COVID-19 cast a dark cloud over the local business events industry resulting in a number of shows, conferences and other events being postponed or cancelled altogether. This spelt massive losses of business and sales for organisers and different types of suppliers such as venue owners, stand designers and suppliers as well as distributors of promotional products among others.
The ongoing fight against the pandemic has, however, provided a silver lining to some suppliers who viewed the need for various items such as facemasks as a window of opportunity to rake in some revenue. The need for physical distancing also created business opportunities for other suppliers such as those who supply conferencing equipment. This is a case of astute business events suppliers making the most of the global pandemic to make some money in a period in which the lockdown has largely locked out sales revenue.
One company which took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to chalk up some business out of it is the exhibition stands designer and supplier, Showmasters. The COVID-19 season saw that company coming up with sneeze guards which are used by many companies especially their reception areas to protect their teams from possibly contracting the virus through sneezing.
Showmasters also tapped onto its stand construction expertise and experience to come up with COVID-19 safety structures like sanitisation and isolation booths. Another business event supplier which has followed suit is the supplier of eventware like banners, Lighthouse Print which is also supplying safety screens and booths.
Although under the lockdown regulations gatherings of 50 more than people remain prohibited, this does not mean that people can disregard the physical distancing requirement when attendee numbers are within the stipulated limit. If anything, holding business face to face meetings within the 50-people attendee mark places the added responsibilities of ensuring that delegates’ seating conforms to the 2-metre distance between people on the organisers of on organisers.
To this end, conferencing equipment supplier and interpretation services provider, Cendel is providing solutions to the need for physical distancing supplying business meetings equipment. For example, it hires our microphones so that each attendee will have his or her own to ensure physical distancing. The company is also supplying interfacing hardware and software to enable participants to take part in meetings in person and virtually safely. Some of the beneficiaries of Cendel’s COVID-19 safe equipment and software so far include the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment.
Although the company had been providing these services before the coronavirus era, the pandemic has made them an absolute necessity for face to face business meetings.
Promotional product suppliers such as Monrue Graphics Promotions and Dzines among others noted and exploited a gap in the supply of branded masks. This enabled companies to comply with the requirement to wear masks by providing them to their staffers and marketing their brands at the same time. Some of the companies which used masks to showcase their brands include Simbisa Brands.
In March, the company introduced stylus pens to help people to avoid high risk areas such as those where most people touch. These include touch screens that are available everywhere in places such as fast-food restaurants, courier deliveries, supermarkets and gym equipment. Many people touch these touch screens and other common items which the potential to spread the virus. The pen, therefore, prevents its users from contracting the disease.
The crisis has brought with it some opportunities which those who have eyes for them saw and leapt onto while to others were mourning about the negatives of the pandemic such as the deaths and the lockdown.