One—hopefully, last—glimpse at the most significant ways in which the coronavirus pandemic changed the meeting and event landscape this year, as selected by The Meeting Professional staff.
Masks
What began in late winter/early spring as hard-to-find, tightly fitting, oppressive masks seemingly from the wardrobe of Batman’s nemesis Bane, has shifted to comfortable, readily available face coverings, some of which are outright works of art. Of course, the flip side is more discarded masks on the ground of every parking lot.
Temperature Scans
Standing solemnly while a stranger holds a device up to your forehead before allowing you entry. It makes real public health sense, but that doesn’t make it feel any more normal. Presumably, now people are more acutely aware of whether or not they run slightly hot or slightly cold.
Social Distancing
“Is six feet sufficient?” “I read the virus can spray 14 feet.” Regardless of the distance du jour, we’ve all become accustomed this year to standing back from others, empty restaurant tables and seeing the endemic space markers affixed to floors…everywhere. It’s weird how it’s no longer weird. How long do you think the increased attention to personal space will persist post-pandemic?
GBAC STAR
The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation provides third-party verification of a venue’s cleanliness to help ease the minds of planners and all stakeholders. This is a need that many weren’t aware of that’s taken off like a rocket this year as venues learned or were reminded of the nuanced differences between MERV filtration levels. (Read more about GBAC STAR venues.)
Loss of Face to Face
A natural consequence of widespread social distancing and, well, pretty much every aspect of the pandemic’s effect on society, has been the disappearance of most in-person gatherings and, by and large, that in-real-life facetime you all cherish.
Zoom
Videoconference didn’t start in 2020, but this year, it did seemingly invade every internet-enabled home and office and vehicle. “I think you’re on mute.” “No, he’s not muted, I can hear him.” “Can you hear me?” “Yeah, I can hear you.” “G…o…o…d, then we can <frozen silence, followed by sped up talking> continuewiththecall. Howiseveryonedoing?” At least we’ve all been able to stay connected in some way, and we got to see each other’s pets. (Part of me wonders if this whole year was masterminded by cats to force us to use Zoom so they can see other cats. Yup…lockdown plays games with your head.)
Impact of Hotels and Travel
Air travel declined 75 percent in the early months of the pandemic. Unsold hotel rooms just in the U.S. surpassed 1 billion as some properties, notably in Las Vegas, began experimenting with reduced days of operation—specifically closing during the week. As people have gotten more used to masked, limited travel—as well as unnecessary, careless travel over the winter holidays—there’s been some pick up, but it’s nowhere near it needs to be.
Employment Struggles
The employment landscape for meeting pros this year has been, overall, worse than 9/11 and the 2008 recession combined. In the February 2020 edition of MPI’s Meetings Outlook survey, 33 percent of respondents said full-time hiring was increasing, with 16 percent indicating such hiring was on the decline. In the latest Meetings Outlook survey (November), only 6 percent of respondents reported an increase, while 46 percent said full-time hiring was decreasing. Oh, what a difference a few months makes. The good news is that hiring may be getting brighter. Stay tuned to our next survey—results to be published in February 2021.
Words
As accurate as it may be, we’re all sick of hearing the word “pandemic.” (I’m certainly sick of typing it.) However, that’s not the only word used ad nauseum this year that we’d like to forget. What else to say of this unprecedented time? With the surge in virtual events, many industry professionals have had to pivot. We will endeavor to keep the usage of these words minimal in 2021 as we explore the new normal. (Read more about words we’re all sick of.)
Trusted Meeting & Event Resources
Industry groups really hit it out of the ballpark this year to provide financial aid as well as the making the latest, most important information readily accessible. Enter MPI’s Trusted Meeting & Event Resources page, a collection of news stories; industry best practices; and original research, surveys, articles, videos and podcasts—focused entirely on the coronavirus pandemic and all the ways in which it’s been affecting meeting professionals and their businesses.
OTHER BEST OF 2020 BLOGS
Dec. 14: Top 10 Members in the News
Dec. 15: Top 10 Community Service
Dec. 17: MPItv Year in Review
