Looking ahead to the next normal

Last Wednesday, we received the news we’ve all been looking forward to since March. The first vaccine for COVID-19 has been approved in the U.K., and the same vaccine goes before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Thursday. You could almost feel the world exhale a little.  

This great news came amid a spate of virtual events InvestmentNews is hosting this month (bias alert: all of which have been excellent), many of which were moved to the end of the year to adapt to the COVID-19 normal. The combination of good news about a vaccine as the team here was operating in the current normal raised the question in my mind: What will the next normal for events look like? 

The clear takeaway from an intimate RPA Convergence event Oct. 29-30 that leaned into the interaction between attendees was that reduced opportunities to engage with peers leaves a real void. The next normal will have to include some in-person opportunities, certainly for business purposes, but unquestionably for human purposes, too. 

Then our ESG Summit and Film Festival last Wednesday and Thursday showed what might remain post-COVID-19. The presenters and filmmakers who participated were able to join from all around the U.S. and the world. Everyone who participated online could ask questions and engage directly with other attendees.  

My hunch: The next event “normal” will be hybridized. 

What do you think? Send me an email and let me know.