Last month, as Covid restrictions were easing, I was fortunate enough to MC and speak on a Panel at an association event in Mackay QLD. It was an event in many respects not unlike countless conferences and events that I have worked on in my 25+ years in this amazing events industry.
Similar pattern: pack bag, leave office, uber, airport, flight, airport, uber, hotel, next morning turn up to Convention Centre, meet client, final briefing, jump on stage, welcome, thank sponsors, intro speakers, house-keeping, highlight key messages, participate in panel session, wrap-up, thanks, uber, airport, flight, airport, uber, home.
I’ve worked on so many events of this nature over the years that it’s a very familiar pattern. Rinse and repeat.
But, and I suspect you see where I’m heading here – last month’s event was nothing like any event I had worked on for the last 12 months. This one had a Live Audience. And being in Far North QLD, it had a large, 530 person Live Audience. That’s 530, living, breathing, smiling, clapping, buzzing face-to-face, table sitting, talking, laughing and interacting people. It was heavenly.
Now in my career I’ve done a huge number of events with 530 people – and a great many with many thousands of people, so this was not really all that different. But I can safely say, after a year’s hiatus, this was by far the most appreciative I have ever been to be standing on a large Convention Centre stage surrounded by a large Live Audience. And after the year gone by, to be standing on a stage full stop. With a crowd of any size, full stop. I fell in love again with my Live Audience. I smiled the whole time.
I have to admit, I’d taken that part of events for granted. A large visible Live Audience was part and parcel of all my conferences and events. Until it wasn’t. And then I missed them.
It was very much like a rocky relationship. Live Audience and Me. March 2020, after 25 years together, we split up and sadly we separated. Went our own ways. I managed fine on my own, saw a few other people. Met quite a few wonderful new people online actually! Started a new relationship with the very cool Virtual Audience. Got by quite well.
But now here we were a year later – and Live Audience and I reunited – we got back together after a tough year apart!!! Sure, I feel we still have a long way to go and our problems are far from over. We may even split again for a while, but its just so nice to have reunited with my lively, lovely Live Audience.
Let me be fully transparent though. I do still love my new relationship with you, Virtual Audience. I learnt to live with you in 2020 and at times to love you. And I think our love affair will continue forever, in one form or another. I actually feel optimistic now that we will be in a weird yet exciting threesome – me, Live Audience and Virtual Audience. I’ve never had this type of conferencing menage-a-trois before – but I’m open to giving it a try. I’m sure many of my professional speaker friends and colleagues are also excited about this presenting threesome world we are now in.
Live Audience and Virtual Audience…….my dual lovers…….we will learn to co-exist and support each other. I think we are all in this together now for the long haul.
And as for my trusty, long-time love – Live Audience…..it’s so great to be back with you. I will never take you for granted again.
This article first appeared in the March 2021 edition of Business Events News.