“In the wake of COVID-19, the entire events industry has been shaken to its core. I’m confident that the companies that will make it through will be true disruptors. Event companies need to entirely revisit how they think about programming, human-to-human connection, and jaw-dropping experiences if they’re not only going to survive, but thrive coming out of this. The reality of the digital world is that you’re not just competing with other digital events, you’re competing with loads of world-class content. We quickly shifted our mindset from being a live events company to being in the business of content production. Making that type of strategic and mental shift demands creativity, persistence, and agility. Fortunately, we have a team with diverse and transferable skill sets and open minds. COVID-19 has created a fracture in ‘the normal’ that made room for—and necessitated—taking a step back to really listen to our team, and deliberately re-evaluate our approach. And they’re constantly reminding me that just because we’ve done something one way in the past, doesn’t mean we should do it moving forward.

The ability to attend events virtually or remotely eliminates the travel barrier and makes them more accessible for all. The ability to quickly pop in and out of ‘rooms’ ensures you get only the most relevant and impactful content. And the ability to stream thought leaders in real time ensures that in our rapidly changing world, you get the most up-to-date lessons and avoid anything dated.
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We’ve seen this cycle begin in other experience-based industries, like sports. Mark Cuban is already thinking about a world where stadiums aren’t full, but instead you’re streaming games through different channels like YouTube or Twitch. In the future, ‘live’ will be only one component of the events industry and with developments in technologies like AR and VR, we might even change the definition of what ‘live’ is. 
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Every time we thought about what was next for Elevate, we kept going back to our mission—to unite the world’s innovators to solve society’s greatest challenges. We used to do that as a festival but it became clear that the way in which we delivered our mission didn’t matter.”

“Postponement of the Olympic Games, something that nobody ever imagined possible, has led to quite a pivot in our space which started happening quite early on. While the official name remains Tokyo 2020, we witnessed a great example of creative innovation with how quickly the informal name and logo went from Tokyo 2020 to Tokyo 202One. Though postponement comes with certain challenges, that moment provided the opportunity to reset and chart a course towards the new date in 2021.
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Athletes are always at the centre of our decision-making. At the beginning of March, our conversation centred around whether or not it would be safe in July 2020 to send a team to Tokyo. In our daily senior leadership team meetings, our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mike Wilkinson advised us that the question really should be whether or not it was safe to ask Canadian athletes to train in Canada. That question really changed how we looked at the situation. With that pivot in thinking we realized that no, it was not safe for our athletes to train. To do so would be endangering not only their health and safety but the health and safety of their families and their communities. 
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Preparations to send Team Canada to the Olympic Games start well in advance of the athletes touching down in the host city and COVID-19 has certainly thrown that plan for a loop. While the new dates have now been set for 2021, not knowing what the world looks like then presents a great obstacle for our business and community. On top of this, we have had to adjust our approach to Olympic planning with Beijing 2022 taking place six short months following the conclusion of Tokyo 2020.
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A pause in competition has shone a light on the role Canadian athletes play with making a social impact. We are incredibly proud of the leadership Canadian athletes have shown, especially during these challenging times. We saw Hayley Wickenheiser use her voice and popularity (and that of Ryan Reynolds) to help support frontline workers with her Conquer COVID-19 project and Personal Protective Equipment drive. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went from winning the Super Bowl to opting out of the 2020 NFL season to continue serving on the front lines at a long-term care facility outside of Montreal. Pam Buisa, supported by fellow Team Canada rugby stars Josiah Morra and Charity Williams, organized the Peace Rally for Black Lives in Victoria. These are just some of many stories that highlight how being Olympic is so much more than winning medals and breaking records. While we’ve always been fortunate to have Team Canada athletes making tremendous impacts in their communities, the pandemic has shifted public perception of what athletes bring both on and off the field of play.

