Thoughts about the impact of medical congresses on MICE industry beyond COVID.
Every year in different parts of the world, there are thousands of these conferences that take place. Hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals choose to attend them all. Conferences, congresses, symposiums, and other live meetings have been crucial to sharing scientific information and to fostering collaboration among medical professionals, scientists, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Face-to-face interaction is the foundation of human relationships and the way we learn and build relationships with others.
However; A number of countries have banned travel altogether, making the trip and MICE industry particularly hard hit. The medical industry has also been severely affected. There have been delays to or cancellations of most medical congresses as a result of travel restrictions. Clearly, cancellations of medical congresses and the postponement of training sessions and conferences are having a profound effect, from the cancellation of national medical meetings themselves to the postponement of training sessions and conferences.
Due to all the medical congress cancellations, there has been a big decline in the traditional meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) industry due to social distancing laws used to counter the COVID-19 outbreak, which has resulted in a major loss on the MICE industry. Global MICE industry has been facing a number of challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic became a global problem, including social distancing regulations, instability in travel, virus outbreaks, and uncertain future planning. Concerns about pandemic risks and personal hygiene have increased the demand for internet-based MICE technology. MICE industry representatives have made a great deal of effort to promote online MICE technology as an appropriate method of organizing conferences and meetings.
Current Situation
For years, live events have played a pivotal role in the scientific advancement of medicine: for disseminating information, facilitating interaction between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and key opinion leaders; on top of demonstrating a pharmaceutical company’s commitment to the field, showcasing their research programs, and staying top-of-mind with healthcare professionals they will need meeting and conferences to do so. Yet these past 2 years, global news has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There has never been anything like the world economic crisis that has just been caused by COVID-19 in the history of business.
Future Situation
Several sayings hold true, including the notion that necessity is the mother of invention, and this is particularly true in the event industry. Businesses in the event industry have repositioned their offerings after the epidemic. We see more online networking platforms have certainly changed the way information is shared and how people connect with each other. But despite their popularity, live meetings still have a prominent place in the exchange of information, largely because they represent a unique opportunity to network and build communities in the current situation we are living in.
In a White Paper that highlights a number of companies that have been thriving in the wake of the pandemic, GlobalSign.In is highlighted as an example of a business stepping up and making things happen during the disaster. It was during the pandemic that the events business launched several digital platforms after canceling or postponing all its physical events scheduled during the period. There is no doubt that live meetings will continue to play a crucial role in exchanging information as technology and the online world continue to evolve.
Through experimentation, the company GlobalSign.In created so-called serendipity rooms that allow people to virtual interact with one another, and include facilitators to help start conversations. I think it is important that the tourism industry takes advantage of this opportunity to show the value of live meetings that bring the medical industry together, as well as the travel industry in general, until the pandemic is eradicated.