mdg | Event Marketing Agency for Trade Shows and Associations

Before and after. That line of demarcation separates so much of pre- and post-pandemic life. Pre-pandemic, many of us relied on physical events as our primary source of audience engagement and revenue. Post-pandemic, we have to diversify. One method of diversification is harnessing the power of content to fill the gaps left by the pause in live events.

Because it’s quite likely that even if you do everything right to prepare for your next event and follow all the health and safety guidelines onsite, you’ll still get the dreaded news — an attendee (or many) tests positive for COVID-19.

Behavioral Scientist recently published an article about the concept of sludge—a high level of friction obstructing an individual’s effort to achieve a stated objective.

To say that 2020 tested our mettle as event professionals would be a massive understatement. The ways of planning, producing and marketing events were forever changed.

For the past nine months, mdg’s marketing strategists have been researching, reading, experimenting and tracking what’s working and what’s not in the events space.

Integrated models provide a bridge between offline and online worlds and can include virtual experiences, podcasts, chat, commerce and so much more. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, there are some best practices that should guide your approach …

At mdg, we’ve developed a process that utilizes 5 “P”s to measure virtual event platforms’ strengths, weaknesses and overall ability to deliver on attendee and exhibitor expectations.

Event marketers have been reluctant to accept that the effects of COVID-19 are not only painful and far-reaching, but that they will be long-lasting, as well. As such, many have been hesitant to take the kinds of drastic steps that will be necessary to overcome the current challenges—and more importantly, to seize the future opportunities—associated with the crisis.

According to mdg account leads Shantelle Johnson, Jacquelyn Wells and Shauna Peters, these are some of the most important lessons learned developing, marketing and launching our clients’ virtual events this year.

Event organizers are looking for new ways to disseminate valuable content, keep their communities connected and deliver on their value propositions on a more regular basis.