold the attention and engage viewers. There is currently no shortage of technical solutions available to host a successful virtual congress, but the challenge was to identify which ones are the best for our participants, exhibitors, sponsors and faculty. It is not enough to have everything look professional - we must also offer a compelling online experience, which is user-friendly and works in parts of the world where internet quality isn’t the best.


HQ: As a PCO of great reputation with an excellent customer base, do you feel you were thrown into this virtual world too soon? Or have you already been carrying this technological transition for a while?

SS: Hybrid and virtual meetings are actually not a new thing, but before the coronavirus pandemic the interest in these kinds of events was relatively low. The events of 2020 and the disruption in the business events industry have forced us to accelerate what was already a slowly growing trend. I do not believe that this is the end of live events. I believe that there are many who feel that virtual meetings can never provide the same emotional experience as a conference in a real-world location. Nevertheless, virtual and hybrid events have the potential to reach an audience we were not able to reach before. Virtual exhibitions were a new development for us. In early March of 2020, we started training 12 people in our staff to use virtual exhibition software, which can be used to create online exhibitions and congresses. This involved a period of very intensive study for our team, learning to use the new software at very short notice. Our people are highly motivated and these new systems are now up and running.


HQ: Congrex also maintains strong professional ties with associations providing administration and membership services within your framework of expertise. As far as you are aware, what is the state of play of associations in these adverse times?

SS: The current situation has caused and will continue to cause a lot of uncertainty and it has of course been a very difficult time for all concerned. For most associations organising their annual meeting is not the only reason they exist. They are engaged in lots of other activities that need to be financed. Some associations depend completely on the revenue of their annual congress to finance their activities throughout the year. This means that the current situation may threaten their very existence. From the associations I deal with, I have seen a great interest in virtual solutions, which can offer so many new possibilities, providing education and knowledge sharing during the whole year, as well as potentially creating new revenue streams. Associations are currently very open to trying new ideas and new ways of providing for the needs of their members.


HQ: In terms of corporate responsibility, do you consider that the praxis around sustainability, green innovation and environment-friendly management will become a definitive rule in the advent of this crisis? Or is this still an optimistic view?

SS: I hope so. I think it depends on whether travel behaviour has permanently changed or if things will eventually return to the way they were before. The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that we can successfully organise and participate in online meetings, and I believe that for some meetings this will be the preferred format for the near future. Given the success of the virtual meetings, it becomes harder to justify flying half way around the globe to deliver a 20 minute presentation, when we can connect with a worldwide audience from our own home or office.


HQ: With the great policies of our time mixed with the futuristic evidence of the hybrid event or the AI meeting, at what stage are destinations in this unbridled race for technology and sustainability? Are we prepared for what is coming?

SS: If you look at all the webinars that have taken place in the last couple of months on this topic, I believe it is proof that destinations and venues have a great interest in what changes the future will bring. I believe we all need to work together, talk together and develop new concepts for the future together - including associations, venues, destinations and PCOs. Some destinations reacted swiftly and organised excellent webinars, where best practices and the needs of the different participants were discussed. Everyone will have to keep an open mind regarding the future and some will be forced to leave their comfort zone.
 

HQ: Congrex recently published a white paper on the challenges and opportunities for a 21st century association. How can you summarise these different points of discussion?

SS: The coronavirus pandemic has severely disrupted the events industry and forced many associations to either cancel, relocate, postpone or adapt their conference into a virtual or hybrid meeting. Our white paper explains how to handle these extraordinary situations, what needs to be focused on and what you need to keep in mind. In addition, it contains an explanation of the different types of online events, because all of them require a particular strategy to guarantee optimal delivery and engagement. Finally, new risks need to be considered and new questions need to be answered. A hybrid event must have a back up plan if things don’t go entirely to plan.


For More Info: 
Email: info@congrex.com
Website: www.congrex.com

Article included in our HQ#97 edition (October 2020)

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Supported by the Union of International Associations (UIA), the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and the Interel Group, the global public affairs and association management consultancy, Headquarters Magazines serve the needs of international associations organising worldwide congresses.