As the effects of the coronavirus continue to unfold, one industry in particular which has taken a hit is event services. The trickle effect of canceled professional sports games, music festivals like Coachella, concerts, and tech conferences is putting pressure on companies like Eventbrite, Cvent, Aventri, Arlo, EventBank, and others.
While it’s in the interest of public health and safety to go ahead with these cancellations and move events online, the financial toll is immense. Though one company encouraging hotels to keep their doors open is Cvent.
Companies that have been open to digital transformation have performed the best during the COVID-19 era. And Cvent has been particularly proactive in not only communicating with providing customers support but coming up with innovative solutions to keep events going.
The US-based event management software company has encouraged hotels across the UK and Europe to employ several new online marketing tactics. This advice came from a Cvent webinar called ‘Keep Your Doors Open with Digital Marketing’, led by Cvent Senior Marketing Manager, Karla Pearce. The webinar is available on-demand.
“While many hotels’ physical doors remain closed, it is critical that hoteliers prepare now for the better times ahead,” Pearce said. “By incorporating the right digital marketing strategy, hospitality professionals can ensure their digital doors remain wide open – allowing them to more quickly and efficiently drive demand and attract MICE business post-pandemic.”
In the webinar, Pearce notes how while hotel check-ins have dropped many have risen to the occasion. Four Seasons Manhattan may have closed to the general public but is offering free accommodation to healthcare staff. Meanwhile, ExCel London has transformed into the first temporary hospital in the UK and My Switzerland is sharing positives messages across social media.
This is important, as 48% of people in the UK stated in a survey conducted by Censuswide on April 8 that they would trust brands less if they were to ignore what was happening. Meanwhile, 58% of participants strongly or somewhat agreed that the way brands are behaving during COVID-19 will affect their business decisions with those companies in the future.
Pearce implores that events will come back, and hotels should prepare for the second half of 2020 as well as the rest of 2021. This time can be best spent improving online presence, so planners can find venues for these future events, and building customer loyalty.
