What is the future of events?

What is the future of events?

Last week, after four long months of coronavirus lockdowns, Dubai hosted its first "in-person“ event. AI Everything, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on 16 July, marked the resumption of the emirate's events calendar, away from the virtual world and back to physical interactions. 

The event was by invite-only but saw considerable turnout as well as safety measures like temperature checks, social distanced seats, contactless badge collection and pre-packed food.

"The event industry is one of the key main propositions to Dubai. It has always been a fundamental part of what Dubai is about. Now we need to think about what are the new opportunities within these challenges“, says Issam Kazim, chief executive officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

For many, these new opportunities will still be in the virtual world. Until a vaccine is made available, many around the world are still hesitant to travel or interact with large numbers of people in enclosed spaces. 

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the $1.5 trillion global business events industry has seen events either cancelled, rescheduled or gone virtual since the outbreak. The pandemic led to the cancellation of high-profile conferences and exhibitions including Mobile World Congress, SXSW, Facebook's