Event Marketing Crisis Management
Strategies for Managing Your Program Through the Coronavirus:
How long will this last? That’s been the top question most people ask knowing there is nmo definitive answer. Meanwhile…
As jarring as it is, we are just beginning to see the effects this virus is having on businesses worldwide. First, the cancellation of shows like Mobile World Congress, HP’s delayed conference and large anchor organizations pulling out of near term events, now that waterfall is starting to blanket the globe in all industries. Along with this, we have the stock market plummeting with daily record-setting declines that has us all holding our collective breath. So, your event is canceled, but your organization still needs to reach its audience to drive revenues and amplify your branding and marketing messages. What to do?
There are solutions, however, any solution needs to be unique to the individual needs and challenges of each organization. This is something that I dealt with in my previous career position as a Marketing Director for a global firm on the client-side when we dove into a deep recession that just hammered our program. While a recession is not this virus, the experience I had in repositioning and redeployment has some similarities. But like the recession, no one knows how long this virus will affect us and how long it will last. There are already several drug development organizations claiming they have developed a *treatment (the sooner the better), as there have been potential vaccines submitted to the FDA for further process approval. But even with that expediency, it could be months to a year before it’s distributed to the general population.
If you haven’t felt the implications or impact of this virus as of yet, I’m sure it’s looming just outside your door. While we were all hoping this did not become a thing, it has and but we have to consider how to manage it now. There are smart ways to navigate around this, which may not be as effective as your planned proprietary conference or presence at those trade shows originally scheduled, but an alternative plan will not leave you at a complete loss and does not need to break the bank.
Some of the starting points that I had to consider was;
- Prioritization of who we wanted to reach, why and what is the expected ROI?
- Where did we have the bandwidth matched with resources to make that reach?
- How can I redeploy my budget, resources and leverage my partnerships to execute?
- How do I position this with management stakeholders and get their buy-in?
These are four very simple thought starters but critical to getting that alternative solution initiated.
Source: LinkedIn Pulse
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