Business View Magazine l November 2022

150 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 were schooling remotely. This really broke through the anxiety barriers that existed for many event producers. The challenge has been fitting the cost into a live event budget. There is little doubt that it will eventually be figured out either through technology, programming, or both. Gone are the previous fears of hybrid meetings having a negative impact on your live event. They are now seen as an enhancement to growing your live events through increased engagement. So while the current usage of hybrid events may be dropping, I believe the demand will ultimately drive us to an innovated solution and a more widespread adoption. Reasons for Optimism One of the silver linings of the pandemic was the realization that live events are not going away and in fact are more valued now than ever before. We are social beings and need face to face interaction. Venues are experiencing a rapid rebound this year and forecasts look even better next year pending any dramatic changes to the economy. We aren’t back to pre-COVID levels but on average are about 75% there. Hopefully, by 2024 we will have fully recovered as an industry.