Reset and refocus: The changing landscape of events

Abstract

Events and event professionals have faced numerous challenges as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The immediate impact in terms of mass event cancellations has led event businesses to rethink new ways of developing and conducting their events, often requiring new skills, new personal attributes, and new knowledge sets. There is an immediate need to reflect on current industry perspectives and the way in which the event industry is transforming itself. Findings reveal that the key skills required to operate effectively in the events industry have not dramatically changed with risk management and event safety becoming top priorities. In addition, personality attributes such as flexibility and adaptability still reflect past and current industry challenges. However, what is highlighted in this article is the need to collaborate with diverse stakeholders; reinforce required skills, attributes, and knowledge sets, and for event educational programs to take a leading role in that process, strengthening the link between theory and practice.