In 2019, around 52.6 per cent of event professionals reported having invested more in event tech than the previous year; this year, those numbers might skyrocket. To say that COVID-19 has thrown the events industry into disarray would be an understatement.

This enforced physical isolation has led to an en masse shift towards digital solutions: from virtual birthday parties to virtual music festivals, to large-scale trade conferences such as Facebook’s Oculus Connect 7, that took its annual San Jose conference online — events are going virtual.

But is this digital migration just a fad, brought about by necessity, gone by the time the pandemic ends?

On one hand, it is true that this new age of virtual events won’t be the death knell for traditional, analogue events: Long-term quarantines have only made clearer that we are social creatures who go stir-crazy if left alone for too long; and, the serendipity of meeting and networking face-to-face is something that virtual alternatives cannot yet capture.

On the other hand, while we need to meet other people — as the pandemic keeps event venues shuttered and people more than an arms-length apart, it has become imperative for us to rethink what meeting requires.

Hybrid will be the new normal

Physical events may be impossible for now, but they will still be a part of the post-pandemic world — though they won’t be the same. For one, concerns about health and safety will persist — according to a survey conducted by SACEOS in May 2020, only five per cent of respondents said that they would be comfortable attending events in October without safety measures in place — thinning out crowds as fewer people flock to physical event spaces and mandating stricter hygiene standards.

Also Read: For COMEUP 2020, the post-pandemic future will be led by startups

As event venues operate under capacity, events will require a digital component to keep participant numbers high.

And, the current pandemic has forced even the most resistant of the old guard to adopt and adapt to digital solutions. Almost 60 per cent of the respondents to a survey conducted during our digital event on how to run digital conferences reported that they believe digital conferences will be a part of physical conferences in the future, despite only less than 10 per cent of them having organised digital conferences before.

From live streaming events to remote viewers outside conference venues, to chat rooms that facilitate interaction between online viewers and participants on-site, digital elements currently being tried-and-tested will see greater implementation in physical events as they prove their worth — bringing into being hybrid events that marry the best of both worlds.

Hybrid events will be the next normal. The digital side of events of our near future will leverage features we already know well, stretching the limits of familiar technologies to provide new ways for participants to experience the event and engage with its offerings.

So, what will the future hold?

Device-agnostic, portable events

According to Cisco’s 2020 Global Networking Trends Report, the video will come to represent approximately 82 per cent of all business internet traffic by 2022. In addition, over 70 per cent of the global population will have mobile connectivity by 2023, with smartphones representing the second-fastest growing mobile device in the period between 2018 to 2023.

More people are watching videos online, and an increasing number of them are doing so on mobile devices — and embracing this digital transition will reshape how and where we participate in events. With modern streaming technology, it is now entirely possible to have an entire event in the palm of your hand, to take with you on-the-go.

Also Read: We revamped e27 Events and here are the new things you can do

Of course, to make these borderless events possible, you need technical literacy to ensure the cross-compatibility of their event on different operating systems and devices:

Does your video streaming platform of choice work the same on both Android and Apple phones? How does your live stream landing page look on different screen resolutions? These are issues you must tackle to ensure an optimal experience for all your participants.

New opportunities for generating revenue

In our survey, when asked how much they would be willing to pay for a digital conference in place of the physical edition, which used to be US$1,000 per ticket, 89.2 per cent of the participants were willing to pay for the online conference.

However, 82 per cent expected the price of a digital conference to being around 10-40 per cent of the price of the physical equivalent — owing, perhaps, to the lower set-up costs, the lack of face-to-face networking opportunities, and in some cases, even shorter duration.

If you want people to be willing to come to and pay for your digital event (or the digital offshoot of your physical event), you need to add value to their experience — and going digital creates new opportunities for you to do so.

Think about “freemium” events, for example: With the main session helmed by well-known keynote speakers, available for all participants to view and learn from — and paid breakout rooms, for participants who want more in-depth knowledge or networking opportunities with the speakers. “Freemium” models aren’t new — they’ve been used extensively in SaaS software — but it is significantly harder to implement in physical events, short of stationing a ticketing booth outside of every breakout room.

