{"id":52924,"date":"2022-02-06T13:21:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-06T18:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=52924"},"modified":"2022-02-07T21:51:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T02:51:43","slug":"events-in-the-covid-19-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/events-in-the-covid-19-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Weddings, Parties, and Special Events in the COVID-19 Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

With shutdowns and stay-at-home orders hitting the U.S. from all sides, people retreated into their homes. Bars, restaurants, spas, and health clubs<\/a> went dark. First, it re-emphasized the seriousness of the health crisis, just in case people still weren’t convinced. Soon after came the ventilators and overflowing hospitals to drive home the lesson.<\/p>\n

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\"pandemic<\/p>\n

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Next on the “hit-list” were large-crowd events like weddings, bar mitzvahs, conferences, sporting events, and concerts. For example, in March 2020, Live For Live Music<\/a> (the Ticket Master holding company) did a sharp U-turn, canceling shows one after another. Finally, in mid-2021, more than 15 months later, vaccinations blunted the sharp edge of the pandemic. So, the various bureaucracies shifted gears to more relaxed regulations. All indications were that the worst was behind us. At year-end, not even the omicron variant could unsettle that feeling.\u00a0The truth is, people won’t hold back indefinitely.<\/p>\n

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The need to socialize drives our lives in a significant way. Also, one can’t postpone marriages and other special events forever. And, let’s face it, Zoom or TV doesn’t compare to being there live, enjoying the theme and atmosphere. Therefore, the extensive event ecosystem \u2013 suppressed for so long \u2013 made a recognizable comeback with much fanfare. You don’t have to look further than the NFL playoffs: arenas packed to capacity and hardly a mask in sight.<\/p>\n

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The recovery of significant events (public and private) happens fast in some scenarios and slower in others. Hence, the big question: Is this upward trend sustainable?<\/p>\n

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Event professionals see the number and attendance reaching and potentially surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 2023. But that recovery remains contingent on several factors, including how effective the vaccine program is, the nature of the event in question, and location.<\/p>\n

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Special public events (like conferences) in 2022<\/h2>\n

Tentative<\/em> is the word that best describes the current mood. Conferences are not up for cancellation, but at the same time, attendance is way down. According to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics, the pandemic has drilled holes in the conference market, leaking revenue to the tune of $211 billion since early 2020.<\/p>\n

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Business events depend on thousands of attendees traveling from every state and international destination. However, there\u2019s no doubt that air travel is still not out of the woods, and the domino effect can be swift and tangible. So, we face a\u00a0combination of reluctance to travel (unless it’s an absolute necessity) and fear of crowded indoor spaces. For that reason,\u00a0progress in these co-dependent industries is still a little slow<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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