Mary Larkin， President of Diversified Communications， tells the reporter that her company are currently returning to events with a busy calendar for the rest of the year. They are providing the opportunity for the attendees to meet again and for industries to hear how business has operated and survived the crisis. She is enthusiastic about the return to live events and bringing industries back together. She states that their events are looking strong as they go into the rest of the year. “For the short to medium term we are looking at ways to grow the business through acquisitions and launches. The industry has been very collaborative so we are looking at new partnerships that will provide solutions for our customers especially as many industries are dealing with supply chain issues.” adds Larkin.

Opportunities are vast

Larkin expresses that there are many advantages within the US exhibition industry but the size of the market is what is very attractive to many companies while referring to advantages of the industry. As a fairly homogenized market， the opportunities are vast when you can enter the market. Typically， events are fast growing and many organizers can take advantage of industry changes. “The only real challenge is that laws or regulations can be different from state to state， so its important to know the differences between each state.” says Larkin.

Larkin tells the reporter that as the industry went through the pandemic most events were postponed or canceled. In some states， events were permitted to take place and those events had very serious， qualified buyers in attendance. Events are taking place now showing the importance of the industry in providing positive economic impact for cities as they reopen. For government support， funding was available to support all businesses as they got through the pandemic and those companies who qualified took advantage of that.

She further states that as an organizer， the most valuable learning post the pandemic was how the industry worked together to share learnings， new revenue ideas， technology/digital platform learnings and basically how they were all navigating the crisis. Their industry has always been collaborative but this time it was exceptional. Another observation is that it has been positive to see the value of face-to-face events to their customers. They are eager to meet again in person.

“Restarting an event is a constantly changing process. Local city and venue regulations are changing right up to reopening but this seems to be settling down as time goes on.” adds Larkin. She shares what she observes from events in USA with the reporter that more events mandating vaccinations for attendees or at least proof of a negative test. Masks are required inside venues. Exhibitions and events are very controlled environments， and they know they can manage contact tracing， spread crowds out over a longer period of time while facilitating business interactions. As more events take place， attendees are feeling more confident and secure at an event.

The buying power of Chinese buyers are very strong

“I see the Chinese and North American industries as being similar in many ways – exhibitions provide opportunities for buyers and sellers to meet， they facilitate business interactions and a means to bring an industry together.” says Larkin. She adds that “I see the Chinese market， in terms of how events look， as being more like the European event industry. Overall， I see the buying power of Chinese buyers being very strong just in sheer terms of size and scale. We have many， many Chinese exhibitors and visitors to our events many of whom we have known for years.”

Continue the valuable conversations

Regarding industry trends， Larkin tells the reporter that the pandemic of course has increased the use of digital solutions to keep customers meeting or to provide industry education and content. “I see much more of a reliance on digital in the future as we have found ways to provide new solutions for customers outside the event itself.”

She says， “I believe that we prepare for the future evolution by being in constant contact with our customers and seeking solutions that they actually want or need， as opposed to creating something that has little value to them.”According to Larkins opinion， a pandemic silver lining could be that they have multiple options for customers and also have a way to attract new customers to their products who might not normally attend the event. It is exciting to think about the opportunities ahead. She also thinks that organizers are in a position to perhaps extend the event days by providing forums to continue the valuable conversations that evolve during an event. This is particularly important for industry issues and challenges.