I think what you raise is an interesting question. I would say we're in a mode of experimenting right now. Is it possible that the industry is innovating a bit too quickly? Our focus is making you and your event successful. What we want to be able to do is tell our planners that we have the right solution for you. We want working with Encore to be seamless. We have planners that either had their organizations make a platform decision before we talked to them, or for their event design, a different platform is the best solution. It’s very important to us to make sure that we are making planners' lives easier, and that we are bringing all of the solutions to them. It actually came from the in-room experience, so it's kind of a second-screen audience engagement tool. We have our own platform timeline, which we're very proud of, and one a bunch of our customers have used. Why partner with Cvent and Intrado Digital? Now you've got organizations and planners trying to decide where on that pendulum they want to be in terms of in-person needs and thinking about that remote attendee audience. ![]() And in some ways, last year was easier because you only had to solve for the virtual event. But I think the planners are trying to figure out the exact design that solves for that. The returns should be larger than they were before because they'd be needed in person, but now we've realized there's a whole different format to reach really different audiences. It’s going to mean meetings and events are more important. You're seeing in the planner community a generational shift take place where you know folks have had to learn new skills, but you're also introducing more people to the value of meetings and events, which for all of us in this business should be a great thing. How does planning evolve as we move (hopefully) out of this pandemic? It's still at its core an in-person experience but don't let the messaging and the power of that event stop at the ballroom. We're going to have larger audiences in multiple locations. When we say “hybrid” that's what we mean. That's where the remote attendee piece comes in. But if you restrict your message just to those that can be there in the room, you will have a smaller audience than if you can find ways to creatively open it up. We believe in-person is a superior form of meeting. Now that there’s a race to return to face-to-face, how important is it to reinforce that added dimension with digital? That comfort factor has allowed a number of organizations to expand the people that they can reach. What the last year has taught us is that even my parents can schedule a Zoom meeting. So, the technology was there, it just was less comfortable for a lot of people to consume. Hybrid events have existed for a decade, they just tended to be kind of reserved for the largest, biggest-budget citywide - you'd have a medical congress and bring doctors in from around the world using it. As a leader in the tech space for years, what do you make of the explosion during COVID? I think it will take a little getting used to, but I'm hopeful most people will see the benefits. You can just grab them as they're walking by. You get time to put your feet up around the table and it does make certain things a lot easier to just connect because you don't need to find an hour in the schedule that no one has. I am completely biased in what I want to believe but I think this industry attracts people that like the energy of face-to-face that extends to their work environment. What’s it like bringing work back to the office? Yet there is more to the new name’s meaning than that, as Erwin explains in this chat about the future of events and leadership through a time of crisis. ![]() When executed well, virtual and hybrid events produce content worth coming back to. The new name, the key part of last year’s rebranding, seems ideal for this time. Having announced major partnerships with both Cvent and Intrado Digital Media, Encore will almost surely remain an industry mainstay as events move toward a world of face-to-face gatherings mixed with digital experiences.Īs we enter this brave new world, Encore is still gently reminding the world that it is no longer PSAV. There is no company touching as many meetings, events and trade shows as Encore. Hey - that sounds a lot like the events industry. It may never be five days in the office again, but the blending of physical meetings with Zoom calls has begun. Slowly but surely, Erwin is calling in the troops for some limited office work. Namely, an employee is seen in the background walking down the hall. ![]() What used to be a regular sight gathers some attention during an interview with Encore President and CEO Ben Erwin.
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