The Malaysian Government has officially implemented the Movement Control Order from the 18th March 2020 to 31 March 2020 in an urgent bid to curb the sporadic spread of Covid-19 in Malaysia. This was a response to the alarming increase in 125 confirmed Covid-19 cases within the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally of infections in Malaysia to 553.
In this article, we will highlight some of the biggest impacts to the event industry.
What are the biggest impact to event organisers from the Movement Control Order?
No social gatherings. As the Covid-19 virus is deemed highly contagious, no social gatherings which could bring high numbers of attendees together are allowed. As such, no physical events can be held anytime soon. This is the biggest impact for all event industry players. However, I’m sure everyone understands this is a very basic guideline to curb the sporadic spread of the virus.
No outbound travels. This restricts all Malaysian from travelling out of the country during the lockdown period. This means all Malaysians will not be able to attend all physical events in foreign countries. This will heavily affect many exporters and importers who were planning on attending trade shows, business meetings and events during this period.
Inbound travels are all subjected to strict 14 days quarantine. The quarantine period will pose a very high obstacle for foreign attendees into Malaysia. So as event planners, we should expect foreign attendees to cancel their visits into the country. This too heavily affects all local trade shows, conferences and meetings with a high number of foreign attendees.
Closure of all private sector premises. This includes all venue owners such as KLCC Convention Centre, Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Nexus Bansar South and many more locations. No event gatherings will lead to no need for a physical venue, drastically affecting the revenue stream of all venue owners.
Alternatives through technology.
What alternative solutions can Event Tech provide?
Virtual Events. Webinars, virtual conferences, virtual trade shows are new and readily available alternative solutions where event organisers can still continue hosting events without requiring any physical presence by both the exhibitors and attendees. These virtual solutions create designated event spheres online, which allows the registered attendees to communicate with each other as though they were at the physical event itself! Meetings, talks, conferences and even paid transactions can be done through these virtual solutions!
Event Contract Extensions. No one expected this to happen. So as service providers, contract extensions should also be negotiated and extended to the event organisers and event owners at a minimal if not no charge at all. Don forget, we are all part of the same ecosystem and supporting each other through these trying times will get us through.
If you would like to know more about these alternative solutions, please contact us at contactus@evenesis.com ! We will be happy to provide you with free consultation!
Know more about us at https://www.evenesis.com
