July 5, 2021 | Produced in partnership with PCMA
Digital events aren’t new, but without the impetus the global pandemic provided, they typically came with a lacklustre production quality. Many successful and experienced event managers don’t possess the one skill they need right now – the ability to design and deliver a digital event strategy.
No longer an afterthought or a nice-to-have – a digital event strategy is key to ongoing success and organisations can’t afford to not develop their team’s skills.
Karen Bolinger, Managing Director of PCMA APAC said: “We need to embrace a new mindset for our work, to shift what is considered ‘an event’, reimagine the servicing of our audience’s needs, and step out into the marketplace with different offerings. We need to use the skills around us – our staff, partners and networks – in new ways, and learn to innovate, change, fail and start again.”
Managing Director of PCMA APAC, Karen Bolinger
As hybrid becomes the new normal, the question remains, how do we commercialise the new business models around events? Organisers are considering price points, frequency, content themes and more. The key questions centre around delivering value and ROI for delegates – both face-to-face and online. There is more to explore and discover as we develop hybrid events more, however, one thing is for sure, it will require reimaging what the delivery of content and connection looks like.
The rapid technological change and the demands of organising, marketing and delivering a hybrid event has meant the skills needed within a team have changed. Whilst we lament the many lay-offs as a consequence of the pandemic, many business owners and leaders are now considering what skills and expertise they need in their business going forward. COVID-19 has delivered the biggest shake-up in our workforce – a double of loss of talent and a need for new skills and professions.
PCMA’s Digital Event Strategist (DES) Certification course, which teaches the fundamentals of hybrid events, has seen a 350% uplift in participants over the last six months, as people consider digital event skills a necessity.
Jonathan Tok, Platform Lead, Now Comms Asia said: “Virtual events have enabled us to reach a wider audience. We expect a wave of regionalisation of events when hybrid events become our new norm, and the learnings from DES will be more critical than ever.”
Why wait any longer? The Digital Event Strategist certification is here to help future-proof your events and your career. By the end of the course, you will be able to lead the design, delivery, monetisation and measurement of effective and highly interactive online gatherings that outperform expectations for participant engagement and ROI.
The six-week course gives students access to regional experts who provide mentoring on the new challenges of the events industry. Upcoming courses begin 12 July and 23 August – don’t miss out!