Virtual is here to stay
PSP
The events industry has taken a drastic turn this year with businesses across the globe, large and small, feeling the pinch of the pandemic. Meetings and Events was the first industry to stop and will be the last to return, still awaiting an opening date from the UK government.
As the UK is flung back in to a second lockdown, along with many other countries across Europe and further afield, it is clear that it’s going to be a while before business travel, meetings and live events become the norm again.
The pharmaceutical race for a vaccine is well and truly on. This is great news for the meetings and events industry, it provides a glimmer of light at the end of a very long and very dark tunnel; but it won’t be rolled out overnight and there is still a bumpy path ahead for events professionals.
Many industries and businesses are carrying on and pushing forward, some even coming out on top from the rollercoaster ride that 2020 has transported us on. Taking a look at industries such as IT, medical, FMCG, courier services, cleaning and PPE providers, it’s crystal clear that whilst some of us are standing still, others are thriving. With business busier than ever for these industries, yet the majority of staff still working from home, communication has never been more vital.
Whilst many events and communications businesses have sadly had to close their doors in 2020, PSP took a leap in the Spring and decided that it was time to up our virtual events offering and invest in the future.
In our 20th successful year we are proud to be one of the largest independent live events businesses in the UK, delivering technical production and audio visual equipment to around 500 conferences, awards ceremonies, brand activations, product launches, exhibitions and roadshows each year. Virtual interaction always has been part of our business, but historically as an add-on to live events, rather than the key focus.
This year we have transformed our service offering and converted our Birmingham offices in to a new virtual world; now holding 12 in house virtual event streaming studios, 1 large live events studio and a green screen studio, all fully operational and very popular with regular bookings through to next Spring.
Rapid advances in IT and virtual meeting technology have allowed our business to continue to thrive. Every day we are discovering new technologies on the market and great new ways to engage customers, consumers and colleagues.
The world is, more than ever, hungry for live events. We are a species that thrive on the plethora of emotions born out of face to face interaction.
At a time where the light at the end of the live events tunnel is quite faint, the world continues to turn and we continue to communicate, albeit virtually. It will be some time before we are ready to all meet again; before we bump shoulders at a gig, celebrate success at an awards ceremony, or are captivated by a motivational speaker.
We have adapted to the new style of face to face communication and we will continue to listen and grow as meeting technology advances. We are excited to see what else the future brings to the world of virtual interaction and will continue to keep our fingers firmly on that pulse. It’s not the same as live events, we all know that, but virtual is here to stay, and so are PSP.
David Woodcock
PSP