Back to normal? We don't think so...

I recently saw a report which stated 63% of people believe the new behaviours adopted during COVID-19 feel normal now, and 55% don’t think that we should return to the way we were before the pandemic.

CSR topics around the sustainability and the well-being of staff are high on everyone’s agenda. These accelerated changes in our behaviours present challenges but also opportunities. And 2022 is all about exactly that for Quartz; exploring new ideas and becoming more creatively minded - so to ensure we are offering our clients the best solutions to their evolving business needs.

Every aspect of society has been affected by the last 24 months, some negatively and some positively. Listening to our customers and the markets we serve will help us create a clearer picture of how we can help navigate them through these challenging times.

Quartz plans to run 15 events between now and September of this year, all of them great opportunities for industries to physically get together and rekindle business relationships that have frustratingly been stuck in the world of buffering zoom calls, and “Can you hear me?” teams video meetings.

Whilst it would be easy as a company to revert back to what we did pre-pandemic, our propositions must evolve. Richer content, more essential networking opportunities and a focus on innovation are all essential.

We believe events are a hugely sustainable approach to doing business. Where else could you travel to one single place and attend significantly more meetings than possible over a number of months if done individually? Live events offer something different which cannot be replaced by tech – the energy and feel of an event can represent an industry mood; likeminded decision makers all in one space can energise and motivate industries into doing business. With venues and organisers also highly conscious of the well-being of attendees, Quartz, like many others has its own COVID secure policy for attendees coming to our events. The safety and well-being of visitors and exhibitors alike is hugely important to us, so much so, I would argue attending a Quartz event presents less risk than popping to your local large supermarket for a pint of milk.

There’s no better time to go to a Quartz event. Combining the strength of our content rich industry publications with live event “X-factor”, we will endeavour to make everyone’s experience at a Quartz event a highly valuable, informative and irreplaceable experience in 2022.

One thing is for certain, doing things the same as before COVID just isn’t going to be good enough going forward. We look forward to welcoming you to a Quartz event in 2022.

Tony Crinion

Managing Director, Quartz Business Media