Conferences and trade fairs reopen their doors

The Future. Conferences and trade shows are undergoing a resurgence with the pandemic fading into the rearview. The occasional live B2B events may be viewed as a way to supercharge the benefits of in-person dealmaking while still letting employees work from home most of the time.

Back-to-conference
Ready your weekend bag because the boss may send you on a work trip.

• Deloitte says corporate travel is on the rise because of the return of in-person B2B events.
• That’s a fact cemented by trade show company Informa recently acquiring events business Tarsus for $940 million.
• Other than the easing of travel restrictions, the boom is happening because the events around the event (parties, dinners, etc.) are where the real business gets done.
• Even trade shows that are more about career development than sales are getting a boost because it allows people to rebuild professional communities.

But there are also some major aesthetic changes happening to the conference crawl. According to Bloomberg, some more intimate events, like senior leadership get-togethers, are trading the conference centers for forests. Yes, the great outdoors.

That change takes advantage of the two big trends to come out of the pandemic: the work-from-anywhere ethos and trading your briefcase for a backpack. Fresh air could do us all some good.