Trade Shows: Do They Have a Future After COVID-19?

Archive: May 2021

1. Trade Shows: Do They Have a Future After COVID-19?

   May 27, 2021 10:07 am Leave a Comment

   COVID-19 has caused many ripples of disaster to spread throughout the world. People are dying, businesses too are dying. Understandably, it can be hard for even the bigger companies to get some marketing done when many are too busy tending to their own safety. Due to the need for social distancing, the wearing of masks, and the heightened sense of alarm over the disease, every large-sized event was under the pressure to cease operations until things got safer. This included conventions of every kind, including trade shows.

   But as 2021 came around and there was a rise in optimism about a recovery from the pandemic, trade shows began to reassess whether they should make a reappearance. Some have decided to try. Others are still holding back as the Delta Variant has become more prominent and is infecting people in greater numbers and faster.

   The Rise of the Delta Variant and Its Effects

   One example of how trade shows in 2021 are now being affected—In February of 2020, one of the year’s early tradeshows known as the Mobile World Congress had chosen to cancel the event due to the potential COVID-19 disaster that could happen with tens of thousands all gathered. It was a wise decision and was one of the earliest cancellations of the year 2020 before others followed.

   But as 2021 came around, the Mobile World Congress decided that they were going to go ahead and try having their event in June 2021. They had taken action to be prepared for the pandemic’s effects. Social distancing reminders, mandatory mask-wearing, health questionnaires, facial recognition for touchless contacts, and even mandatory rapid tests that required a negative result. They were taking every measure possible to ensure a safe 2021 Mobile World Congress.

   Originally, the people organizing the Mobile World Congress expected 40,000 to 50,000. But when the Delta Variant began taking its toll, the organizers reduced their expectations to around 30,000. In the end, workers on the convention floor estimated that only around 10,000 actually showed up. To give a sense of how much has changed at the Mobile World Congress, the 30,000-person estimate was just a quarter of the usual attendance numbers before the pandemic. That means only roughly a twelfth of original attendance numbers showed up in June 2021.

   The Future of Tradeshows in a Pandemic

   Things aren’t all doom and gloom, however, for trade shows. The way that trade shows have had to adjust themselves in a pandemic-effected world has opened new doors to how businesses can get the exposure they need, and possibly tap into an even greater audience! Many conventions across the globe have adopted either a hybrid or an entirely online experience, providing a quick and safe way for businesses and consumers to have a look at their products and services. It isn’t perfect, but that’s only because the hybrid and online convention event experience is still young, but the most successful ones thus far may become the ones to establish how the future of trade shows and conventions will look like.

   There are benefits to the hybrid and online trade show and convention model—there’s a significantly smaller footprint left behind. Less waste is generated over the course of a hybrid or online event as people don’t have to travel or less materials are needed to be transported to achieve the whole trade show experience. In a world where climate change is pressing down on humanity, this can make for a positive change for all.

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   Whether you’re planning a full in-person trade show or a hybrid presentation, Reliable Couriers has the same day trade show delivery services to help with the safe and secure transportation of your trade show and convention materials. Our rush courier services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—whenever you require our services, we’ll make sure to have the right vehicle and bonded driver for your display booths, boxes, and all your other business materials! Give us a call today and receive a free, zero-obligation price quote for your next trade show!

2. The Pandemic Reveals the Benefits of Working Remotely

   May 19, 2021 9:02 am Leave a Comment

   Since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the global workplace environment, many jobs took to the remote office space to ensure that operations could continue while keeping their workers safe. While this enormous shift in the workplace was in reaction to a terrible pandemic, it has revealed some much-needed benefits that many workers had been seeking for many years. The benefits discovered have led to a bevy of discussion, much on how workplaces can operate moving forward to ensure a comfortable work environment for all, whether they’re on-site or working from their home offices.

   The Pandemic Has Been a Stressful Time for All

   Perhaps the most obvious issue with the pandemic has been the changes in every day stress levels. While a lot of extroverted individuals claimed increased stress from working from home, the more introverted workers have reported greater productivity and less stress by working from home. Some of the reasons for the decrease in stress included:

   • Asynchronous scheduling and workloads in companies allowed for workers to perform their work throughout the day at a manageable pace, lowering stress as a result.
   • Email and other distance communication platforms such as Slack allowed workers to communicate at a more manageable pace.
   • Companies were required to upgrade their methods in data storage and data sharing—this assisted in the streamlining of work, files, and workforce discussion, making it easier to get the information one needed and distribute completed work faster.

