CEIR GLOBAL VIRTUAL EVENT TRENDS SERIES Case Study: 1st Arabia Tradeshows & Conferences 8 A staff person attended each session to make sure sound was operational and images did not freeze, etc., just to make sure all was running smoothly. FUTURE PLANS MOVING FORWARD The plan is to hold physical events, following social guidelines. IAEE Expo! Expo! MENA 2022 is planned to be held in March 2022 following venue and city rules. People are hungry to go back to meeting face-to-face. As a fallback, if the industry is not fully open, planning is in place to make events hybrid, a combination of in-person and online education, alongside networking in person. It might also include 20 to 30 exhibit booths connecting with buyers. This is Plan B. Plan A is to go fully in person. The concern for prospective exhibitors at this time is whether funds will be refunded if the in-person event cannot happen. 1st Arabia is waiting two to three months to make a decision on what to do. 12700 Park Central Drive, Suite 308 | Dallas, TX 75251 USA +1 (972) 687-9242 | +1 (972) 687-6020 | info@ceir.org | www.ceir.org © Center for Exhibition Industry Research, 2021. CEIR publications are registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher. August 2021 This Global Virtual Events Trends Case Study is published through the combined efforts of: Cathy Breden, CAE, CMP, CEM, CEO Analysis and reporting by: Nancy Drapeau, PRC, Vice President of Research Report layout by: Mary Tucker, Sr. PR/Communications Manager Editing by: Nicole Bowman, MBA, Cynthia Herring, Terri Phillips, CEM and Jannat Choudhury, CEM Input on research approach and survey design by: 2020 CEIR Research Council