There’s no doubting the intense and immediate impact that COVID-19 has had on the events industry worldwide. It's essentially halted our operations and caused an onslaught of postponements, cancellations and alterations. It’s been overwhelming, to say the least.

For most of us in events, this is a brand new experience. Recessions have been battled before, but the consequences of lockdown, physical distancing and closed borders have created a different set of obstacles. Uncertainty for the future has hijacked the critical reliance we have on planning in advance – because as event organisers, we operate by in years, not by days and weeks.

As much as it is tempting to get caught up in the climate of anger, anxiety and fear that is pervading our current society, we decided to take a step back. We created a list we called Pandemic Perks, and placed it right in the middle of our office. We wanted to place emphasis on optimistic attitudes and keeping our workplace connected. It became a guiding light of sorts, a constant reminder of what we can control and look forward to as our industry changes around us. And it’s helped us, immensely.

So we’re sharing it with you, in the hope it inspires you to do the same – and to perhaps find some calm and clarity in the process.

Launching a brand new registration system

With time finally up our sleeves, we decided to make the move to a new registration system. We’ve focused all our efforts onto EventsAir, and our entire team has taken part in a month-long boot camp training program to ensure every aspect of it is understood. We've grown closer as a result, as we have been challenged to work collaboratively to deliver the best portals for each client and event.

Entering the big wide digital world

ICMS has been operating for over 50 years, and in that time, our events industry has gone through significant technological change. With face-to-face meetings in any size off the table, we’ve invested in digital platforms including webinars and fully-serviced virtual events for our clients. This forward-thinking and modern offering has been crucial to keeping our business going – and it’s already resonating widely.

Thinking local

International travel is a long way off at the moment, which is not an easy reality for the events world. So we’ve kept our focus on supporting local throughout the pandemic. Whether it’s a venue, supplier, sponsor or exhibitor, the more we can help our Australian economy right now, the better we will all be in the long run. There’s a lot on offer in our hometowns and by spreading the community spirit, sustainable and positive rewards are only sure to follow.

Keeping communication open

We know nothing is more important than connection to get us through tough times, which is why we have developed social media strategies to keep our community informed and supported. By taking a more active approach on Facebook and Instagram, we can expand our audience base, which in turn, may even help to generate greater business. We’ve also spruced up our website, adding more of a modern and youthful approach to the design to resonate more broadly.

Gearing up for 2021

With almost all of our events planned for this year no longer able to run, we’ve got our sights set on 2021. We’ve supported the majority of our clients to postpone rather than cancel their events, as we know that associations bear heightened financial risk when planning for and delivering large-scale meetings. While the pandemic has thrown some very difficult curveballs our way, we’re hopeful next year will bring back opportunities to stage the best events we can – even if they look a little different.