“Customers are looking for solutions – our industry can deliver them”
GCB FutureTalks #1 with René Proske
© René Proske
Successfully overcoming crises such as the spread of the coronavirus requires new ideas and agility. In the coming weeks and months, Matthias Schultze, GCB’s Managing Director, will be talking to some of the leading heads of the event world about their future concepts and will present their ideas here: GCB FutureTalks. The kick-off is made by René Proske, Managing Director of the event agency of the same name. He is convinced that the industry can make it.
Matthias Schultze: Keyword "keep your distance" - how does your working day currently look like?
Rene Proske: Since 6 March, our entire team has been working from home. We make daily management calls and twice a week a virtual meeting with all colleagues about the current situation. We have also set up turnover and liquidity scenarios with three possible courses of action: no events until the end of June, no events until the end of August or no events until the end of October. We are now operating with these scenarios and making our decisions accordingly.
Matthias Schultze: With which ideas and approaches to solutions do you face the current crisis?
Rene Proske: We have dramatically brought forward the launch of our Proske Virtual Venue (www.proske-virtual-venue.com). Our team worked through the days and weekends, testing and programming under high pressure. With this new tool we are now helping our customers to bring planned formats and already created content for face-to-face events into the virtual space. This is exactly what we have created the platform for and so far it has been running incredibly well.
Matthias Schultze: What do you think is important for the industry in the coming weeks and months?
Rene Proske: The German state reacted extremely quickly in this crisis and that should give us security. With the financial aid, instruments like short-time work and the creativity to develop other formats, the industry will be able to survive. But it is also clear that many traditional things have simply become obsolete. In my view, only new and innovative approaches will help now. But above all: DO IT. To bury your head in the sand is the worst thing. All our customers are desperately looking for solutions - and our industry can deliver them.
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