Event Cancellations: PR Pros Share What’s Next For Communicators?

With coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns growing around the world, the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona was cancelled by its organizers on February 12. This event was originally slated to take place from February 24 to 27. It marks the first time that the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry was called off in its 33-year history.

Since the shock announcement was made, some technology companies have postponed their product launches or are organising online events in place of the trade show. Earlier this week, Sony conducted a virtual press conference on YouTube to introduce its flagship phones for 2020. Chinese technology giant, Huawei held a global online press conference in Barcelona on 24 February to roll out new products including smartphones, smart wearables and 5G devices.

This has brought up two key concerns for PR practitioners:

• How to adjust their corporate communications plans after a large-scale exhibition or event has been cancelled?
• How to enhance their online communications to make up for the sudden cancellation of offline exhibitions and events?

PR Newswire invited senior PR and Marketing professionals to share their views on responding to the cancellation of prominent exhibitions and events.

Martin Roll, CEO of Martin Roll Company. He is an experienced global business strategist, senior advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and the author of “Asian Brand Strategy”.  

I would recommend companies, which were planning product launches at an exhibition that has been cancelled, to assess whether the launch date will be impacted and if the product can be promoted through other channels, such as digital and e-commerce. There are multiple alternative go-to-market strategies, which are often available within short notice – even for those that require complex set-ups and logistics.

Companies and brands are measured on their ability – and willingness – to keep their promises, so leaders should do their best to keep plans and actions on track.

Companies should communicate clearly about what they intend to do next. This is an opportunity to engage stakeholders and customers, and keep the dialogue going. The market will not blame companies or brands for changing strategy or product launch dates due to unforeseen circumstances.

Geoff Li, founder of VisionWe Consultants and former Director of Communications and Brand for GE Greater China

I don’t believe that coronavirus situation will change the fundamentals of marketing. Take online classes for example – they were an important education tool during the SARS epidemic, but they cannot completely replace learning on campus. Face-to-face communications remains the most effective form of information-sharing and persuasion.

Undoubtedly, the cancellation of events and exhibitions will affect communications plans. The best remedy is to better facilitate online communication, which is easy to say but often difficult to execute.

Events such as Huawei’s launch of a foldable 5G phone at MWC 2019 generated buzz and excitement, and this event would be equally attractive if it were to be launched online. However, communicators need to consider a few key questions: What is the key information to communicate, who should be the speakers, how many speakers and which channels to use.

Holding online events this year presents an excellent opportunity to compare the returns on investment and customer impression between online and offline events that are using the same budget. Communicators can also take advantage of the synergy of online and offline communications.  

Going online by itself is not a strategy, as every company has the option to do so. Making online communications more targeted and persuasive will give companies a competitive edge.

Thomas Skelton, Global Communications Strategist, PR Newswire

As they say, the show must go on. The cancellation of the MWC for the first time is big news. However, not all is lost. Many multinationals have a Plan B—for example, Huawei leveraged a multi-channel approach for its communications plans that centred around an online press conference on 24 February, which was the original start date of the MWC.

The plan involved Huawei’s owned media, such as sharing the news on its website and social media channels. The virtual press conference was live streamed on its YouTube and Facebook pages. The hour-long live stream on YouTube, which included a pre-recorded keynote address and on-site product demonstration, garnered more than 200,000 views within a day. To facilitate earned media coverage, Huawei issued a press release on its Product and Strategy Virtual Launch, which announced a series of new 5G products and strategy. The press release, which was issued in multiple languages, was picked up by technology media outlets around the world.

But what about start-ups with lower budgets and rely on the draw of significant events such as the MWC? There are options; for example, Facebook Live is an excellent alternative to virtual press conferences. If you can’t travel to meet journalists in person, use a media database and send personalised invites to online events to journalists using MWC as a talking point. Times like these are the best times to get creative.

Brendan McConnell, Content Consultant, Premium SEO NZ

One way that companies can get the benefits of a tradeshow, without the costs and risks of holding an in-person event, is to use virtual platforms. A good example is Bamboo HR’s annual HR Virtual Summit. 

An online tradeshow includes a line-up of vendors and webinar speakers, a networking lounge, and resource download centres. These events are perfect for interacting with customers and prospects from around the world at a fraction of the cost of a live event. 

Another advantage of virtual events is the ability to gather more leads than at offline events. Online events are borderless and they have much lower buy-in levels than in-person events. My personal experience is that we typically generate about as many registrants for a high-performing webinar, as compared to a physical event. A virtual event that I’ve managed brought in about 3,500 registrants, with an attendance rate of 30%. This is compared to an in-person event that might generate about 100 leads over a day of networking. 

Key Takeaways:

• • • The fundamentals of marketing remain the same, regardless of the situation.
    • Assess alternative go-to-market strategies. Consider whether the product launch date will be impacted and if the product can be promoted through other channels, such as digital and e-commerce.
    • Making the switch to online communications is not a strategy, as most companies have already done this. Having a more targeted and persuasive online communications plan will give your company a competitive advantage.
    • Adopt a multi-channel communications approach that targets specific audience segments through owned, paid and earned media.
    • Communicate clearly on what the company intends to do next. Use this opportunity to engage stakeholders and customers.
    • Organise virtual press conferences and build rapport with journalists by sending personalised invites while leveraging on live streaming.
    • Online events are borderless and may generate more leads than offline events if executed well.

Click here to view more press releases that are related to the Mobile World Congress. 

This blog post is written by Kenneth Goh, Senior Marketing Executive at PR Newswire. A former journalist, he relishes keeping track of breaking news as much as telling stories with trends and data. Connect with him via Linkedin.