Live comes before hybrid – demand is increasing

The demand for live events is growing. After a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency for events and live-marketing VOK DAMS is again registering a strong increase in demand for live events worldwide. 

According to the company, 26 percent of all inquiries received by VOK DAMS in Germany concern face-to-face events, 35 percent to hybrid events with a mix of digital and face-to-face components, and 39 to purely digital gatherings. The economy in Germany is still initially focusing on the particularly flexible digital and hybrid formats, as companies need a longer lead time for their events and certainty in their implementation. In the course of the planning, however, the share of live events is likely to increase further in many projects, VOK DAMS is certain. In China, where physical events have been allowed to take place again since the middle of last year, companies are focusing on live events: Since the beginning of the year, VOK DAMS has recorded a 30 percent increase in inquiries here. In the USA, too, inquiries for live events continue to rise, which VOK DAMS sees as a result of the country’s successful COVID-19 vaccination program.

The Desire for Community Experiences

“Germany and many other countries are opening up again. The lockdowns are subsiding, contact restrictions are loosened, and live events are coming back, reports VOK DAMS CEO Colja Dams. “After the long months of COVID-19 prevention, people want to meet face-to-face again. This is human nature, we are social animals who thrive in groups. We call that the campfire DNA.” The fact that large events with more than 1,000 participants have also been increasingly requested since the first quarter of 2021 reflects this deep need for strong community experiences.”

Revival of the Roadshow

“Currently, we are seeing a trend toward regional events, with many smaller events being held in different locations. Hybrid roadshows are decentralized, temporary brand experiences that bring brands directly to the target audience in a series of regional events, enabling a physical coming together of smaller groups in a covid-19 safe way,” explains Colja Dams, adding, “If the customer can’t or doesn’t want to come to the event, then the event has to come to the customer. This pays off for many companies, even with a small number of attendees.”