Also Read: Time to pivot, not panic: The startup advantage to dealing with a pandemic

Looking beyond the event industry

Digital and hybrid events have been around before COVID-19. What the pandemic has done is force the event industry to adopt them at an unprecedented scale and speed, pushing many experienced event managers into unfamiliar territory and creating a new breed dedicated to navigating the new virtual terrain — the digital event managers.

As we build the skills needed to make the most use of digital spaces, we’ll see more digital event managers take a page out of the playbook of digital veterans in other industries — such as e-commerce, or gaming.

When developing features for online exhibitions on GEVME Live, we had to think about how we would digitalize exhibitions. Would it have made the most use of our digital tools to have simply mapped out the physical event verbatim into the online world — or could we go further?

The benefit of a digital exhibition is that it is not constrained by space or time: Participants and exhibitors can come from anywhere, at any time. To make the most of this, we took inspiration from e-commerce, creating an online marketplace where exhibitors can have year-long exhibitions, and engage participants with live streams, networking sessions, and other features like showcases and seminars.

Digital event managers also have a lot to learn from the gaming industry. Gamers know how to work online engagement via video streaming: Two out of the top five most-subscribed Youtube channels feature gaming-related content; on the live-streaming platform Twitch, the average user spends 95 minutes per day watching live gaming.

How do effective game streamers maintain this high rate of engagement, curate their communities, and generate social media buzz on their streams? Events tech is constantly evolving in response to global needs, industry trends, and the wider world of technological developments.

Also Read: #SaveEvents: 4 event-focussed startups to support to keep the sector afloat

Still, the most impactful changes are likely to come from close by — things that are tried-and-tested and have proven themselves to work, even if they haven’t been applied to the event industry yet.

If you are interested in finding out more about what the future of events will hold, and how to navigate the emerging field of digital and hybrid events, why not join us at our Digital Events Academy?

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Traditional agriculture practices consist of complex and inefficient value chains. Typically, a farmer’s produce goes through several intermediaries before it reaches the end consumer.

As each intermediary in this chain is entitled to its share of margin, so the farmer’s proportion of the dollar earned from the consumer is very small. This is where agri e-commerce can be very helpful.

Digitisation of the agriculture supply chain is more important

The digitised platform can drive efficiency within the current value chain, with the potential to benefit both farmers and consumers. While at one hand, e-commerce can enable farmers with increased access to new markets such as retailers, restaurants, and consumers; on the other hand, it benefits consumers by providing them with fresh and nutritious produce.

In developed countries, many studies have shown that a direct market place between farmers and consumers, help the farmers to retain between 40 to 75 per cent of a food dollar, as opposed to a mere 15.6 per cent in a corporate chain.

In developing countries, where agriculture contribution to GDP is in double digits, e-commerce will be of significant benefit to the lives of farmers.

Pivoting to agri e-business happened at a large scale in the current COVID-19 pandemic. In Malaysia, during MCO (Movement Control Order), established e-commerce player Lazada connected farmers from Cameroon Highland to consumers directly.

Also Read: Why agritech startups will call for the next e-commerce revolution

The company reached out to farmers immediately, who otherwise were going to throw away their produce due to logistic issues and helped them go online.

Agri e-commerce is finally here. However, it is still in infancy, especially in Southeast Asia. SMEs who want to tap into this space should keep some key business considerations in mind while engaging the farmers to adopt the online platform.

The level of engagement can vary from basic to advance stage, depending on the business model and services provided. However, businesses that are still in the nascent stage, or just beginning their operations in agri e-commerce space should keep the below-mentioned golden rules in the farmer engagement model in-view.

5 golden rules for an effective farmer engagement model

Acquiring the farmers:

The first step is to build a robust base of farmers who can serve customers. A commitment from the farmers to engage with technology, which is new and uncertain to them, will require businesses to invest time in building a relationship with their target pool of farmers.

One way is to employ field agents who can organise small communities in the rural areas to explain the business model and its benefits to the farmers. Another way is to partner with farmers’ societies, co-operatives, and government.

eKutir (India), a social enterprise group that offers sustainable technology solutions in agriculture, has established decentralised local kiosks for collaborating with farmers. Each of these kiosks is run by a trained local entrepreneur, who would then work closely with farmers on a project, thus leveraging ICT tools for agricultural services.

