As 2021 comes to a close, I can’t help but think back on all of the changes we’ve experienced in the past two years. Life before COVID feels a little bit like a distant dream, but signs of life resembling pre-pandemic times are starting to emerge. For those of us in the digital advertising and marketing industry, that means a (possible) return to in-person networking events.

I spent six great years volunteering with the AdClub of Toronto to help organize and execute Digital Day (formerly Internet Day), the largest networking event in Toronto for digital advertising professionals. I loved the event the first time I went to it, and knew that I wanted to be involved. It was once described to me as the ‘prom’ of the digital advertising industry, something that everyone looked forward to every spring.

Then came 2020; Digital Day suffered the same fate as many of its peers that spring and was cancelled. Some events went virtual. While I won’t discount the benefits that a virtual event can bring, and there are a handful of pros, the informal networking opportunities of in-person interaction disappeared.

Looking ahead to 2022, I feel positive that we’ll see a return to networking events – to some degree. At the time of writing this, 75% of Canada’s population is fully vaccinated. Large scale sporting and entertainment events have returned. The question is, what will this mean for professional networking events?

Putting on my event planning cap, there are a few things I’d be thinking about: Passing hand-held mics between panelists will be a thing of the past. Technology will assist with temperature screening, proof of vaccination and contact tracing. Perhaps furniture will be arranged in a more spaced out manner and there will be officially sponsored ‘networking’ zones. 

Will in-person conferences & events disappear? I really don’t see that being the case. Everyone has had their own experiences that have shaped their own POV and comfort levels as it relates to COVID. These lockdowns have shown us just how socially hard-wired humans are. I am cautiously optimistic that we will see a thriving events industry once again, hopefully in the near horizon. When that happens, I look forward to flexing my very flabby networking muscles in person.