The Other Side Of The Pandemic, Are We There Yet?
The year 2022 has brought back a lot of hope and a lot more learning. Has taught us the Value of life; of Others around us; of Things small and big. Every moment is now seen as precious.
At the end of 2020, we started saying see you on the other side of the pandemic…today I wonder… Are we there, yet?
During the peak of the shutdowns and the lockdowns, our events and experiential industry came to a complete standstill but after overcoming all the odds, our comeback and subsequent revival have been phenomenal.
From the very first week of the global pandemic, event marketers and planners knew a big shift was at our doorstep, but little did we anticipate that the world of events as we knew it was going to change completely.
Covid brought with it tons of uncertainty, panic and chaos and made sure that we laced up our boots and were ready to adapt to whatever the world would throw at us. Change was here and we knew that as event professionals we had to reskill ourselves quickly in order to adapt to it.
An industry that was experiencing a steady growth of 12 per cent to 15 per cent saw a complete shift in its ecosystem post the pandemic. After more than 18 months of navigating the twists and turns of the global outbreak of Covid, a new world of events had emerged, a world where the traditional rules were no longer valid. The ‘new normal’ as they termed it had us literally gasping for a breath of fresh air and we were scratching and clawing to fit into the new post pandemic world. With the change in the way with which we used to communicate and the barrier of the “6 feet distance” our social lives, work lives and personal lives went through a complete overhaul. Ofcourse, this change had to impact the biggest form of live communication with the masses, Events!
As soon as the lockdowns were lifted and the restrictions eased, The Events Industry in India went into a flurry of fast forward and all of us vowed to constantly change and evolve with newer ideas and more innovative ways to connect and communicate with our audiences while making sure the “Wow Factor” of the experiences remained intact. Our sole responsibility was giving them ways to connect with an experience of a brand through all senses, which led to the much awaited coming of Virtual and Augmented reality coupled with Gamification to the forefront of our experiential portfolios.
With innovation leading the way, Hybrid events became a norm and provided us with a massive opportunity in the form of a multi-audience, multiformat events that equipped us with data and audience engagement like never before. With Web 3.0 and the Metaverse now becoming common knowledge the world of Digital and Hybrid events is more exciting than ever. Today, Immersive displays are setting up new “norms” for events in 2023. Technology also advanced to allow for deeper and more extended engagement with different audiences, helping shape future strategies and approaches.
We at ShowCase Events are absorbing and executing many of these new learnings. With innovation leading the way, our everyday challenges are more exciting than ever.
Folk-Music and its transformation in 2022- Recap
Music creation as well as consumption saw a sharp shift with digitalisation.
There is a visible decline in the demand for Indian musical instruments, especially the traditional handcrafted folk ones. These manufacturers know no better and per force had to change their line of livelihood.
Folk singers too went through a rough patch. They are traditional, extremely talented but lack the technological know-how demanded by the new norms of communication. Our artists are only dedicated to their craft and have stuck to only knowing their music, missing the ability to bring or showcase their talent and work to the audiences who are craving to listen to them.
The problem has also extended to the live events domain where these folk artists suffer again with the live events focussing more on popular music and viral sensations. It is a sad reality but unfortunately that is what sells currently and is exactly what the social media influenced audiences want. With all of this happening, our talented folk artists are suffering and failing to recover financially.
Will we lose our pure FOLK? It’s a very worrisome thought. Digitisation having taken over, we will soon not know what the original sound was. Contemporising folk by diluting it is going to lead to a loss of our rich cultural assets. Its in our hands to conserve it. A struggle that was there pre-pandemic continues post-pandemic.
2023 brings in a lot of promise. Many good things learnt in 2022 will see their growth and impact in 2023. The experiential events industry is slated for 25%-30% growth in the new year.
At the end of the day, offline live events will never go out of style. Instead, they’ll evolve and mature, driven by the integration of digital technology and the augmentation of the experience. The end result is an experience that’s more unique and shareable and brings together the best of both worlds.
Folk music will rise in a big way and our country’s musical base will only become stronger globally.
We at ShowCase Events are doing our bit let’s do this together.
Not ending with any gyaan but a shout out for those who believe in growth through conservation-lets make our tribe stronger!
2022 leads us into a very promising 2023!