   Disabled Individuals and Those Struggling with Neurodivergence Found Greater Productivity

   Due to the ongoing stigma that is attached to people having disabilities, mental illness, or other non-neurotypical concerns, working remotely has allowed people struggling with those issues to generate more productivity, work with less stress, and generally feel happier working. There are a variety of struggles that many workers are going through who are equally afraid to disclose because of the general public stigma attached to them. ADHD, autism, PTSD, and other concerns often cause these workers to be treated differently and in a negative way—these individuals often find themselves passed over for promotions, left stuck in a position with little to no movement upwards, denied raises, or worse of all, they’re fired for simply being found out and othered.

   It is hard for these individuals to also expose themselves. Stigma aside, there are many hurdles to provide proper documentation, and even the act of presenting that documentation can be traumatic and harmful because of the terrible stress of exposing their neurodivergent issues. There is then also the lack of equality in healthcare access—not everyone is able to get the treatment either, which can make them feel even more afraid of coming out with their issues.

   Remote work, however, has shown that it is possible for these individuals to enjoy their job without having to worry about facing that stigma. As remote workers, they’re able to work better without the stress of being in the workplace where they’re faced with potential stigma and the pressure of working with peers who may navigate the physical workplace better than they do. Having at least the option for remote work can provide an equalizer for those who may struggle with mental illness or other types of neurodivergent struggles.

   The Future of the Workplace May Involve More Remote Work

   While the future of the workplace may not involve a full remote work renaissance, many are adopting a variety of flexible modes of work, hybrid work schedules, and of course, some are adopting a fully remote situation. Aside from services that require face-to-face interaction with customers, this may become an ongoing trend as companies also see the benefits of working remotely means tapping into a worldwide talent network.

   No one can be certain about how the world will be in the next year or in the next ten years, but many are hoping that these changes to the workplace will remain to help those who benefit the most from working remotely, while also offering the option for those who wish to be in the office.

   The main lesson to be learned here may be that a flexible workplace that allows differentiation for each workers’ individual needs can unlock greater productivity, increase worker happiness, and ensure smoother operations for the greater whole.

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3. Hardware Failures Caused Terminals to Close at Port of Houston

   May 14, 2021 10:04 am Leave a Comment

   Amidst the various hiccups happening at various ports, shipping routes, and other points of cargo transportation, on July 24th of 2021 it was announced by Port Houston that they had to close the Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals from new ships while they fixed some hardware issues. Around 7 AM on that Tuesday, when they were due to first open, the issues had begun to manifest but they were able to counter it with backup procedures. However, those backups went on to fail about two hours after, leaving the terminals unable to complete the loading/unloading process for any new ships.

   On July 30 of 2021, Port Houston then announced on its Twitter that they were finally reopening, and with extended gate hours to likely make up for the days of hold ups.

   How Important is Port Houston?

   Port Houston is not just important, it is actually one of the busiest with around 50 deep water vessels making port every day. It ranks as the number one port in foreign waterborne tonnage, according to their site, and the Houston Ship Channel is the busiest in the United States. It is the biggest port in the state of Texas and the largest port on the Gulf Coast as well.

   The Houston Ship Channel also plays a large part in America’s production of chemicals, oil, and gas. With that in mind, it makes sense that it is also home to the largest petrochemical complex in the nation, which also ranks as the second largest of its kind in the whole world. This makes Port Houston an incredibly important component of US economy and trade. The port does have several general cargo terminals such as Turning Basin, Jacintoport, and Woodhouse, but the nearly weeklong closure of its two main public terminals had caused a buildup of boxships anchored outside of Houston while the issue was being resolved.

   It should be noted that the port’s executive director Roger Guenther has reported that the issues did not have a large impact on the 52-mile ship channel as a whole. In all, the Houston Ship Channel has over 200 private terminals and eight public ones. Bayport and Barbours Cut are two of those public ones.

   How Can We Fix This Supply-Chain Vulnerability?

   Building more ports would be incredibly costly to help cut down on these types of delays. What’s likely to be needed is a way to improve the speed in which systems can be restored or upgraded. When the terminals first experienced hardware failure, Port Houston actually had the components needed to fix the issues. However, the process of repair and getting the systems back up was a whole different challenge that took a considerable amount of time. Improving that process of repair and restart could help ensure that these hiccups in the system can be quickly rectified, so that shipping can resume without too much delay, which in turn will reduce the gaps in our nation’s supply chain.

