As Abe.ai’s Product Evangelist, a vital part of my role is attending conferences, speaking on panels/roundtable discussions, participating in webinars and staying on top of trends in the financial services industry in general.
Just as we were all gearing up for the 2020 spring conference season in digital banking and fintech, the pandemic hit and much, if not all of the country shut down. Some conferences postponed, some cancelled and others held virtual events. Having “attended” several of these virtual events and adjusted plans for those that chose another route, here are a few thoughts…
1. Virtual Events Hit the Mark
For conferences that scrambled to put together virtual events to replace in-person ones – these guys won. The events I participated in were well attended and effective (virtual booths and virtual networking were weird, but fun!) and the extra work and expense that went into holding the events in a new, unfamiliar format was much appreciated.
What did you think of virtual events?
2. Fall Conference Season?
Events that were postponed from spring to fall, crowd an already full event calendar and busy time of year for decision makers and providers. This is also a risky proposition as there’s no guarantee they are going to be able to happen this fall either.
Which conferences did you miss the most this spring?
3. Digital Connections for the Win
The fintech industry (along with most others) is as physically disconnected as ever thanks to travel restrictions and stay at home orders. This separation makes the education, product discovery and networking that we count on from spring conference season as important as ever. A big shout out to all the marketing teams, product teams, content creators, bloggers and tweeters, for filling the void with white papers, webinars (so many!), e-books, round-table talks, presentations and more.