< PreviousDestinations are waking up to the eSports/Gaming revolution and all the opportunities it holds. The unprecedented upheaval caused by covid‑19, is already questioning how we will work in the future, how we will engage with each other and how to cope if we experience something similar. Tokyo 2020 highlights the fragility and risk as host destination, but eSports/ Gaming may well provide an interim solution, it is at least food for thought. Watch this virtual space! STAR‑GAZING INTO THE FUTURE OF ESPORT? Imagine having the chance to compete against a true sporting great; unthinkable in the real world for the vast majority, but based on the current eSports revolution this may well be a plausible concept in the cyber world of the future. Andy Murray ‑ a self‑confessed gaming aficionado, alongside Lucas Pouille, Rafa Nadal and many other top tennis stars will compete in ‘Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro’ today. In addition and running in parallel with the tournament, there will be a series of benefit matches bringing together the biggest content creators in the gaming world taking on professional tennis players. The European football family, courtesy of EA sports the makers of the popular FIFA series, organised the ‘FIFA Stay and Play Cup’ which took place between 15‑19 April, an online competition bringing together 20 of Europe’s leading clubs and 20 leading players to battle it out online. The likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Ajax have selected high profile club players to represent them in the cup tournament. F1 was one of the earliest sports to get on track with their ‘F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix’ series. Have you ever heard of Dani Bereznay? Most probably not, yet the BBC reported that this 19‑year old Hungarian has claimed the scalp of a number of high profile F1 drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg, however, this did happen on a virtual track. Bereznay is an official WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 30 OPINION eSports Formula 1 driver for Alfa Romeo, which he described as the realization of a dream, especially since real racing can be prohibitively expensive; “eSports was the best route for me because its equal opportunities” he stated. Covid‑19 has therefore created new platforms, encouraged new competition formats and attracted new elite athletes to bring their real world sporting knowledge online, thus opening up a whole new e‑world of possibilities. As the Bereznay example showcases, there is the potential for amateur enthusiasts to be on an equal footing through eSports with the elite competitors. Bereznay is of course a professional eSports player, but his example does lay the basis for amateurs to compete with the elite on an equal footing. Maybe the ‘Pro vs Amateur’ concept could take the form of federations setting up consumer/ fan competitions which result in winners having the chance to play their idols online, all the way through to a very futuristic vision incorporating AI, where amateur sports people are able to pit their physical wits against an AI sporting idol. I am certain that the discussions around the model of AI training programmes for professional athletes is already underway, so bridging the gap to incorporate amateur audiences is closer than we think. Having witnessed the speed and indeed the popularity of creating an online replica of well‑known sporting events, the eSports revolution is here and ready to further blur the lines between the physical and online/ virtual worlds sooner rather than later. This could be a much needed tonic offering a new world of opportunities for the MICE sector post covid‑19. Ramy SalamehSLOW COMEBACK AND HYBRID EVENTS © Prolight&Sound WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 32 OUTLOOK A FILM OF THE SITUATION IN EUROPE, THROUGH THE EYES OF SIX EDITORS Event Point looked for the reality of event industries in different European countries. We interviewed, twice, in March and June, six event magazines from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Finland. Here’s what their editors told us about the situation on their countries since March till now. BELGIUM MARCH: “WE ARE AN INVISIBLE INDUSTRY” In Belgium, we spoke with Jean‑Paul Talbot, from Experience magazine. Talbot said that the event industry stopped altogether on March 10 th “with the official ban on events involving more than a thousand people”. At this time, all events that were going to take place between March and June were either cancelled or postponed until autumn. Talbot added that summer festivals were also threatened. The total inactivity, and consequent zero revenue, expected for the six months ahead raises “dramatic prospects” for the sector, be it companies or independent workers. “We are working with the largest associations, universities and public institutions to measure the real economic impact of this crisis”. The Experience editor recalls that the Belgian government did not take specific measures for the sector at the time of his first interview. This shows “that we are an invisible industry with no influence on public opinion and that we are an industry without definition or structure”. However, the government had already announced measures applicable to all companies: tax payment postponement, temporary unemployment, etc. The uncertainty among event organisers is high. Six months without business, without any help from the authorities, means bankruptcy. “We were the first to take the heat and we will be the last to resume, since the production of an event takes an average of one to three months”, says Talbot, referring more specifically to corporate organisers. With the events postponed until next autumn, the question is whether it will be possible to find the number of suppliers needed, as well as the venues to absorb “a sharp growth in activity”. In the long run, “I can imagine that there will be new security measures” and this can impact the size and scope of events. JUNE: “LOWER BUDGETS, LESS PEOPLE, AND PROBABLY IN DIFFERENT FORMATS” In Belgium, at the moment only private events with max. 30 people are allowed when we spoke again with Jean‑Paul Talbot. “All kinds of live events are banned until Aug. 31. Some cultural places have reopened under the condition of respecting the holy 1.5m social distancing”. Air traffic, however, is allowed as from June 15 th while theatre, cinemas, pubs, restaurants, may not re‑open. “But that’s today’s situation. Everything can change very fast”. “All the major industry associations have gathered into the Alliance of Belgian Event Federations with dedicate taskforces in which we were integrated as a media”, the editor of Experience magazine states. It features a “kind of restart protocol (like in the Netherlands). This matrix comprising of 18 safety parameters has now been acknowledged by the government as a good tool to safely go back to live events. But the tool still needs to be fine‑tuned and won’t turn official before the summer”. WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 34 OUTLOOK But what’s the feedback from the industry, we asked Jean‑Paul. “We’ve conducted researches together with the Belgian authorities and the University of Antwerp. They revealed companies have the intention to organise