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4. The Shipping Industry and Global Supply Chain is Still Picking Up the Pieces

   May 12, 2021 9:02 am Leave a Comment

   The shipping industry has been in what some could call a rough ride. When the pandemic struck and everyone was staying at home safe, certain items went into high demands such as toilet paper, disinfectant spray, other cleaning products, and of course, food. But that meant a lot of other products weren’t being bought up—people weren’t retail shopping like they used to.

   Consequently, this affected everything else in the world of shipping as the economy essentially ground to a halt. First a lot of ships were left to linger around, waiting for their supplies to be bought up. Then, the truly massive Ever Given ship was pushed by a strong gale and wound up stuck in the middle of the Suez Canal, causing a backup of more shipping. Even still, the economy is fighting on and is trying to get up to speed on everything once more. Unfortunately, the global supply chain is taking yet another hit as climate change is affecting not just the United States, but everyone else across the planet.

   Every Event Has Far-Reaching Consequences in the Global Supply Chain

   In reaction to recent flood disasters affecting shipping, the CEO of Mandarin Shipping, Tim Huxley, had said on CNBC on July 26, 2021: “Rarely does a week go past without something new”. Those words couldn’t be more right as the global supply chain seems to run into more and more issues, even as the world is trying to get back on its feet after being rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

   One of the main issues is that the pandemic is still ongoing, it is far from over, and with people still catching COVID, some ports across the globe are experiencing disruptions as people must be quarantined and delays happen. But for every port that experiences a disruption like this, it affects everything else—and it all builds up.

   Europe and China Are Wracked with Flooding Issues

   From Germany to Belgium, whole areas of Western Europe are under siege by disastrous flooding. Even the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg have all been hit. With so much flooding occurring, numerous important railways used for shipping have been cutoff, throwing the European supply chain into chaos.

   But it doesn’t stop there—China has also been experiencing flooding that hasn’t been seen in a long time. In the Chinese province of Henan, for example, certain areas including the capital of Zhengzhou were flooded with a year’s worth of rain in a matter of three days. In the city of Zhengzhou, at least 25 have been counted amongst the dead due to the floods, but there are more missing that have yet to be counted.

   The Global Supply Chain is Fragile Right Now

   This is just a glimpse into the struggles that the global supply chain is facing, and it really shows how much a pandemic and climate change can affect everyone’s lives. Without proper joint investment in bolstering the global supply chain and its many modes of transporting goods, it will be a tedious climb back up to where we were while trying to face down climate disasters and a virus that’s still harming the lives of many. But it doesn’t have to be gloom and doom. Governments are taking action against climate change—though whether fast enough depends on which country you’re assessing. Meanwhile, those same governments are also trying to increase vaccination rates to slow the progress of the COVID-19 virus, and in hopes of preventing yet more mutations by cutting off the spread.
   What’s clear is that a multi-faceted approach will be needed to achieve a recovered, improved, and stronger global supply chain.

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5. Hybrid Electric Vehicles Highly Susceptible to Current Global Supply Chain Disruptions

   May 9, 2021 10:05 am Leave a Comment

   The global supply chain is in a constant battle with the ripples caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But not all products being shipped are created equal. After a study by the American Chemical Society, it’s been revealed that hybrid electric vehicles are far more susceptible to the supply disruptions than their purely-gasoline peers. That’s not to say that hybrid electric and purely electric vehicles are somehow lesser—they will likely play a large part in our fight against emissions. But some of the components required to put one of these environmentally friendly vehicles together are right now either in short supply or the movement of those components and materials are being slowed by other supply disruptions.

   Let’s take a dive into how the tumultuous world of global supply right now is affecting the hybrid electric market…

   Make a Hybrid Vehicle and Just Put It on a Boat or a Truck, Right?

   If only it were that simple to get the job done. The best way to look at the shipping of a finished product like a car is to assess its various components. Without those components, the hybrid car can’t even be shipped on a boat or a truck. When the American Chemical Society did their study, their researched found roughly 350,000 parts that make up just seven vehicles for a single manufacturer. Of those parts, they calculated there to be 76 different chemical elements and other materials needed to put one vehicle together.
   Taking just one of those components or materials, you could see how each is subjected to the wider market, and how the market affects the costs to buy and sell that material or the finished component. Putting those prices to each component and material in our presently fluctuating global market, and you’ll have an equation with an ever-changing result that can make producing a car and selling a car seem like mathematical gymnastics.

   But what’s changing all these prices for these many components and materials? It all goes back to the global supply chain and how it’s being impacted by COVID-19 and climate change. With every disaster that causes another upset in the global supply chain, prices shift again, and usually those shifts are in a bad way. This can make production harder as the cost to make a hybrid vehicle collectively rises.

