How do you plan and manage events in the midst of all this uncertainty?
We have used technology to accomplish online what we’ve always done in person. The first digital trade show, Firenze Home TexStyle, was held in January, which allowed exhibitors and buyers to meet on the platform. The timescale is as new as the technology. We decided to extend the running time to 22 June, beyond the usual four days of the fair, allowing new connections every day for everyone wanting to do business. In March, the fourth edition of Didacta was inaugurated by the new Italian education minister, Patrizio Bianchi. The busy line-up will focus on schools, teaching methods and new distance learning techniques.
What can we expect from trade shows in the future?
We’re faced with a stimulating time of change. The post-Covid era in particular introduces a change in vision and technology, in which digital is the tool for the new vision. There’s no doubt that we will go back to holding in-person events. We must be prepared to accompany traditional trade shows with online preparation, which will prove crucial in growing in-person events. Even when we resume in-person events, there will be a change in attendance with fewer people, but we must deliver the original offering, and technology can play a part in accomplishing this. When somebody walks into a certain type of trade show, such as fashion and textiles, buyers need to have a physical reaction; they need to touch the products. When it comes to crafts, buyers need to be able to evaluate the piece. However, there are possibilities, in particular for conferences, to work with important testimonials who can connect online.
How has your organization adapted to the current challenge?
The clearest answer is the way in which we have converted the “green room”, where we held conferences with combined desks and chairs facing the speaker, into a television set! It’s one way that sparks interest in future potential: remodulated physical spaces that define a new scenario. What events have been confirmed for 2021 and 2022? The resumption of Pitti Immagine is pivotal. We are all waiting to know if it will be possible to hold the event in June and July, perhaps with a few adjustments, but it’s hard to make any predictions. There’s a strong demand to resume bookings with new future conferences and events that already want to set dates in September and October 2021. There’s a thirst to savor live events again before going ahead and planning better for 2022 and 2023. We’ll talk about this again in the second half of the year, saving what works and readjusting this based on the new Firenza Fiera scenario.