live events as soon as possible (Sept. 2020). But with lower budgets, less people, and probably in different formats (hybrids or several little events instead of big ones). Most of the staff events ‑ traditionally organised in December ‑ should be skipped this year and more than half of the respondents (corporate managers) said their event budgets are expected to be reduced by 25‑50% in 2021”. From the agencies stand point the confidence is down. “Last week, the National Bank predicted 40% (!) of bankruptcies within the entertainment industry. After 3‑4 months of inactivity, companies should begin to run out of cash flow with a peak expected by the end of July… with dismissals and domino effect as a consequence”. The recovery will be careful under new (digital/hybrid) formats. © Bea World GERMANY MARCH: “ARTIFICIAL COMA” In Germany, our speaker is Kerstin Meisner, from Memo Media, who told us that the industry, after a promising start to the year, is in an “artificial coma”, which no one knows when it will end. She agrees that this was one of the sectors that suffered the impact earlier and one that will later return to “normality”. Meisner looks at customers’ budgets with pessimism in the near future. Memo Media publisher declares that this sector feels supported by the German government and that the various federal states are providing support to companies, independent workers and freelancers. “These are subsidies that do not have to be paid back, but that are taxed, ranging from 2 thousand to 9 thousand euros, and sometimes even 15 thousand euros”, says Kerstin Meisner. She adds that there are several other measures that are being put in place, namely the postponement of taxes. The industry remains “calm”. “Everyone is in shock, but we are united, and taking the time to talk and support each other.” The publisher also highlights the community spirit of many of the organisers who are supporting the elderly and participating in solidarity activities. Nothing will go back to what it used to be, Meisner believes. “Surely travel will decrease, since everyone has adapted WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 36 OUTLOOK so quickly to virtual collaboration”, she pointed out, saying that more attention will be paid to content. JUNE: “THEY ALL WANT CLEAR REGULATIONS FROM THE GOVERNMENT” Jens Kahnert, also from Memo Media, believes that the situation at the moment regarding live events depends of each state. “In Germany every state has its own rules at the moment. We are publishing an overview about what events are able to take place with what requirements in what state”. Kahnert underlines that “at the moment drive‑in cinemas are going to have a renaissance. Gastro re‑opened a few days ago and theatre, cinema and smaller events up to 100 people were allowed in some states but not in the whole Germany.” “A main procedure will be the changing of location‑situations – bigger locations, less people” and there are also rules in terms of catering. “And a very important thing will be the registration of the guests so that you can track the chain of infection”, the editor concludes. The industry is planning for the second half of the year, including Christmas parties. “The will of booking and making events is there in the industry but they all want clear regulations from the government that aren´t there at the moment”, Kahnert concludes. © AIME SPAIN MARCH: “THE EVENT INDUSTRY WENT FROM 100% (OR 120%) TO ZERO IN TEN DAYS” As we know, our neighbour Spain is one of countries most affected by the covid‑19 pandemic. Jose Garcia Aguarod, better known as Pepe Aguarod, is one of the directors of Eventoplus, who publishes Eventos Magazine, and shared what is happening in the Spanish industry with us. “The event industry went from 100% (or 120%) to zero in ten days”, he reports. Cancellations and postponements to indefinite dates are our reality; event managers are at home working on future projects or just waiting for some light. “There is a big surprise in the speed and magnitude of all this,” says Aguarod. In Spain, there were also no specific measures for the events sector as of the date of this conversation. But both the press and the associations are exerting influence with the government to prove the value of the event industry. Still, the Spanish government had already announced measures to help companies and their employees. Pepe Aguarod states that corporate customers have adopted a “wait and see” attitude. They are postponing events for the second half of 2020 and waiting for the agencies to suggest interesting virtual solutions. On the other hand, “many players in the industry are now seeing the value of mutual trust and lasting relationships, because we all need something from each other (contracts are being rewritten, cancellation clauses, flexibility, etc.)”, Aguarod mentions. For now, there is no great clarity to be able to say how the future will turn out. “In my opinion, the market will recover to a certain extent ‑ very gradually ‑, since countries (even regions within countries) will leave this pandemic on different dates,” says Aguarod. Then it will depend on the time it will take and the trauma WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 38 OUTLOOK it will leave in society. “Companies will have to be very careful before moving on to organising major events, and they will probably require a lot of flexibility, health and safety guarantees, and will cut back on extras,” our interviewee believes. JUNE: “SLOWLY GOING BACK TO BUSINESS” The situation is much brighter now in Spain than when we first talked with Pep. “The country seems to be slowly going back to business and the event industry is starting to show some new activity. There are a few events already programmed for September and some music festivals, for example, were not cancelled but adapted their programme to local artists and smaller formats”. As throughout other markets, online events gained a lot of importance. “Online events have come very strongly in the scene, but they still lack the magic and quality or face to face so everybody thinks that when the pandemic is over, live events will come back strongly as they are much more effective, but with a much stronger component of online interaction”. The “new normality” in Spain, as Pep Aguarod explains is established in phases per regions. “So at the moment 70% of the population is in phase 2, which already allows events up to 50 people indoors (using only 1/3 of the maximum capacity of the venue) and in a range from 200‑400 people, all seated and keeping distance, outdoors. Every week regions are reassessed and some pass to the following phase and every new phase eases the conditions for events”. There will be regulations, but, when we talked with Evento Plus they had not been published yet. “People believe events will come back in the last quarter and 2021 will be a recovery year. Many agencies are shifting to virtual or at least hybrid events but everyone longes for physical ones”. And this is a tendency for the next months. “As venue capacity is very restricted, many spaces are building TV sets with professional quality to be able to broadcast real live events operated in their premises, so that events will gather a “happy few” group of attendees live while many other will watch it”.Next >