Athletes are resilient and always striving to be their best in any situation. Their pursuit of the podium pushes them even in the face of adversity. Those qualities can easily be applied to how an organization functions. While we could never have predicted this pandemic, we’ve had to adapt to everything that has come our way. We’ve had to evaluate how we approach the work that we do, where our priorities lie, and how we can reach even greater heights. We’re doing everything in our power to come out of this pandemic stronger and better than before.”

“The special events industry was one of the first industries to be affected by COVID-19 (we had major events with international guest lists begin to be cancelled in early February) and will be one of the last to recover. Most companies in the industry are small businesses which exist primarily to bring people together, so we've been hit particularly hard.  

This has been a significant pause for all of us and an opportunity to find relevant ways to assist our communities. Now is the time to listen and respond accordingly. If your audience isn't planning events because they quite literally are not allowed to, what are they doing?  

Your brand should be defined by what your customer is telling you they need and want, not what you wish they wanted or what you have to sell. The events industry was previously focused on selling dreams and desirability but it must now provide service. Our focus needs to pivot to helping people—helping them get married, communicate with their guests and loved ones, and feel confident about their decisions. These are very important roles. Even though our industry isn't "essential," it's really a time to establish that our industry is valuable. Human behaviours have changed and people are adapting to this new world. We have to ask ourselves how brands can adapt to fill an audience's new needs and do so in the right way for now—context is so important. People still need sparks of inspiration on how they can celebrate in a time that feels like there is little to celebrate. 

We also need to use this time to pause and make changes to better the whole industry. The events industry can be pretty wasteful. Large quantities of single-use products shipped from overseas in individual packaging to be enjoyed for just a few hours are staples in our line of work. It's a disservice to us all to not make changes in the right direction. I think it was unclear to everyone how quickly the Earth would be able to repair itself but we're here now and I know we can all do better. We've been thinking about educating our industry more on waste management and how we are sourcing our materials without necessarily depleting the planet. It's challenging but I think it's achievable. We can all be more mindful now so that we can go back to celebrating in an even better way than before.”

“The pandemic has forced every leader to connect with the mission of their organization and ask how that mission can best serve society during this profoundly scary and challenging time. What’s been made clear through the pandemic is that our ‘ideas worth spreading’ mission resonates now more than ever. People are realizing that many of the ideas that underpinned our pre-pandemic life are in need of re-evaluation, and as a result, forums like TEDxToronto that seek to bring new ideas to the forefront are finding increased engagement and relevance. 

As an all-volunteer organization, COVID-19 has forced us to examine how we can build a platform for new ideas without gathering physically in person. That’s meant everything from re-imagining how a group of volunteers meet one another for the first time over Zoom calls, to translating our annual flagship event into a digital format and re-launching it as a digital event series that lasts from October to March. Just a few weeks after lockdown started, we launched a program called TED Circles, an intimate book club-like gathering for strangers from all walks of life looking to meet fellow members of their community by participating in a guided conversation around a curated TED Talk. We now connect approximately 150 people per month through our Circles program, encouraging truly meaningful discussions. 

The disconnect created by recent lockdowns has also confirmed that leaning into our evolution as a year-round community allows for further idea-sharing through multiple formats (popular digital events, intimate gatherings, immersive experiences, and more). This increased reach means we can positively impact more people.

Amidst all the struggle and fear, COVID-19 has also left us asking some big questions. From how we could have been better prepared to the safety of essential workers, and from the future of small businesses to the impact of systemic racism in society—some of the most important thinking on these topics comes from people without access to major platforms. We need to keep creating spaces for these voices to be heard so that their ideas can spread and help change the world."

“The pandemic has allowed us to reevaluate our existing practices and become more efficient, nimble, and concise as we now have to act quickly and provide our clients with the best-case scenario in today’s landscape. The guidance of event professionals is more important than ever as we hold a proven roster of experts in our rolodex who we can quickly call upon to execute to a high standard. 

