The impact of COVID-19 on the events market

How the new Coronavirus, COVID-19, is impacting the events market

How are live events affected?

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has struck many industries including B2B events and their suppliers, many of which are having to cancel or postpone scheduled events to later dates, to mitigate the risk of infection of those present at face to face engagements. In cases where events are still going ahead as planned, factors such as public fear of contracting the virus, as well as cancellation of flights from a number of airlines and other travel restrictions, mean that fewer delegates attend live events. Event providers must find innovative solutions to this challenge.

Some of the world's most renowned events have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely. Many organisers are now looking to provide a virtual online experience for 2020 registrants, to keep conversations going.

Who is affected?

The event organisers are the obvious party that is affected by the cancellation or postponement of their events, as well as the delegates. However, another group facing the negative impact of the current volatile landscape is the companies sponsoring, speaking and engaging in other ways at the events. These companies immediately lose an avenue of reaching their target audiences and need to find new ways to achieve their aims of brand awareness, thought leadership, lead generation and/or networking.