From the psychological benefits to organic business development, a return to traditional events is a must
With a COVID-19 vaccine clearing important FDA approvals and distribution in progress, there finally looks to be some light at the end of the long quarantine. It is time to start thinking about business networking events and what those will look like. If all goes well, it appears that we may see some of the first in-person events popping up by the middle of 2021. It is my hope that once it is safe to do so, organizations and businesses will fully re-embrace the traditional event model.
While there are a number of benefits with virtual communication such as broader collaboration and wider audience reach, it is not a substitute for personal connections. Additionally, many of those hosting virtual events have had to find ever more creative ways to make them stand out, since attendees can sign up for multiple events at the same time or have limited energy for multiple online events each day. Many of these events are free or very low cost, losing the investment component that is key to creating successful events.
There have been rumblings that Zoom and other conference applications are the future of events and suitable for moving forward, and the last few months have indeed proven that events and meetings can function without in-person interaction. While this form of communication has held things together throughout the pandemic, many people are growing tired of zooming their way through endless meetings, panel discussions, and virtual happy hours. By now, people want the personal connections that are inherent with traditional events, as well as the facilitation of spontaneous business development and introductions, two important components of events that cannot be experienced through the computer screen. I won’t even get into the countless technical glitches!
Traditional events have numerous benefits—including meeting new contacts, impromptu business development and, before this year we did not how much we all need this, an outlet outside of the home.
Forging New Relationships
One of the most effective ways I have been able to generate new business and meet new partners has been informally meeting someone through an opening or closing reception, or when someone visits my booth because they are simply walking around a trade show floor. This type of organic interaction is nearly impossible to replicate in virtual gatherings, which do not lend themselves to the spontaneity of in-person interaction. For those companies that provide products, rather than services, traditional events become even more important as a venue where prospective customers can touch and feel the product and get an in-person demo.
Social Interaction and Body Language
We have all read about the psychological effects that the prolonged lockdown is causing, including the vast amount of isolation and the inability to personally interact with anyone outside of our household. For many, the people encountered at in-person events are a family away from home, who provide a certain emotional well-being.
For those in sales and marketing, body language and other cues are important for guiding the conversations. It is extremely difficult to pick up on certain body language and social cues while participating in a virtual meeting or event. In-person shows allow for not only interpreting body language but is also fertile ground for arranging impromptu meetings and engagements, like dinner and breakfast meetings, helping to cement and strengthen important relationships.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Wining and Dining: Strengthening Client Relations Outside of The Office, having dinner with current client or prospect gives you both the opportunity to connect on a personal level and strengthen your professional relationship. As an added benefit, the conversation environment of a dinner often enables both parties to be a little more candid in discussing how the current working relationship is going or sketching out a way to work going forward.
How to Make a Personal Touch in The Interim
How can you make a personal connection while we’re still in a lockdown? One way is through the mail. Most companies have lots of trade show material collecting dust in storage. At Milldam, we recently undertook a mail campaign where we sent personalized letters to our clients and partners along with copies of our notebooks that we usually handout at tradeshows and other events. This is a great way to make new connections and continue to engage with current clients and partners; removing the electronic barriers that have been constraining over the last nine months.
Once this pandemic is behind us, let’s all unite to bring back in-person events with full force. The first round of drinks is on me!
Adam Waitkunas authors the column “Anecdotally Adam” and is President of Milldam Public Relations.
