EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
JONATHAN LEPPARD COO , FUTURE FACILITIES
In-person collaboration and networking is unquestionably a valuable means for business leaders to gain intelligence on commonplace technological and human problems , discuss approaches and share suggestions on good practice across different types and sizes of company . While these conversations are possible to have remotely , they come more easily in an informal , relaxed , face-toface setting .
What ’ s more , events such as exhibitions allow data centre leaders to explore and experience new and existing technologies first-hand , helping to make their jobs easier . Of course , information on the same solutions could also be found online and demos individually organised outside of an event . However , setting aside time and headspace to conduct the necessary online searches and explore new technologies and approaches is more difficult in a busy working environment . By contrast , when a couple of consecutive days are allotted to attend an event , diaries are cleared and time can be given over to deep thinking and exploring without day-to-day workplace activity acting as a disruption .
Post-pandemic , professionals are likely to go to fewer , high-quality physical events . To attract business leaders to these , compelling conference goals and content – including interesting speakers and panel discussions – must be offered . For example , events that have the potential to positively impact industry progress towards important milestones – by addressing key issues , will be more appealing .
To attract business leaders to these , compelling conference goals and content – including interesting speakers and panel discussions – must be offered .
That being said , many professionals have enjoyed key conference sessions being available online and on-demand over the course of the pandemic . This has meant they can learn at any point , without the need to travel , which incurs extra time and cost implications to the business , not to mention the environment .
Although the convenience of the online experience is compelling , it ’ s questionable whether it ’ s really equal in value to in-person events . As such , organisers need to carefully consider how the two factors can be balanced .
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