Few weeks passed after the government announced that the Events Industry, in particular the MICE Industry, can now do expos and conferences by following specified health protocols.

I still eagerly await an announcement by someone from my peers that they will have a physical event.

The increasing numbers of Covid-19 Cases in the country and the questionable data system of the government don’t provide the confidence that event organizers can now do events.

If in August we see that the conditions are the same, we will never have any physical events this year. The psychological barrier is too high to get past the fear and develop confidence among organizers, exhibitors, participants, and attendees.

In this scenario, expect that virtual events will pour this third and fourth quarter of the year.

Companies that wanted to promote and engage with their market are numerous. They are left with no option but to find virtual events that will help them achieve their objectives.

In a way, the virtual event is not bad. We are in our four months under the pandemic. We have grown accustomed to the condition of the pandemic. The virtual world allowed us to survive and find a sense of normalcy in our lives.

Events Companies and MICE Companies in the Philippines have reached acceptable skills in running and managing virtual events. They will continue to upgrade their skills moving forward.

As one of the industry players, virtual events are now the life that we are in. The difficulties of convincing companies and partners to make their events virtual is expected. The challenge to make it profitable is something that keeps us all awake at night.

Overall, Virtual Events has been with us for the longest time. The pandemic caused us to get to know it more intimately. We are finding the positive effects that it can provide but we also recognize the shortcomings that it has.

Still, when all is said and done, when the pandemic is over, we can safely conclude that we will make Hybrid Event a new standard rather than an afterthought.

The pandemic started the wheel of digitalization faster in the Philippines. The old and the young are now sharing the same appreciation of the virtual space. The traditional thinking crumbled right in front of our eyes and gave way to the power of the virtual space.

As event organizers, we will never be the same.