Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA)

7 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 what is the data saying to us, how do we format it, and how do we communicate that message back to our stakeholders.” BVM: How are supply chain issues impacting the healthcare exhibition industry? Feehan: “In the past, we prided ourselves in delivering miracles for all of our clients, but we know now that those miracles are going to take a bit longer – with everything from the price of plywood soaring to the availability of shipping trucks. Shipping is one area where we’ve seen a big change since the return to live events. Trucks that were previously available for these types of shipments are being taken by other industries in order for deliveries to happen. So it’s all about planning ahead. Making sure that our corporate partners are prepared for that and know how to change the logistics in this post-COVID world.” BVM: Over the next three to five years, how do you see the Healthcare Convention and Exhibition industry changing? Feehan: “I retired my crystal ball somewhere around May of 2020. But if I had to predict what I see coming, certainly the safe and effective return of face-to-face. Anxiety is receding and there is overwhelming relief among attendees. The more people who get out and see how exhibits are being handled, and that it is safe, I think we’re going to see an exponential spread of the willingness and desire to return to live. “I also believe we’re going to see a lot of change in what the exhibit hall looks like and how we do things. Innovation is going to fill in the vacuum we’ve created, by bringing to the forefront new technologies and opportunities. Technology will play a much bigger role in the exhibit space, as a way for us to interact with one another.” it’s going to figure as prominently as we’ve seen in the last two years. Our own annual conference “Growing Stronger Together” took place in early March this year and there was so much excitement amongst our members about being able to get back together again at an official live HCEA event for the first time since COVID began. “Sessions included ‘ROI in the Sky’– getting an accurate picture in the hybrid world. We’ve seen a dramatic change in how we measure the engagement from the live space to the virtual – and how we look at the data and the web analytics on what people are looking at and what content they are engaging with. There’s a lot to take in, and I think that as we return to the live meeting space, we need to be looking at