Pandemi tak selamanya menyusahkan hati. Bagi industri pameran, pandemi membentuk banyak kenormalan dan adaptasi baru yang justru meningkatkan kualitas pameran.
Presiden Amerika ke-26, Theodore Roosevelt pernah mengatakan, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.†Dengan hanya yakin bahwa kita bisa melakukan sesuatu, kita sudah setengah jalan untuk bisa mewujudkannya.
Bayangkan, hampir dua tahun kita menjalani pandemi. Masih ingat di masa awal pandemi berlangsung, dengan segala adaptasi dan pembatasan sosial, kita ragu apakah kita bisa melaluinya. Tapi bermodal yakin, dan tentunya usaha, terbukti kita masih bertahan sampai hari ini.
Bagi pelaku industri MICE, pandemi jelas ibarat mimpi buruk yang tidak diketahui kapan datang, dan kita tidak pernah siap menghadapinya. Namun, hampir dua tahun berjalan, adaptasi demi adaptasi dilakukan dan membuat pelaku MICE bertahan.
Disadari atau tidak, pandemi justru mengajarkan dan mengubah banyak hal di industri pameran yang justru meningkatkan kualitasnya.
Pertama, eksibitor dan pengunjung lebih sedikit. Kalau di masa sebelum pandemi, eksibitor dan pengunjung yang sedikit bisa jadi indikasi kegagalan pameran. Tapi di masa pandemi justru lain ceritanya.
Jumlah pengunjung yang sedikit justru menunjukkan kualitas pengunjung yang hadir ialah yang serius ingin melakukan transaksi. Begitupula dengan eksibitornya.
Selain itu, konsep pameran hibrid, memungkinkan pengunjung dari berbagai kota untuk hadir. Ini terjadi pada pameran Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) pada 15-25 April lalu. Menurut catatan penyelenggara, biasanya transaksi di IIMS 100 persen dari Jabodetabek dan Jawa Barat. Namun di ajang tahun ini yang digelar secara hibrid, transaksi juga datang dari luar Jawa.
Kedua, menjalankan protokol kesehatan. Selama pandemi, sebelum mendapat izin pameran, penyelenggara harus mempresentasikan dulu prosedur protokol kesehatan yang diterapkan ke sejumlah pihak terkait. Pada pelaksanaannya pun akan diawasi Satgas.
Nah, ini tidak terjadi di masa sebelum pandemi. Kebersihan, higienitas, bisa jadi bukan prioritas di masa itu. Tapi saat ini, kita jadi disiplin menjaga kebersihan demi keselamatan bersama.
Ketiga, terdigitalisasi. Meminimalisir kontak sesama manusia menjadi cara untuk mencegah penularan Covid-19. Akhirnya, pelaku MICE mencari cara untuk mengalihkan hal-hal yang biasanya melibatkan kontak fisik secara digital.
Misalnya dengan memindai barcode saat pendaftaran, mengubah transaksi tanpa uang tunai alias cashless, dan banyak hal lainnya. Akhirnya, pelaku MICE semakin peka teknologi yang bisa jadi modal di masa depan. Adaptasi ini juga ikut mengubah kebiasaan pengunjung pameran menjadi lebih baik.
English
The New Adaptation of Exhibitions
The pandemic isn’t forever negative. For the exhibition industry, the pandemic has brought new modifications that turn out to increase exhibition quality.
The 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, once said, “believe you can and you’re halfway there.†By believing that we can do something, we’re only halfway to achieving it.
We have been in the pandemic for almost two years. Do you remember its early days? With all new alterations and social restrictions, we doubted our capability to persevere. But with determination and effort, we have survived up to today.
To MICE industry players, the pandemic is a nightmare that cannot be predicted, and we were never ready to face it. However, after almost two years, numerous adaptations have been conducted, and MICE industry players are still carrying on thanks to them.
Whether you realize it or not, the pandemic has taught us many things that can in fact increase the quality of exhibitions.
First, fewer exhibitors and visitors. Before the pandemic, a low number of exhibitors and visitors indicates failure. But it’s a different scenario during the pandemic.
The low number of visitors reveals the quality of the visitors who have put an effort into the transaction. Likewise, the exhibitors may be few, but they are of high-quality.
Additionally, the hybrid concept allows visitors from various cities. This happened at the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) on April 15-25. According to the organizer's records, 100% of IIMS transactions usually came from around Jakarta and West Java. But at this year’s hybrid exhibition, there are some recorded transactions from outside of Java.
Second, implementing health protocols. During the pandemic, before acquiring an exhibition permit, organizers must present the implementation of health protocols in front of several parties. Its execution will also be supervised by a COVID task force.
This obviously didn’t happen before the pandemic. Hygiene may not have been a priority back then. But today we need to rigorously stick to hygiene measures to ensure collective safety.
Third, digitalization. Minimizing human contact is a preventive measure for COVID-19 transmission. As a result, MICE industry players come up with ways to digitalize aspects that require physical contact.
For instance, using a barcode during the registration process, administering cashless transactions, etc. Consequently, MICE industry players have become more adept in technology, which will be beneficial in the future. This adaptation has also improved the habits of exhibition visitors.
