As things currently stand, we are looking forward to a slight stabilization of the current pandemic situation in our country and hope it will bring us back to planning the in-person events for the spring/summer season.

Big changes, especially in our region, are not expected, but globally, based on the opinions of top experts in the field of immunization, tourism industry and experiences from event industry people, we can try to predict what 2021 will bring in the field of event organization.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but here are some predictions.

After a difficult year, many changes of plans and business strategies, the news of mass vaccination has made many people excited to talk about returning to normal.

Will it go smoothly?

Last year we learned to think twice about everything and approach everything with caution.

Striving for normalization both in life and in business, whatever that may be, we must ask ourselves what we expect in the most affected sectors. In our business, we can say that COVID-19 had the most negative effects on the event organisation and fair-trade industry. The risks of gatherings, accompanied with harsh measures, left a mark so significant that it is very uncertain when we will return to business gatherings and on what conditions.

We greeted 2021 quite euphorically, with impatience, so let us forecast the future of events.

World experts predict that the return to live presence at business gatherings, events and fairs will be gradual. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, but there are also many questions that will be unanswered at this point.

We are facing a year of on-line (virtual), off-line (in-person), or hybrid events, where the first two types are combined.

The first months of the year will not bring significant changes compared to the last year, despite the immunization that started this week. While the immunization process will be gradual, we will probably start seeing real results around April. We will continue to communicate through Teams, ZOOM and other platforms. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to introduce some in-person elements to local events with the right precautions. However, this does not mean that everything will be the same as before! The announcement of the Belgrade Marathon for May 16 is encouraging.

As we move to the second half of the year, when the vaccines will be more available to the public, these in-person elements of hybrid events will be more widespread and easier to organize and take place.

Even then, events will probably not look as they did, but with proper planning we will probably be closer to our goal – organization without restrictions and fear for participants and organizers.

Until then, let us clarify the term “Hybrid event”.

It is an event that is organized at a certain location in the presence of a small, limited and strictly controlled number of people, while online audience also participates through audio and / or video technology. So, a combination of virtual online and live events. In the future, we can expect that most events will be organized in this way.

What kind of challenges and innovations will that bring?

To get started, you will need to add to your “TO DO” list some of the activities and obligations strictly related to health, potential risks and safety measures, which could require mandatory PCR tests with negative results, limited number of participants, carefully organized sitting / stay of participants with possible physical barriers, special requirements if the events include meal breaks… and this will be that famous “new normality” that will apply to both Hybrid and off-line events open to the public.

In the case of regional or international events, special “Immunity passports” might be required when traveling, which is estimated to be a key element in returning to “normal” life.

The good old events, as we once had, where, among other things, it was good and important to mingle and meet as many people as possible, are left aside. Just before the end of the year, they will be in our calendars again but in a new form. Although they will have fewer participants than before, they will include a larger number of obligations and they will require more time for the organization, which will raise the average cost of event organization. But either way, we look forward to them.

To summarize, at the very beginning of the year, we can predict that this will be a turbulent year in which the organization of events will depend on numerous factors, both positive and negative.

Positive factors

  • Beginning of mass immunization.
  • Opening “borders” – Exiting “Lock Down”.
  • Significant events, such as the Belgrade Marathon are back in the annual calendar.

Negative factors

  • Not enough vaccines for everyone. Not all countries, regions, cities will have access to vaccines at the same time.
  • Travel restriction. Introduction of “Immunity passports”.
  • Increasing the costs of the organization.
  • Raising transport costs due to the expected economic crisis; also several airlines have closed due to the pandemic, making obtaining affordable flights more difficult, and many people are still hesitant to fly.
  • People are still afraid of travel and socialization.
  • Fear of a new virus strain that we can read a lot about these days in the media

Advice

If you, like us, miss real events, you can turn to good organization, smaller number of participants, live streaming on virtual platforms with the possibility of interaction through asking questions, communicating and linking between different participants, you can record event content and use it later, with adequate postproduction for internal channels (website, YouTube channel, social networks). Do not forget about all the current measures prescribed by the local crisis headquarters and the international world health organization.

Try to find a quiet location for the dual benefits of keeping people safe and getting them away from the exhausting work-from-home environment. Replace busy locations with those that are far from crowded. Events that will draw crowds likely will not be safe until around 2022.

However, 2020 prepared us to be stronger against the challenges of the new and the different in the year ahead.

Enjoy the best of both worlds and find a balance somewhere between the virtual and the real.