# B U I L D B A C K B E T T E R 1
COVID-19 has acted as an accelerator for certain trends – not necessarily created new ones. e challenges were there and would have to be dealt with at some point. Associations that operate in an increasingly crowded and competitive meetings landscape have been encouraged to look at the viability of certain meetings and the meeting cycle of others. ey are now more than before open to potential collaboration/synergies with other societies; there is increasing concern about the carbon imprint of air travel and the pandemic may stimulate potential attendees to break old patterns. ey may limit the number of conferences they attend or focus on national and regional gatherings. Finally, the drop in meeting revenue has reminded some associations that a lack of diversi ed revenue streams is an existential risk – and spurred creative thinking about how to generate new sources of income. RATHER THAN LATER 2 FACING CHALLENGES SOONER
Digital meetings have come of age; internal resistance to virtual has been broken down. New audiences have been reached; oldbarriers to participation, such as nancial and childcare responsibilities, have gone and heralded new inclusivity; new revenue streams have emerged, both in terms of digital registration for meetings and webinars supported by industry. Discussions with sponsors have evolved to year-round engagement. ere is more interactivity in virtual sessions with higher audience participation using Q&A, chat, and polls. MORE REACH AND MORE MONEY FROM DIGITAL EVENTS 3
28 APRIL 2021 AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL
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