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Event Planning and Marketing

Event Planning and Marketing

2021 Events: The Best Laid Plans…

3 Dec 2020 | JR Sherman | 3 minutes

Planning your 2021 events?  As the old adage goes, the best-laid plans…well, you know the rest.

As marketing teams begin to plan their 2021 events, the ‘pivotal’ question we’re continually asked is, ‘when will physical events return?’ Based on results from our State of Events 2021 study and hundreds of interactions, we are hearing a range of responses—from ‘next spring’ to ‘never.’

Let’s be honest about what’s really driving this variation in response. We have been living through a time where we barely feel comfortable predicting tomorrow, next week, or next month, let alone next year. To say that 2020 was an unprecedented year would be an understatement, and leaders are now vacillating on their confidence in 2021.

Aside from the variations and trepidation, volumes of feedback and data suggest most organizations plan on a safe return to physical events by mid-2021. While they may not draw the same 40,000 attendees they have traditionally, we estimate they will draw upwards of 65-85% of those numbers. Organizations planning to run physical events earlier on will require the flexibility to pivot them as conditions arise. That being said, we find that these teams tend to be more tied to deposits on venues and F&B, rather than technology choices.

Will 2021 Events Be Digital First?

The next thing we often get asked is, ‘will virtual now become the dominant platform?’ Virtual events have forced the convergence of marketing and events, and audiences have come to expect personalized experiences—which are easier to get online. We must keep in mind that behind the entire events industry is human nature. Our nature will drive people to gather, and that’s not changing any time soon.

Many people are still viewing future events as a binary decision of virtual or physical experiences, but leading marketing teams realize it is now the optimal combination of the two that will attract and engage their target audiences. In fact, with the proper tuning personalized experiences not only get better, they become efficient. With augmented access leading up to a physical conference, you can now choose content to consume, add virtual meetings to your schedule digitally, plan who you’d like to meet with onsite, determine which sessions you’d like to consume in-person, and plan to return post-event to view sessions and engage exhibitors you couldn’t get to onsite. Through the enhanced flexibility of our platform, marketing events now offer engaging personalized experiences with delivery environments that suit the preferences of every participant.

So as you plan for your 2021 events, keep in mind that with RainFocus, we’ve got your best-laid plans covered—no matter the circumstances. We deliver the built-in flexibility to confidently pivot as needed and capitalize on opportunities for maximum personalization and relevance for your audiences. With RainFocus, you offer audiences the most innovative and agile platform for augmented engagement with your brand.

Learn more about the flexibility of RainFocus’ All-In-One Event Marketing and Management Platform here.