I think contingency plans will be more important than ever. We have always reinforced the need for plan B (and C) scenarios that are as valid as the original event plan and will continue to push this as an essential part of the process. Yes, it requires more planning but the ‘what if’ question has never been more tangible.

[Moving forward,] I think the emphasis will be on sight and sound rather than touch, which is a really exciting proposition as it allows guests to engage with their environment in a more individual way. It gives us the opportunity to develop highly designed ‘moments’ within the event concept. With a distanced new world we are anticipating a shift towards micro events and the ‘art gallery’ experience where people engage with the event design uniquely and within a smaller group. Ultimately, this offers a more concierge-style approach, which is often perceived as more premium.”

“To meet ongoing demand from our consumer and trade audiences, Informa [which runs IDS] has successfully launched and executed virtual events around the world.  
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Content is still king and the appetite for exclusive education and information remains high as over 45 percent of IDS Toronto’s trade audience recently indicated. Virtual platforms and apps will allow us to enhance our networking and matchmaking opportunities at our events, enabling our attendees to optimize their time at IDS.   

Virtual is not beholden to geography. For over 23 years, IDS has attracted a mostly Canadian audience. With these platforms, Canadian designers can share their innovations with participants from around the world. It also enables us to bring speakers to our events from around the world during a time like this when travel restrictions remain. The possibilities for exposure, awareness, and collaboration are limitless. 
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We have been highlighting innovative design solutions created by Canadian designers and architects to help with challenges brought on by the pandemic and to re-imagine the post-COVID landscape, as well as reconfiguring education and workspaces, and rethinking the future of hospitality and retail. We have profiled our manufacturers and suppliers who have re-tooled to help the service industry with materials for wayfinding and safety.  

The future remains uncertain; however, our response to the COVID-19 pandemic showcases what we do best as show producers—counter chaos and problem solve under pressure while creating a stimulating and innovative event experience for our consumer and trade audiences.”

“Real personal outreach [has created opportunities during COVID-19.] And not just a generic 'Donor Ask' form, which has become (to some degree) the norm over the years for most events and fundraisers. 

By April 2020, we had over $450K in commitments between our donors, sponsors, and supports—that’s a huge amount of money to just let go. To the credit of the outstanding work of the internal SickKids Foundation relationship managers and our Scrubs in the City committee, a personal ‘ask’ was made to each and every one of our confirmed sponsors and ticket purchasers to convert their dollars into a donation of their choosing. They were given the choice of where to designate their money, from the Cellular Therapy Facility to the COVID-19 fund, or a designation of their choosing. 

In my opinion had it not been for that human connection with those supporters, I doubt we would have been nearly as successful. At a time when people are losing their jobs, getting very sick or worse, the power of the one-on-one human ask prevailed even over COVID-19. 

As well, in the events and fundraising space, the pandemic has levelled the playing field. For the most part, because of COVID-19, we are all in the exact same situation—at home with nowhere to be and nowhere to go. Accessing celebrities, influencers, and people in general is far easier now. Whether they are looking for ways to contribute to the cause or in need of content for their social media platforms, the opportunity is there to approach the unapproachable and initiate a relationship like a virtual tap on the shoulder.

For too long we were relying on an old system of fundraising which could have been improved upon. But where was the motivation to do so? We weren't taking into account our health and the overconsumption of everything, from the leftover swag bags to the tons of food made but not touched. We know better, we can do better and now there are no more excuses not to.”

“Conventionally, museums and their collections have been driven by engaging with people in meaningful ways, primarily through on-site, in-person experiences. Redesigning those experiences for social distancing has been a challenge. But where we can innovate is in expanding our understanding of who the ROM’s audiences can be and working on new ways to reach them. Our current in-person audiences are local right now due to travel restrictions, but the ROM is known all over the world, so the potential audience for our digital content and live online programming is international.  

