In issue 4 of , Eman Pulis founder of SiGMA group, writes about uncertainties faced through COVID-19 in the event industry and what was done to overcome them

Our events have been impacted by this unprecedented situation. When I launched the inaugural summit back in 2013, I faced great challenges as a start-up. Nothing, however, quite prepares you for a situation where you have to let go of your last recruits and contractors – not because they aren’t delivering – but because it’s the right thing to do. In a matter of days our board meetings turned from discussing adventurous growth to survival.   

 

Here’s how our events are being shaped by this crisis;  

 

1. We’re not looking back. In 2019 we took the bold decision to expand into Asia because the industry is hungry for growth outside Europe’s saturated markets. So, I decided to stay in Manila and grow the team here. We postponed our inaugural June 2020 show to May 2021, which essentially gives us an extra 11 months to curate a kickass inaugural summit in Asia.   
2. It’s high time that we bring our two shows (SiGMA and AIBC) closer together and allow both sides to learn from one other. The two sides stand to benefit by having both shows held together under one roof on the same dates.  
3. You can’t quite replace the holistic experience of a summit like ours with a virtual meetup. However, we’ve realised that the two can coexist. Our summits, moving forward, will also feature a virtual expo allowing anyone to tune in and walk through the floor plan. 

Adaptability is a vital and invaluable skill that we have found ourselves perfecting by walking barefoot through a fire – and have come out stronger than before.    

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