So, welcome to 2021, I have to say I did breathe a sigh of relief when we rang in 2021. 2020 was a tough year for everyone, there weren’t really many positives, but we found some! They did not completely outweigh the negatives, but at the same time the world has changed and in some small ways for the better. Back in March I read a tweet from Nouriel Roubini Author of ‘Crisis Economics’ known occasionally as Dr Doom, stating that it would be over three years before the world finally recovers from the Coronavirus, when I finally got over the shock, putting that time-frame into my mind has led to less disappointments and more realistic expectations.
In February, when I first became really aware of COVID-19, I reluctantly put it on a SWOT analysis as a threat, but thinking that only applies to China? Then, in Ireland things started changing rapidly. Our first lock-down was on the 12th of March, the government shut all schools, colleges, childcare facilities and cultural institutions and also cancelled large gatherings. Then, it was most unusual for Irish pubs to be were closed on St Patrick’s Day, I cycled into town and took photos of all these closed down establishments, thinking in a couple of months, I would look back at these photos in denial. But, these pubs have since remained shuttered and now Ireland is in its third lock-down. Our numbers are soaring, and we’re not the only ones around the world. All I can think to do right now is hang tight, observe the requests our government is asking of us to keep ourselves, observe the rules, and mind our elderly and vulnerable.
Now to the positives!
- The advantage of being a Speaker Agent at Oration Speakers, is we work and learn from the world’s best expert Thought Leaders, Thinkers and Innovators, people who are knowledgeable in their area, who educate, motivate and incentivise organisations and their members. Our job is to put organisations and Speakers together and that is what we are good at. The people we work with are Technologists, Futurists, Economists, Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs and Influential Thinkers who talk knowledgeable about a range of subjects from management, innovation and finance to technology, education and the environment. They provide your organisation with Real News.
- The standard of online events has improved dramatically since the early months of 2020. Back then, (it seems so long ago…) the world of live events world was turned on its head and organisers rushed to cancel or postpone or the braver, took the plunge and went virtual. Initially some of the first virtual events were a bit staid, but as the year drew to a close, the standard of online events improved and has continued to do so. Oration Speakers has worked with a lot of organisations who have hosted successful, interactive events. If you want help on how they did that, contact us.
- As of early April, with shutdowns widespread, Daily global carbon emissions were down by 17 percent compared to 2019. Nature recovered while humanity stayed at home. The events industry had a lot to do with that, flying Keynote Speakers across the globe for a one-hour engagement is not environmentally friendly. Hopefully moving forward, Hybrid events, a mixture of in- person and virtual will be the most beneficial for both event organisers and the planet.
- The joy of Human interaction – Of course, we miss our human interaction and I honestly don’t think you can replicate real networking in the virtual world, these things are mostly spontaneous and are done through over the casualness of a good cup of coffee or an evening glass of wine at a unique location. However, we do not have that now, and we must make do with what we have, making do with what technology and the virtual world is offering us. The standard has gone way up! The professionalism of online events has improved dramatically. Oration Speakers is also delighted to be working with a company that does real-time Holographic Speakers, and every week we hear new innovative companies coming up with exciting ways to communicate online!
While waiting for this pandemic to ease, we must keep moving forward, Oration Speakers can help you find the Speaker you need, if the Speaker is not on our website, call us, we’ll do our very best to you that person, if it is at all possible, we have connections with Speakers and fellow colleagues across the globe and knowledge is indeed power.
In the meantime, take care of yourselves and hopefully I will meet you in person over a coffee, in one of our fewer but ‘longed for’ trips abroad.
