This text is part of the special Business Tourism booklet
How is the business event industry doing? Answers with Pascal Desharnais, founding president of the Montreal event agency Happening.
For nearly 20 years, Pascal Desharnais has been designing unifying activities, atmospheres and decors for large and small businesses. He is used to rollercoaster calendars, punctuated by off-peak weeks, then by very busy peaks, such as at the start of the school year and at the Holidays. “But since the end of April, the demand for organizing business meetings has been more stable. We have a lot of them, and I would even say more than before COVID-19. »
Conventions, lac-à-l’oreille, trade shows, training, networking activities: what type of business meetings are making a comeback? This summer and until September, it was time for outdoor barbecues or DJ sets in bars, notes Mr. Desharnais. Many companies have physically assembled their troops for the first time in two and a half years. But Happening is now preparing to orchestrate a string of Christmas parties.
Employers are above all looking for atmospheres conducive to exchanges; they no longer seek to impress their staff. Team reunions are meant to be simpler, without fuss. “We have often seen a need to renew, to impress, to offer an extraordinary experience, whereas now we have come back a little more to the essentials. People haven’t seen each other so much, so you have to let them chat with colleagues. If we offer entertainment, we disturb them! »
“We don’t need to butter it thick like we had to do before COVID. At least not for the moment,” says the entrepreneur, laughing.
Unsurprisingly, we are therefore witnessing the great return of in-person business meetings. Enough to enchant the one who had to convert into a manufacturer of protective partitions, then into a creator of virtual opportunities to survive sanitary measures. The recording studio specially set up in the offices of Happening, in 2020, has even been dismantled.
A few companies also plan short-term congresses. Whereas before the virus week-long meetings were common, day-long conferences are now the norm. “People have been on stand-by for so long wondering whether or not they should prepare an event, whether they will be able to do it, etc. Often they had the will, but were afraid. Now they are no longer afraid, but the fact remains that they prefer to take small steps. »
A domain under reconstruction
Due to COVID-19, the various facets of the event world have experienced a wave of departures and a loss of expertise. In catering, in hotels, in the world of entertainment or organization, many faces are absent or learning.
“We find ourselves in an environment where you really have to double-check, triple-check and make sure you’re working with people who have some knowledge of the industry. We are not always perfectly advised everywhere, I would say, ”confides Pascal Desharnais, a hint of irony in his voice. “We visit a room and we are told that the electrical entrances are in such a place, and on D-Day, we discover that it is not that at all. »
The business event industry is slowing down due to the lack of manpower. This spring, professionals were still reluctant to apply. However, Mr. Desharnais feels the tide is turning; CVs are more numerous and the environment arouses more interest. However, he admits that the estate is still being rebuilt as it has been shaken.
Happening must therefore refuse mandates, for lack of being able to animate several evenings simultaneously. The entrepreneur also advises his clients to plan ahead and to book at least three months in advance, because the shortage is everywhere.
“The number of caterers able to provide service to large groups has dropped dramatically, you can count it on the fingers of one hand now in Montreal,” he says. They too have recruitment problems. This is a major challenge in their field and in ours. Similarly, finding artists, stage technicians or an available room is not child’s play.
Against a backdrop of vacancies and inflation, holding a business event is bound to become more and more expensive. Pascal Desharnais estimates that a 20% to 25% larger budget is needed compared to 2020. To save money, he advises in particular to bet on cocktail dinners with stations, rather than on a meal with table service.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.