Also Read: Ecosystem Roundup: Intuit acquires TradeGecko; Synagie proposes US$45M sale of e-commerce arm; Ayoconnect, Wahyoo, Clik, Vesta secure investment

Startups can follow this model of collaboration with local entrepreneurs; or partner with social enterprises that can help them to utilise an already built network of farmers, and save cost.

Peer group dialogue and referral programme, where acquired farmers tell their digital journeys to others, is also an effective way to utilise word of mouth to drive farmer’s use of the platform.

Building trust between farmers and consumers:

During the startup stage of e-commerce service, where both demand and supply elements are uncertain, a legally secure off-take arrangement can play a pivotal role in building trust between both parties. To safeguard the interests of both sides, agribusiness should try to secure a minimum guaranteed off-take agreement between the farmers and the buyers (if the buyer is retail, restaurant, etc).

One on hand, this reduces the risk of servicing the requests raised by the consumers. And on the other hand, it ensures farmers about the guaranteed income from the e-commerce platform. An example of the implementation of this approach comes from the Kenyan Agri e-commerce business, Tulaa, where the farmers sign a short-term contract with Tulaa agents, enabling a legal guarantee with a minimum off-take.

Providing continuous education and training:

Ad hoc training by local field agents, where they teach the farmers about key tasks such as grading, packaging, entering the details of the products, and eventually using the e-platform, needs to be coupled with continuous learning and engagement channels.

Communication channels such as hotline number; WhatsApp, Facebook messenger groups, and the chatbot are needed to keep the conversation going between farmers and the agribusinesses’ employees. Another way to facilitate continuous learning is to educate and train local farm leaders on new insights so that they can drive local communities to discuss and exchange ideas.

Today, farmers want conversational technology, which answers their questions continuously. An agri e-commerce startup that meets this expectation will speed up the adoption of its platform. One such successful conversational technology company is 8villages (Indonesia).

Also Read: A comprehensive guide to Indonesia’s agritech ecosystem

They started their journey by launching educational and communication applications for agriculture matters. But now they also provide a platform to rural people, where the farmers can ask questions and seek information about agriculture matter from agriculture practitioners and experts.

Enabling pre-finance options:

The success of this business model depends on making farmers less dependent on the middlemen. Securing finance for farmers to enable them to start their e-commerce journey, would lower their dependency on the middlemen who otherwise charge high-interest rates.

Agri e-commerce businesses can partner with potential lenders to provide easy finance to farmers. Jai Kisan (India) is an agri-fintech company that provides low cost and timely financing options to farmers. Partnering with such fintech companies would allow agri e-commerce companies to support farmers without committing any significant resources.

Another agri e-commerce business, such as Indonesian startup Tani Group, provides both a platform and the necessary funds to the farmers. They make use of a crowdfunding platform, where individuals or enterprises can choose to invest in a project of their preference.

Agri startups can also use such models to provide funding options within their e-commerce platforms.

Integrating e-commerce platform with value-added services:

Truly growing the farmers’ community and speeding up the adoption of e-commerce platform, would require an integrated solution that not only connects the farmers to their customers but also helps them to manage the quality of their produce.

An e-commerce platform can offer various kinds of features to enable farmers to manage their crops. It can be frequent crop reminder notification, which informs the farmers about the right dosage and time of inputs, depending on their crop requirement. Or it can be about providing consultation on where to source various machinery and agriculture equipment at a lower price.

To give an example, DeHatt (India), an end to end tech-enabled platform, offers a distinctive feature in its app.  The app provides various services to the farmer community and has recently included a feature that offers customised advisory services through automation and voice calls in the local language. This feature is innovative in the sense that it makes the solutions available to farmers in an easily digestible manner.

Also Read: In brief: eBay launches e-commerce accelerator in Singapore; Circles.Life introduces eSIMs

With the supply chain disruption this year, it is a good time to pivot for agri e-commerce startups. But there will be stiff competition from already established e-commerce players and large companies planning to enter this sector.

However, startups can benefit from establishing a strong farmer engagement model, that develops a close network between the farmers and the consumers.

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Working from home (WFH) used to be a bit of a polarising subject. You either believe it works, or you do not. The past few months, however, have shown that we can be just as productive working from home, as we usually are from our office desk.