With that in mind, our energy and creativity during this pandemic has been primarily focused on the digital realm. The pandemic pushed us, very quickly, to determine how we can create engaging, exciting, and dynamic content for people—using the Museum’s extraordinary resources and the tools we have at our disposal, including a collections team of over 80 curators and researchers already doing extraordinary work. We are taking that material and creating an online experience in ways we were not doing before.  
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The ROM is known for its robust, year-round live programming schedule and these events often have an audience of 500 to 700 people. But online, we can reach two, three, or even four times that because geography and venue capacity are not an issue. On top of that, it greatly broadens the kinds of speakers we can engage—we can get the most dynamic speakers from all over the world to present to our audiences online in a way we could not have before, due to cost, travel, and time. This is incredibly exciting.

Interestingly, I would say that our out-of-the-box thinking relates to what many cultural institutions are not doing, rather than in what they are doing (although, I must reiterate that our new 'ROM at Home' programming is a point of pride). Around the world, museums are having to pull back on their programs and exhibitions to rein in expenses. Our thinking was: if this is a moment where everyone else is pulling back, we should take this opportunity to leap forward. So instead of eviscerating our special exhibition program, we decided to go full steam ahead and keep our three planned major exhibitions opening in September. We are, of course, expending money carefully—but we’ve decided on a strategy that is iconoclastic, creating bold new opportunities for the public to say the 'ROM is open for business.'

Museums are, by their nature, institutions that have been doing things in certain ways for a very long time. I think the winners in our sphere will be those who say, ‘we don’t need to do it this way just because that’s the way we’ve done it in the past.’ It will be the institutions willing to throw out sacred cows and bring creativity and innovation that will excel in the future.”

“When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th, we immediately moved into crisis-management mode. We were in the middle of our March season at the Four Seasons Centre and gave our last performance the next evening on March 12th. At the time, we believed that this would be a short-term crisis, but in the days and weeks ahead, it became clear that this would be a marathon and not a sprint.

[As] an organization that has a normally laborious and long planning cycle, in just a few weeks, we’ve had to create multiple financial contingency plans, programming options, and communication strategies.  We’ve had to up our game on every front to keep up with the pandemic as it evolved, while protecting jobs and keeping the health and safety of our artists, employees, and patrons as our highest priorities. Through the process, we’ve proven that we are capable of being adaptable, and it has been empowering. 

While we are still facing the most significant crisis in our history, I know that we will keep this spirit of adaptability, of pushing against old, outdated norms, and creating new systems that will prepare us for the future. As an example, while live performances must return, we will emerge from COVID-19 with greater capacity to leverage digital platforms to deliver our artform to more Canadians, and to make our operations more efficient. For the performing arts sector, embracing and investing in digital capacity will be one of the most important advancements because of the pandemic.

COVID-19 has also given us a chance to step off the hamster wheel—to step back and assess where we’ve been and where we want to go. It has created space for important conversations to take place; conversations that traditionally happen around the edges when there is time but can now be centered.”

“The events industry has definitely taken a hit in terms of bringing people together due to the global pandemic. With new restrictions around people gathering, we have seen technology step in and allow for people to still come together regardless of social distancing rules put in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Platforms like Hopin and Zoom are two of my favourites as they bring people together seamlessly. Another innovation we have seen is the growth of esports, which in my opinion is becoming the new social media channel where people go to connect and build relationships. Fortnite recently launched Fortnite Hub, a place where gamers can go and just have general conversations about anything they’d like. The digital transformation was on its way in the next five to 10 years but it has been sped up to about four to six months, and we are not done seeing the transformation.

The reality of COVID-19 has made my business better by forcing me to transform my offerings to be digital and essentially COVID-proof. There is a strong focus on user-generated content due to this change and we have adapted with our engagement strategies. We launched an Instagram Live series (#TechSummitUnplugged) which ran for 15 straight weeks every Tuesday evening where we had athlete entrepreneurs join us for 25-minute conversations around entrepreneurship, adversity, sports, and culture.

