Having personally been affected by this in recent times, I know just how dangerous Covid can be and how it can change lives in the blink of an eye.
According to the ONS, an estimated 2.3 million people or 1 in 30 has the virus in the UK last week, a rise of 32% on the week before. From a personal perspective, my #charity#fundraising team at GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL EVENTS LIMITED, retuned from the outdoor event with almost 25% of the team going down with the virus! This same percentage (25% infection) was reflected within another charity group my sister works with, and she too is currently laid low with the virus.
So what does this mean for our sector and indeed the wider business community? With infection rates rapidly increasing in the summer months (we have literally just passed mid-summer), how are we going to cope with the winter months, as we all head indoors for events? It would be interesting to get your thoughts in the chat below....
The feedback from guests to our stand this week at The Meetings Show was interesting, with many now considering their virtual options once again following a period of #inpersonevent hedonism. We picked up a number of lovely enquiries for Intelligo and Vii, as well as interest for our live event and support service partners.
The other question I have, is how will the virtual platforms cope if there is indeed a sudden swing back to virtual? Many of the big heavily invested names are laying off staff at the moment. Will they find themselves in the same position as the in-person sector found itself when live returned? ....with too much demand and not enough resource to facilitate the operation? As #eventplanners, make sure you are not left to fend for yourselves! and you have support in place, when? / if? the time comes!
Interesting and yet challenging times indeed.....I have a feeling the 'Big Reset' may take a bit of time to settle down into a pattern of normality.