Events Planners Postpone to 4th Quarter, Go Virtual in the Meantime

The meetings and events industry took another hit this week as economic giants U.S., UK, and Canada joined other nations in enacting stricter restrictions on travel and recommending social distancing and limitations on the size of gatherings. Large, live gatherings in the near future are as impracticable as they are irresponsible.

The industry is looking past an increasingly risky summer at a possible recovery from the economic spiral in the fourth quarter of 2020, and event professionals must brace for impact as they head toward what, in the best case scenario, will be an extremely busy season.

Meanwhile, adaptable event planners searching for a temporary respite from the costs of cancellation are pivoting to virtual events and engagement — a sorely underutilized avenue that started to gain popularity during the rise of sustainability and, consequently, flight shaming.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at [email protected].

— Dylan Monorchio, Events Editor

For updates on the outbreak, see the Skift LiveBlog: Coronavirus and the Travel Industry

The Future of Meetings and Events

What Is Going to Happen to All Postponed Events? The events industry is living through one of the most difficult times of its existence. The coronavirus outbreak has forced an incredible number of events to be postponed. But postponed until when? And what will happen in the fourth quarter of 2020?

No, It’s Not Fine to Keep Hosting Live Events: Mixed messages are still coming from the industry about the safety of meetings and traveling despite travel bans and national emergencies that have led to lockdowns. It’s time to take responsibility for our industry and cancel your meeting.

Travel Megatrends 2020: Data’s Breakthrough for Events: All-in-one software doesn’t just simplify the event planning process. It transforms the way planners track and learn from events. How these all-in-one tools evolve is starting to shape the future of the meetings industry.

Around the Industry

The Day the World Stopped Traveling: A Letter From Skift’s Founder: Travel is the most consequential industry in the world, as the world is now finding out due to lack of travel. Skift aims to be the most consequential company deciphering this and the path ahead. Support our work.

Tripadvisor’s Controlling Shareholder Gets $325 Million Investment From Certares: This deal between Liberty Tripadvisor and Certares Management ensures that Tripadvisor won’t be shedding its controlling shareholder anytime soon. With Liberty Tripadvisor paying off debt, it will now be charged with ensuring that its namesake Tripadvisor has a viable future, as well, once the coronavirus crisis passes.

After the Virus: 10 Consumer Trends for a Post-Coronavirus World: Which trends looked years away from the mainstream — and so were easy to ignore — but now feel primed to become totally normal in a matter of months, if not weeks? Our friends at TrendWatching analyze.

The Best of EventMB

The Best of EventMB is our newest section, giving you a look into key content from EventMB, whether it be reports, articles, or resources for planners. EventMB joined the Skift family in September and is the largest online media resource for trends, technology, innovation, and education in the events industry.

The Show Must Go On: Rethinking Event Risk Assessment: As event trade associations mobilize to protect the future of the industry and instil confidence in events, we take a critical look at their efforts in the context of the coronavirus crisis.

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Events Editor Dylan Monorchio [[email protected]] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.