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Why digital upgrades due to COVID-19 may increase future need for offline experiences

By Guest Contributor

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Business

Hardly any industry was spared by COVID-19. However, one of the biggest industry sectors affected is the event industry. Guido Emmerich, Managing Partner and CMO of Avantgarde, deals with the question of whether formats such as trade fairs and events will be completely abandoned within the future or how they can be reinterpreted creatively.

With a total meeting space of almost 3 million square meters, Germany is one of the most important and largest global locations for leading international trade fairs. Commercial trade fairs and event formats are established components of individual industries and branches to exchange information with business partners and customers – the main purpose here is always the live experience.

As understandable as the current concerns about corona spreading are, the restrictions in everyday life, as well as the cancellations of planned trade fairs worldwide, are comprehensible. But: Worlds society will defeat Corona. And there will also be a time after Corona in the marketing and event business – as hard as it is to believe, considering the present given economic slump and the wave of canceled trade fairs and major events.

Already during Milan Fashion Week in the second half of February, some of the big luxury labels like Armani streamed their runway shows digitally – without a real audience attending the show event. After the organizers canceled the Geneva Motor Show, BMW had to digitally present its new flagship i4 – the same picture at Porsche and VW. ART Basel is considered the most important industry meetings in their sector, but they have been postponed for the time being. With that said, one can certainly ask how things will continue.

Each of these cancellations and postponements is right because health and human well-being always come first. After all, we are now very well equipped for digital: Many formats allow meetings and arrangements to be made online. In the industry, the buzz word of the past few weeks is "virtual trade fair" – in short, the relocation of showrooms, exhibitor appearances, and conferences employing live streams to the screens of all those who are interested in the exhibits and product developments. Technologies such as Augmented and Mixed Reality are bringing creative progress, but the question arises as to whether people as social beings with a strong sense of community want to and actually can be satisfied exclusively with digital experiences – without the so valuable touchpoint "real-life".

Once we have mastered the crisis, the majority of private and professional activities will return to normal life. A true longing for the newly-won and old-familiar freedom will arise because only when we share experiences with other people do we come alive. Therefore, physical experiences will always be relevant. Even more: I think that after this crisis people will have an even greater need for offline experiences in the "real" world and the senses of all of us will become more sensitive. But some things will change.

Experiences, yes please – but unique

It started even before Corona: Trade fairs like CEBIT were discontinued as registrations were in sharp decline. In my opinion, however, this is due much more to outdated formats. Events themselves are by no means dead – and they will survive Corona, no doubt.

Instead of performance shows in huge halls on the outskirts of the city, new formats are needed: Brands must reach their customers where they are on the move in everyday life – in real life. As a result of the crisis, customer demands are likely to increase even further. When there are so many possibilities online that can be diligently tried out at the moment, customers are once again considering whether it is worth leaving home. Events must offer even more in the future: It's no longer about convenience, but about experiencing real spectacle. An exhibition hall with exhibits lined up side by side? Superfluous. But a brilliant show combining products with a concert or an art exhibition? Exactly that is what we want to experience again after the initial restrictions – no mindless strolling from exhibition stand to stand and no virtual solo experiences!

Time for digital upgrade

Digital exchange is possible and thanks to virtual and augmented reality it is constantly being optimized. To take advantage of the extraordinary situation, it is time for lateral thinking and critically questioning previous processes and thus creating space for completely new paths into the future. Even our routines are currently experiencing a true digitalization. Telephone and video conferences currently allow us to have a halfway normal working day – even skeptics have to go along with this.

The changeover also has other advantages such as climate friendliness and saved (travel) time. Speaking of time: COVID-19 is turning the clock. If companies now close their minds to new formats and ways of thinking, they are threatened with consequences that can bring even an otherwise stable company to its knees. The connection between real and virtual reality is beyond question here, just as a clear purpose is urgently needed.

Despite the state of shock, there will be a time after the Corona crisis. And there we will need personal exchange again. Emotional topics will continue to work best in real life – this applies to everyday business as well as experience marketing.

Brands are most successful when they can be experienced through different senses

Digital product presentations such as the new BMW e-car are therefore necessary, but for me, they are not a permanent solution. Getting to know a vehicle via the screen is a different feeling than experiencing it in real life. When I get into a car for the first time, I feel the steering wheel in my hands, smell the fresh leather and hear the engine sound when I turn the key. Every one of my senses is stimulated and I can develop a completely different relationship with the product.

We would do well to take the Corona crisis as an opportunity to finally upgrade digitally. You can sense that a lot has already changed in the minds of the population. In the time after Corona, for example, the balancing act between the unalterable and all too human basic need for socialization and at the same time the increased sensitivity that has arisen in front of large crowds of people must be successfully mastered by utilizing creative concepts and revolutionize the trade fair format.

Marketers, be creative and go wild and try out – but please also keep a cool head! We will learn a lot for the future, but there is one thing we should not forget: The real experience that appeals to all the senses will continue to be decisive in the future. Even if one has to accept that it will take a while before such events can be held again, people long for face-to-face exchange and do not want to just watch from the outside. They want to be in the front row and experience the moment.

Avantgarde is a global brand experience company that consolidates creativity, media, and technology. Founded in 1985 as an event agency, the Avantgarde Group has developed into a multiplayer in the experience economy with 11 offices worldwide and more than 850 employees, strategically advising brands and bringing them to life.

Bild: Martin Sanchez & Ricardo Nunes / Unsplash

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