   A Solution to the Green Vehicle Supply Issue

   Our hybrid electric and full electric vehicles are complex machines that require a lot of special materials to make them operate properly. Our global supply issues are exacerbated by the lack of infrastructure that revolves around these types of vehicles. As more research is done to improve vehicle architecture, find substitute materials, and develop better recycling infrastructure, eventually hybrid electric and full electric vehicles will be easy to produce and even easier to buy! But until then, the world may have to deal with unpredictable shortages of these green vehicles from time to time.

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6. When Is the Best Time to Let an Employee Go?

   May 7, 2021 9:05 am Leave a Comment

   There are a variety of reasons as to why you might need to let an employee go, and chances are you’ve probably already seen a couple of them yourself throughout your years of work. Sometimes it’s a performance issue that’s driving you towards the decision of termination. Other times, it may be because you need to reduce your workforce and you’re forced to make some hard decisions. But the typical reason tends to lean towards performance issues and an employee’s inability to improve or meet the standard requirements of their position.

   So, the big question is: When’s the best time to let that employee go? There’s more to it than just picking a day. It is important to ensure that you’ve taken significant measures to try improving the situation before deciding to let someone go, as it can affect their livelihoods, their health both physical and mental, and it can send reverberations throughout many other aspects of their lives. Before figuring out that solemn day where you’ll need to sit down for that final conversation, here are some steps you should take to see if the situation can be remedied.

   Documenting Issues and Boosting Communication

   If you notice that your employee is starting to suffer in their performance, there may be underlying reasons that you may be missing out on, reasons that can be addressed. The best way to discover these issues is to begin documenting what you’re noticing about the employee’s work. How are they performing in terms of production? How has their mood been in comparison to when they first started working? What changes to the work environment might possibly be affecting them? These questions not only will help you develop a picture of the troubled employee, but they will help you also analyze yourself as you decide on whether you’re really thinking about letting someone go in the near-future, or if you have faith that this employee can make a positive turnaround after a bit of managerial elbow grease.

   After documenting some observations and details, begin communicating with your employee. You can’t learn more about them without speaking with them! Sometimes, employees just need encouragement to get back on track. Others might need guidance but are simply too shy to approach management. Meanwhile, others yet may simply be pacing themselves to avoid burnout and there’s a whole different issue that’s at play and needs to be addressed. But it takes conversation to discover the heart of the matter.

   Developing a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

   Should you discover that your employee’s performance is suffering due to internal conflicts and behavioral complications, then first you’ll want to see if some verbal encouragement and active support can simply remedy the issue. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. But if that is still not enough, it may be time to have a conversation with them about developing a Performance Improvement Plan or a PIP. While you can develop it on your own, it can engage the employee and improve their sense of agency and confidence if you include them in the process. A PIP is meant to provide your employee with an idea of what direction to start heading to get back on track and become a productive member of your organization. Be sure to present it as such, and not as a step towards termination. Unfortunately, many employers have wielded a PIP as an indication of a nearing termination instead of an improvement device—so it will fall to you to ensure that the PIP is used as a positive reinforcement tool.

   The Final Step: Letting an Employee Go… Perhaps on a Friday.

   If even after those steps you’re seeing that your employee is still struggling, you may still have options available. Perhaps your employee will perform better in a different position, a position that might engage their skills better than their current one. But if you do not have enough confidence in the employee, then there will need to be a decision on what day to break the news and begin the process of termination and off-boarding. While there is a debate on what day is really the best, there are some reasons as to why Friday may be best:

   • It gives your employee a full week of work and pay.
   • It helps avoid potential workplace incidents, in the case of a terribly upset employee.
   • It also provides an opportunity to have the employee’s belongings quietly removed over the weekend, after setting up a time to meet with the employee and begin getting those belongings. This will help remove the risk of coworkers who may get upset to see the employee leaving.

   While these three reasons certainly highlight why Friday could be a good day, your soon-to-be former employee will be distressed for several reasons:

   • The weekend is the time that employers are least to be looking at applications for new jobs.
   • The weekend gives the employee time to simmer in the frustration of being let go, which is harmful to their health.
   • The weekend is also when an employee’s network might not be as ready to help them find new opportunities.

   These downsides can be compensated for, however. Along with taking steps to treating your former employee in a respectful and dignified manner, consider offering them support in finding a new opportunity, whether it is tapping into your own network or at least offering a letter of recommendation for their next job prospect. Not only will it prevent a former employee from potentially catastrophic consequences of being let go, but it will leave at least some goodwill between you and the former employee and it can benefit your own organization’s reputation.

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