Abstract
he COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused havoc in the world, not only from a medical point of view but also concerning our way of living. Every industry had to adapt to the enormous changes that came with the pandemic and the different ways their businesses needed to function. Technology has developed at such a rate that people cannot exist without it and need to incorporate it into their daily lives. However, due to the COVID pandemic in 2020, people were forced to conduct their business using technology and this completely altered their lifestyles.
Industries specialising in events which required face-to-face interaction had to adapt to face-to-screen interaction. This gave rise to “virtual events” which is the rationale behind this study. The motivation for this research study was to understand the shift to online and how the world of eventing has had to modify and evolve its functionalities to remain relevant during and after the pandemic.
The study delved into the literature around technology and the way the digital world has evolved, looking at the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its benefits and downfalls, as well as touching on the various eventing trends that are constantly arising. The research was conducted using a qualitative research method following a case study research design approach using semi-structured interviews to discover the perceptions and views of eventing professionals regarding the world of events and how they have adapted their business.
From the data received the following themes emerged which form the basis of the analysis and findings: theme one, the dearth of online events pre-COVID; theme two, the vulnerability of the eventing industry; theme three, successful face-to-face versus online events; theme four, perks and flaws of online events; theme five, back to the drawing board, online events going forward, and theme six, zooming in on platforms.
The overall analysis of the research indicated that all participants were aligned in that even after the world has moved “back to normal”, there will always be a need for an online component. The conclusions and recommendations suggest that the world is becoming increasingly digitised, and technology is constantly evolving, however, the face to face interaction offered by online events will always be relevant. Therefore, a combination of both traditional as well as online events seems to be the direction in which the world will move – a more hybrid approach to living.
Keywords: Fourth Industrial Revolution, online events, virtual events, hybrid events.