Studies show stronger appetite in region for virtual and hybrid.

ONE-and-a-half years into Covid, and attending a conference in person still feels like a novel activity. Even the driver who dropped me off at Marina Bay Sands this Monday was curious. “You going to an event? How many people? Got testing or not?”

Covid vocabulary has become street patois. I told him I had been advised as a vaccinated person, I didn’t need testing. “Good. Good. Maybe things will get better soon.”

The panel on reimagining business events – from right, Karen Bolinger, PCMA, Veemal Gungadin, GEVME, Andrew Phua, STB and Kai Hattendorf, UFI – the question is what it will look like in two years’ time when the dust settles.

His sentiment was echoed by speaker after speaker at the first hybrid Singapore MICE Forum and IBTM Wired, with 250 on-site delegates and an online audience. They know that as much as the industry wants to get people together again at physical events, the current format, with attendant restrictions in place such as at this event, is not ideal.

Kai Hattendorf, CEO of UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry), had to jump through all kinds of hoops (numerous tests and restricted movements) to fly from Europe to Singapore to attend the event. He did it because he wants to fly the flag for physical events but we know few executives will.

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