2022 saw the first full year of in-person events when the current PM announced in February that from the 24th there will be no further restrictions and testing for the COVID-19 virus. So now that we have returned to normality post pandemic, it presents the perfect opportunity to celebrate the return of the events industry as it adapted to survive in the face of a global pandemic.
So, let’s take a look at what’s changed since the start of the pandemic and why this is great news for our clients and event venue partners alike.
The Challenges the Industry Faced
Just like every sector, the events industry initially suffered at the hands of the pandemic. As we all went into lockdown, we saw the closure of all amenities and facilities that weren’t deemed “essential” by the government, and this kept us all safe. Genero’s managing director, Pete Leckie, highlighted that “The restrictions put in place in light of Covid-19 greatly affected the events industry. We saw once thriving stadiums, halls, hotels and convention centres fall silent for a long time.”
Pete continued, “As a result, the overall morale of the industry hit a bit of a slump, which was to be expected; no longer being able to spend time with colleagues, friends and loved ones at lively, fun and meaningful events saw everyone missing out.”
However, the event industry is strong and resilient and found ways to continue to bring people together. Venues and events made the most of a challenging situation by adapting to the restrictions and going digital, with online and virtual events becoming exceedingly popular during the height of the pandemic. Pete commented that “Digital events allowed us all to continue to connect and celebrate together during a time when we needed to stay apart. The industry truly adapted to the difficult circumstances and made the best of a challenging situation, which in turn created a great deal of good community spirit.”
As we enter 2023, Covid-19 seems to be a thing of the past, but the lessons we’ve all learnt from this time haven’t been lost. One of those lessons is to make the most of your time to keep pushing forward and the events industry 100% did this, and not just by adapting to online. Let's take a look at what they did.
New Venues and Refurbishments
With restrictions and closures, events venues had to shut their doors for a long period of time, but this didn’t put them down for long! They saw the amazing opportunity to use the lack of in-person events to refresh their rooms and spaces ready for when the world returned to normality.
Here are some event spaces that went through some amazing refurbishments:
Coal Exchange Hotel
Back in early 2020, Cardiff Council provided the historic Coal Exchange Hotel with an investment to renovate the building. This amazing project was finalised at the end of 2020 and is now even more mesmerising than ever before. Their rooms range in style and size with the largest holding up to 400 people.
Refurbishment wasn’t the only exciting thing happening in the events industry; some incredible, sparkling new event spaces popped up during and post pandemic.
Here are some of the new event spaces that we’re excited about:
Swansea Arena
This stunning new venue is a fantastic opportunity for Swansea as there wasn’t a building quite like it in the city before its arrival. Swansea Arena will have the capacity to host larger than life music events, comedy shows and theatre productions. However, it can also host smaller, more intimate events, such as the Social Business Wales Awards 2022 which Genero helped to organise in October 2022.
The Parkgate Hotel
The Parkgate Hotel is a beautiful, luxurious venue that opened its doors in October 2021, and was met with awe and excitement. The Parkgate Hotel has two function rooms to choose from, an atmospheric and elegant dining room that holds 50 people, or the historic and grand suite that holds 350 attendees. These rooms really are a sight to behold. We love working with the team at the Parkgate and have done several events there in recent months including the Community Housing Cymru Annual Conference in December 2022.
ICC Wales
Although ICC Wales opened in late 2019, it never had the chance to truly spread its wings in the event world as a leading conference centre. But with everything going back to normal, ICC Wales has been thriving holding some significant and exciting events. A number of rooms and spaces are available, which we saw first-hand when we helped organise the Newport Bus Celebration Event.
Let’s Celebrate the Return of In-Person Events
With all these fantastic changes taking place, there are so many newly developed event venues for you to choose from. It just goes to show that you truly can make some good out of a bad situation, Pete agreed, “No one can deny that the pandemic was a difficult time for everyone, we saw generational businesses closing down.”
Pete continued, “Like many industries, the events industry persevered and came up with solutions to the challenges that faced them, whether that was adapting to hosting online events or grasping the opportunity to better their event spaces ready for the return to normality.”
2023 is the perfect time to fully embrace the return of in-person events, whether that’s attending a nearby event or creating your own event, be it a conference, gala or charity event, you’re truly spoilt for choice.
Event teams and venues have worked very hard during the last few years, so why not show your support by attending an interesting event near you or setting up your own event, now’s a better time than any.
But of course, we can’t forget about the undeniable impact of virtual events post pandemic. What was once a means to keep the event industry afloat is now used in 2023 for much more, which really is something to celebrate.
Now in-person events also use digital elements, whether that’s selling in-person and virtual tickets so the event can be livestreamed or using digital touchpoints to measure useful event metrics. These digital elements create more attendee engagement, can attract a global audience and make your event even more memorable, which is definitively a big bonus!
Looking to jump back into events?
If you’re planning an event for 2023, or you’re looking ahead to 2024, then we can help. We’re a flexible events company and can produce events that will fit all your needs, giving you the tools you need to bring people together.
Whether you’re thinking of hosting a live, virtual or hybrid event please contact our team here at Genero Productions: events@genero-group.co.uk
We look forward to working with you!