Thomas Capone enjoys attending conferences where he can meet other tech-savvy entrepreneurs face-to-face.
So Mr Capone signed up for Collision at Home, an online format of the popular tech and startup conference Collision, which he had previously attended in person in New Orleans.Collision at Home's sessions were watched remotely by more than 10,000 people The Collision at Home 2021 conference was attended by more than 10,000 people, says chief executive Paddy Cosgrave, whose other conferences include Lisbon-based Web Summit and RISE, which will take place in Kuala Lumpur in March 2022.Paddy Cosgrave's team developed an app to connect conference attendees and speakers
In the UK, Heather Lishman, association director of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers says Covid "fundamentally changed" the way events were run. "It has also been more challenging for sponsors and exhibitors to achieve the engagement that they would have usually experienced."Andrew Reed says it can be "difficult to form an effective relationship" online
But in early June, it postponed the shows until 2022 after Birmingham City Council advised that there should be "minimal travel in and out of Birmingham". But he points out it can be difficult to form an effective relationship online "when you can't really look at someone in the eye, and trade shows are all about relationship-building".Four Seasons plans to offer both in-person and online conferences in the future
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