Should We Want to Get Back to “Normal”
Written by Katie K Riggs
It is no secret that it has been an interesting and challenging 18 months for the meeting, event, and hospitality industries. We are very tired of terms like “new normal,” “pivot,” and “unprecedented.” We’ve endured months of meetings and events that went from postponed to ultimately cancelled, which caused a ripple effect of issues in our organizations.
Now that most organizations can see the light at the end of the tunnel, they are seeking—even craving—to “get back to normal.” Personally, I must wonder if this is what we should want or really need. I live by quotes like, “If you aren’t growing, you are dying.” Given this, to go back seems counter intuitive. Shouldn’t we want to move forward in order to advance our organizations and the industries they serve? I assume the answer is yes and if so, we can’t simply go back tot the ways things were. Not only will this not be productive or even possible as we recover from the pandemic, but it will not advance our organizations. As the old saying goes, if you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got.
Likely, you haven’t held your meetings and events in the same way you historically had for almost two years. Your clients and members need to be reminded why they need to invest their time and resources in attending your future events. Now is the perfect time to evaluate EVERYTHING. Do you need to be holding the meeting? If not, then why are you doing it? If you can not identify a solid reason and see the ROI then DON’T DO IT! We are here to tell you to cut it.
If it is a program, you want and need then it is time to really think about what it will look like when you bring it back. The days of rinse and repeat are gone. With more competition than ever, especially for online or hybrid programming, you have to offer something of relevance. Taking the time to dive into who the audience is for the program and why they need it is the key to success here. What purpose for your key audience segments will this program address? What problems they face will be remedied by their attendance. Once you can answer these questions, you are on your way.
Once you have determined who the audience is and what problem it will solve for them you will need to craft the program specifically around this. Specifically design the experience around this and the result will be a program much easier to market as well as one that will stand out among the crowd.
As we return to in person meetings and events we must do so in a thoughtful and strategic way. We can no longer rely on “how we have always done it” nor should we want to. Cutting the programs that no longer make sense and redesigning those that do to specifically meet the needs of key audience segments is the way to do just that.