My colleagues and I are quite fortunate in this regard. From day one, remote working has been built into the company’s DNA, and we are encouraged by leadership to work wherever we are most effective, whether from home or in the office. So when the coronavirus started making its presence felt globally, it wasn’t a stretch to shift to a remote work arrangement for most of our workforce.

This current impetus to remote work was very much crisis-induced, and for many, a move to try and keep companies afloat and workers employed for the short to medium term. Businesses are reacting to the situation as it develops, and a great many do not have business continuity plans set up either.

As much as some workers have embraced the idea of remote work, there are also those with roles, responsibilities, and circumstances who struggle mightily with staying productive from home for long stretches of time.

Prior to COVID-19, just 3.6 per cent of the total employee workforce worked from home more than half the time. Previous research shows that 67 per cent of employees have jobs that require in-office collaboration, so the office is still critical to getting work done, especially when collaboration is needed.

However, Global Workplace Analytics estimates that 25-30 per cent of the total workforce will be working at home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.

Also Read: e27’s remote staffers sharing their work-from-home experience

We are more than halfway into 2020, and businesses are starting to open, with workers tricking back to the office. Things clearly will not be the same, what with the social distancing requirements in place in many countries. For me, this led to a realisation that work is something you do, and not a place.

Being productive, anywhere

Working from home is not going to be the silver bullet that rebuilds the world’s economies. Instead, a hybrid workforce that incorporates the ability to Work From Anywhere (WFA) is what will define this Next Normal. Whether in the Asia Pacific region or globally, I firmly believe that the act of being productive can come from anywhere, whether the office, at home or somewhere in between.

Business leaders will now need to consider how to organise office spaces to strike a balance between employee interaction and distancing requirements. This may mean the demise of the office pantry or the rightsizing of large meeting rooms in favour of smaller spaces for collaboration outfitted with video conferencing tools that feature a consistent experience with the same collaboration tools at the office as they do at home.

Working from anywhere also means empowering employees with the right tools to make flexible work possible, whether from home or from the office. As they split their time between the office and their home office, remote workers expect and need an enterprise-grade experience, all the way from equipment like their headsets and webcams to ensure that their collaboration experience is optimal, and more importantly, able to meet corporate security requirements.

At the same time, adequate tech support needs to be easily available to ensure that they stay connected, engaged, and productive without costly downtime.

Investing for the medium- and the long-term

Investments made in this time of crisis are likely to have a more lasting impact on future performance; this thinking is not lost on employers in APAC who are not averse to investing in technology during this time. For example, 57 per cent of APAC employers are looking to increase their technology investments, according to a GlobalData survey commissioned by Telstra.

This investment will lean towards cloud-based collaborative tools to help boost productivity and efficiency throughout these organisations going forward.

Also Read: Is your new work-from-home culture stressing your employees?

With a workforce in transition, I also firmly believe that this is a prime opportunity for business leaders, managers, and workers alike to better understand and navigate the intricacies of how employee experiences, corporate policies, and organisational culture come together. The experience of collaborating with team members is even more critical now so as to ensure that they feel part of the larger team, even when part of the team isn’t in the office.

On the macro level, smart building technologies may start seeing greater adoption as the demand for healthier workplaces grows. Perhaps it is time to consider investing in infrared cameras to help measure employee body temperatures to see if they have fevers, smart air purifiers that ensure ample amounts of fresh air, or even touchless systems to replace elevator buttons.

Looking beyond the next normal

For all its faults, I still see the office serving a purpose for collaboration deeply rooted in how humans interact on a social level. Throughout my career, I have found that certain shared experiences can only be found in the office, whether packing in all-nighters to wrap a critical project or proposal,  or commiserating around the office water cooler (or drinks after work) with colleagues after a long week, or suffering through the awkward silence of suddenly finding yourself alone in the lift with the company CEO. I’m sure many others will agree.

If anything, COVID-19 turned out to be the impetus that companies needed to prove that remote work can be viable for an increasingly agile and efficient workforce, complementing the roles and functions that work best from the office. We cannot say for sure when the pandemic will end, and what the next, next normal will be.

What is clear is that as organisations work towards empowering a transitional and scattered workforce, there is always a place and a need for a consistent, secure, easy-to-install and easy-to-manage communications and collaboration experience. We may not all be working together in the same office space going forward, but this sense of connection has never been more vital to our long-term survival.

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