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Given recent events, as an organizer, you will have asked yourself several times what consequences the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia could have on your event, and on the Italian scene in general.
Given the extent of the measures launched by various European countries, including Italy, it is impossible to imagine a trade fair sector not affected by this situation. It will be necessary to adapt to an inevitable downsizing for a sector that had already been deeply affected, and put to the test, by the pandemic.
Obviously, since we are dealing with an event of such significant dimensions, the requested response must have a resonance of equal and opposite weight. But first, let's dwell on what consequences this dramatic situation could have on events in Italy and, therefore, also on your organization.
War and raw materials
Undoubtedly, one of the main problems facing various sectors is the increase in the prices of fuel and, in general, of raw materials.
This means that the economic availability of certain exhibitors is strongly influenced. You'll also want to consider how this spike will affect transportation and logistics costs, both in the short and long term, for your attendees. Will it be an opportunity to focus on small events?
Episodes of "russophobia" after the war
You will then have to deal with an attitude that many consider comparable to a "russophobia". In fact, there are more and more cases of consumers who, when faced with a product or service even minimally attributable to Russia, prefer to orient themselves on alternatives, given the recent events on the Ukrainian territory.
It is therefore obvious that these prejudicial behaviors will also affect the course of your event and the reputation in the eyes of your attendees. Consequently, you will need to rethink the structure of your organization and analyze what your customers' needs will be, especially if you operate internationally.
War and limitations
As a last point, there are the sanctions of many countries of the European Union against Russia to be considered. But the question and answer will not fail, as the latter has already threatened Italy with solutions that will bring irreversible consequences.
The presence of Russian customers has always been essential for numerous trade fair events. The recent blockade of means of transport from Russia to European countries, following the war, will not be irrelevant for the Italian panorama. Organizers and exhibitors will have to do without the purchasing capacity of relevant buyers, and this obviously will have heavy consequences on the long-term economy.
In fact, in March, on the occasion of the Milan-Rho Fair, four events had already had to tackle this theme: Micam, Mipel, The One and Homi. Despite the reassuring numbers, 30 thousand visitors over five days, many of the exhibitors make a large part of their turnover in the markets of the former Soviet Union. In fact, finding substitutes for customers of this caliber is practically impossible, and the desire to buy often clashes with the absence of viable channels.
Conclusions
You have just recovered from the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, and it is already time to get back into the game. You will need to consider how to reformulate the management of your event. Although there are no positive glimmers, at least in the short term, your task now is to think about how to make this situation favorable.
It could be an opportunity to re-evaluate other customers and offer more personalized services to existing ones. Or again, you can take advantage of this moment of difficulty to strengthen the sense of community with your participants or evaluate eco-sustainable solutions to avoid high energy consumption.
