Events Go Back to the Future. Again. | Winter Edition | Part 1
02.25.2021
By Doug Binder, Senior Creative Director, InVision Communications
Events Go Back to the Future. Again. | Winter Edition | Part 1
Time-travel fiction invites our imaginations to picture a world twisted in fantastical ways with fantastical inventions and landscapes. Mix in a bit of The Twilight Zone – situations that contort societal norms in almost-plausible ways – and you’ve got life today in the pandemic.
In this two-part series, we take a look at some of the most notable events from the past few months and how they’ve been twisted, contorted and adapted to the needs of norms of the day. We also offer a few thoughts on how marketers and producers might be inspired by these events in designing their own upcoming digital engagements.
In our first installment, we will look at:
• NYE in Times Square. Do People Matter Anymore?
• CES 2021. Just Go Digital
NYE in Times Square. Do People Matter Anymore?
In 2020, for only the third time since its inception a century ago, the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities were cancelled. Well, they weren’t exactly cancelled this past December. Planners opted for the show to go on. There were network personalities poised on rooftops, pop bands staged curbside, blizzards of confetti and, of course, the ball. But aside from clusters of police, there were no bling-bedazzled revelers to toast the moment and grab that first kiss of year. One of the world’s grandest annual celebrations cast into an urban canyon without a live audience.
Probably a fitting way to end the year, and perhaps the harbinger of what was to come as 2021 unfolds.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Keep the spectacle, lose the crowd. For most of us, we experience the world on a screen these days. For TV and streaming viewers of the NYE spectacle in New York, we got everything we always have, save for the sight of a million people shivering and kissing. If your brand experience thrives on spectacle – pyro, confetti, lasers, star power – why not make it well-branded, telegenic and keep it coming? There are plenty of soundstages, ballrooms and arenas – not to mention celebrities and entertainers -- that will be happy to hire back their crews to put on a show.
CES 2021. Just Go Digital
For years, CES has defined big and bold for the industry event. Hundreds of thousands gathered across dozens of Las Vegas venues, bringing buyers to sellers and celebrities to the VIP masses for multiple days without pause. Relentless innovation is at the heart of the show’s purpose and its production.
But reality was also relentless. And when it was announced that CES would be entirely digital, the mood of the events world took a hit. If CES isn’t happening, what hope is there for the rest of us?
So how would the world’s largest and smartest body of technical whizzes, gadget gurus and marketing muscle deliver a pandemic CES?
Digital CES was tidy, well-organized and information-rich. It was also flat and uniform, offering few surprises or delights. What was missing for attendees was the messy humanity of any live event – especially one as sprawling and messy as CES. Also missing were moments of wonder: the constant revelations around every corner, the eye being drawn across the massive spaces, the tactile, see-it-for-yourself amazement.
In short, Digital CES proved again what we’ve already known: in-person experiences cannot be replicated with digital.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are some positives and negatives that are most relevant to marketers, experience producers, and the event industry at large.
• Travel, venues and hospitality. No doubt Las Vegas properties and travel partners took a big hit. At the same time, exhibitors and attendees saved on these expenses.
• The environment. For years now, the event industry has grappled with its impact on the environment – from air travel to printed collateral and swag, to food waste. With digital, the environment is a big winner.
• ROI. The entire event economy is being reimagined, and we’ll probably never learn for sure how well this CES fared, in terms of business development and sales. But in the past year, we’ve seen digital experiences deliver similar or even better returns for hosts, sponsors and attendees. On top of that, the data gathered with digital has the potential to change a lot of minds when it comes to the value of all-digital experiences.
• Reach and amplification. Attendance for digital experiences can be infinite, in theory. While this is obviously a boon for organizers looking to grow their communities, it does raise a few questions too. A few to ponder: Is bigger always better? What is the right level of inclusion and exclusivity? How much will audiences be willing to invest – in time and money – to attend a digital-only experience?
In the next installment, we’ll look at the symbol-rich Presidential Inauguration and two very different approaches to the biggest events spectacles in sports.