I think a very positive change to the industry is how athletes view themselves. As the pandemic took over the world, we saw a lot of athletes become more entrepreneurial—launching Youtube vlogs, finding new ways to engage with fans and communities, creating streaming channels via esports, and many more. With the pause of sports, a lot of athletes were no longer being paid their professional salaries. In my opinion, that is a good thing because it forces them to think perpetually, as opposed to transactionally, and that is huge. This is why we re-branded and pivoted the Athlete Tech Summit (a conference) to the Athlete Technology Group, an events and media company that serves athlete and tech entrepreneurs.”

“We scaled [#movethedial] quickly and produced large-scale events in 2018 and 2019 (the latter was for 3,200 people at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.) We grew our small events program to over 30 events internationally (US, Canada, Israel, Portugal, UK, and Japan) and scaled to 25 team members in 2020 prior to pausing operations. We reconceptualized our model but realized that we provide unique connecting experiences that build community in person. 

I think that an ability to create meaningfully engaging experiences that builds new relationships will differentiate events of the future. This is a reality that is here to stay, so learning to create impactful experiences that meet the needs of our new world is critical. Shorter, impactful and connectivity-driven events will be important. 

I am still very much learning about myself [as a business owner.] Pausing [#movethedial] was very difficult for me given what my team had built, but I also realized that I did not want to pivot for the sake of pivoting if I could not deliver the same calibre of experience. I never thought I would have the strength to know when it was time [to pause,] having a deep passion for the mission of my organization and being deeply attached to my team and what we had built. I admire the organizations who continued to operate and feel the industry has rallied and leaders have come together to support each other.”

"The Gallery closed on March 13, reopening to members and annual pass holders on July 2, and the public on July 23 with reduced capacities and social distancing that continue today. In March, we recognized very quickly that we needed to shift our engagement with gallery visitors to an online platform. On the learning side, we went from thinking about activities and resources for teachers, families, and adults that were almost exclusively focused on our exhibitions, to content that was more broadly focused on the AGO Collection, wellness, and social justice. Since March, we have increased our visitor engagement online by 300 percent, and from about five online resources to over 50. And together with our talks and performances, we have delivered over 100 programs to date, with many available online anytime.  

In addition to our programming efforts aimed at families and teachers, we wanted to stay connected to older adults in this moment. We took our conversational studio program for seniors that typically happens every month at the Gallery and re-imagined it as a three-part video. Featuring an art conversation, art instruction, and artmaking, the experience has been shared and taken up across many seniors groups across the province. 

COVID-19 has opened up new ways of thinking about connecting with audiences beyond Toronto, across the province, and internationally. Moving forward, we are thinking about a hybrid approach to programming where we can leverage our on-site opportunities and art together with our online space for continuous and synchronous engagement.”

“The festival began in 1979 as a small fundraiser for the Playhouse Theatre Company, featuring just one winery and two component wine tastings. In 2020, we featured 162 wineries from 15 countries and put on 55 events over eight days with an estimated attendance of 25,300.
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The pandemic hit not long after our annual festival, which meant we were in the wrap-up phase of our cycle and pre-planning stages for next year. As a result, it has forced us to re-examine the fundamental nature of our event, and what makes the festival unique and important to the industry. It has also given us opportunities to connect with our partners and stakeholders in other ways during this time of inactivity through status updates, surveys, and offering social marketing support for community initiatives.
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Our charitable beneficiary, Bard on the Beach, was forced to cancel their 2020 season due to the pandemic but they have done an excellent job of creating online and socially-distanced learning experiences while the stages are dark. We have been very excited to partner with them on one initiative, Wine Wednesdays, which is a virtual tasting that I co-host with Bard’s Artistic Director Christopher Gaze. We have planned a series of four tastings, each featuring special guests from the wine industry. The first two have been so successful that we are hoping to extend the series throughout the duration of the pandemic. It is so important that virtual events be fun and engaging, and the combination of Shakespeare and wine has proven irresistible. 

