This is a guest contribution by Pierre Lindh of iGaming NEXT. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

It is ironic isn’t it. The event industry hasn’t evolved in decades, and almost overnight it’s faced with a threat that is bound to change it forever. And as difficult as this period may be for the event industry and indeed all industries, we now need to look at the opportunities that lie ahead.  

As professionals, we are all impacted in one way or the other by the COVID-19 outbreak as the uncertainty continues. As business owners, managers and employees, we can only do our very best to navigate through this situation while having each other’s backs. Mark Cuban put it best: “How companies treat workers during this pandemic could define their brand for decades”. Will you choose to cut cost? Or will you choose to innovate?  

As conference organisers, our primary goal is to connect the industry, facilitate business and knowledge sharing with as little friction as possible. With the new reality of social distancing and limitations on public gatherings for the foreseeable future, we need to adapt our organisations for these challenges. Ursula Von Der Leyen, the Chief of the European Commission said just the other day that “Life will not return to normal until vaccine”, a frightening thought. In reality, only time will tell how this will play out.