This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip spotlight's planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world.
Name: Vicky Constantineau
Company Name: Canadian Physiotherapy Association
Job Title: Senior Manager of Events and Education
Years of Experience: 15+
How do you think you are positioned, after months of persevering with the pandemic, to take advantage of our new and disrupted meetings/events landscape?
It allowed us to stop and really analyze how we had been conducting our in-person events before the pandemic and how we can make meaningful changes. Whether that be through the addition of a hybrid component, applying new trends and technologies, to changing the design of our program for optimal attendee experience.
As our community moves forward with planning in-person meetings, what new technologies or processes are you implementing that you may have not looked at before?
Pre-pandemic, we didn't offer much in the way of a virtual/hybrid experience at our annual Congress. We are working on determining what kind of a hybrid component to implement for our next in-person Congress. We will be utilizing an event app to the fullest.
As we see virtual meetings transition back to face to face, hybrid meetings are beginning to be the vehicle to return to normalcy. What are your thoughts on hybrid meetings versus traditional fully in-person meetings?
Hybrid is a great alternative that can allow those who aren't able to attend in-person the opportunity to experience some of the event. But in-person events offer so much more, especially the networking and connections that can be made. Virtual networking just can't compete or be compared to the connections that can be made when in-person.
In your opinion, what do you think the biggest value for your attendees is in regards to returning to live events?
It's all about connections (or re-connecting!), and building/maintaining relationships. There are benefits to virtual events but with in-person events there is an energy that just can't be experienced the same way if held virtually.
As the pandemic fades away and we return to face-to-face events what do you hope changes, either for planners or hoteliers, in the traditional RFP and proposal process as a result of all of the learnings from the last 20+ months?
I hope that the flexibility that hotels and venues have offered (i.e. re-scheduling) over the past few years will continue. The understanding and grace that was offered throughout the pandemic shows that you can be gracious and still continue to do and build business.
This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip spotlight's planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world.