One of the things we started as an organization, once people started working from home, was a weekly wine tasting by Zoom for staff and close friends, which has proven to be a microcosm of what we have taken away from the pandemic. As a certified wine educator, it has allowed me to share my knowledge with other wine enthusiasts; as event planners, we have learned what does and doesn’t work in virtual tastings; and as individuals, it has allowed us to stay connected with one another through the medium and love of wine.”

“We shut down our office on March 17 and spent four weeks in limbo: can we or can’t we have a festival this year? From the get-go we started thinking about different ways we could present our event but it soon became obvious that large public gatherings wouldn’t be allowed, so we started thinking: what is the best option that we have for presenting something in a different format? We had all these people lined up to perform this year (we had announced our lineup on March 4), so maybe they would still want to from where they were since they couldn’t come here. We have all of our Main Stage performances—our biggest artists—in an archive so we reached out to some of the artists who’ve been here and asked how they’d feel about allowing our audience to relive the performances. We asked our sponsors if they would be into it, too—which they were! All of a sudden, Winnipeg Folk Fest at Home was born.
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I think there has been a lot more collaboration in the industry as a result of COVID-19. On a national level, the Canadian Live Music Association has worked to be an advocate for the whole industry and have webinars on things like how the wage and rent subsidies work specifically for our industry. All the western folk festivals have been communicating regularly as well by sharing ideas and providing moral support. Better relationships have been developed and the attention to creativity and innovation is going to lead to greater ideas and collaboration in the future as well.   

Being forced to do things in a new and different way, to be innovative and creative, has been great for everyone on our team because it has allowed us to take a bad situation and figure out how to make something good come out of it—to still connect with our volunteer community and our funders, sponsors and donors and of course, our audience. We’re looking at all aspects of our business; things we really don’t have time to do otherwise, deep dives into why and how we do things (which we normally don’t have a chance to do) that will help us prepare for the future. 

We have this new gift of time to do a thorough operational review at our organization and I think it’s going to be really important. We’re looking at how things were and how we think things are going to need to be. I think that’s going to lead to lots of positive change and a greater appreciation for when we do return to our events.”

“As a life-long culture lover, it’s wonderful to see so many organizations reaching out and connecting with audiences in new ways. I think many of us have considered culture something you connect with outside: going to the opera, a music festival, etc. Now it’s something we can participate in anytime, anywhere.
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Over the last six months, many art fairs have gone online. All the big players, such as Basel and Frieze, have developed beautiful online platforms. A few weeks into the crisis it was clear we’d have to do something similar, but I wanted to offer our audiences opportunities to connect in person to compliment an online experience. Galleries are surprisingly well-suited to managing social distance; the spaces are large, typically only admit small numbers, and it’s a touch-free environment. In an art gallery, one can experience cutting-edge culture and connect in person while keeping safe—there are no real disruptions to how we’ve always experienced visual art—with the added fashion statement of an artist-designed mask! 
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Since March, there have been more than a few dark moments. One of the programs we developed was What is the Art World You Want to Create? a series of interviews with art world leaders including curators, educators, and editors where they speak openly about some of their ideas and goals on innovating in this time, reaching new and wider audiences, and breaking down some of the barriers for accessing contemporary culture. It’s been an incredibly inspiring project, encouraging optimism and a hopeful approach to moving forward. For participants and audiences, we’ve found this simple ‘blue sky’ question encourages us to think beyond the disruption of lock-down and consider it as a time for innovation. 
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This is a time for innovators. Those who know their industries well but are not attached to the ‘way it’s always been done’ are the ones who will see opportunities that lead to new connections and build audiences in different ways. It’s also a time to hone a tight team of creative minds. This is a time to make bold moves together, quickly, creatively, and efficiently.”