Hikmah di Balik Wabah

Bagi penyelenggara kegiatan MICE, pandemi tak melulu membawa derita, namun juga memberikan pembelajaran berharga. Karena selalu ada hikmah di balik wabah.

“Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad. Don’t grumble, give a whistle. This’ll help things turn out for the best.” Begitu lantunan lirik lagu berjudul Always Look On The Bright Side of Life milik Art Garfunkel, penyanyi sekaligus aktor asal Amerika Serikat yang populer dengan duo Simon and Garfunkel.

Ya, sebagaimana lagu tersebut, pandemi menjadi pengalaman buruk yang seringkali membuat kita marah. Tapi daripada terus menggerutu, lebih baik bersiul-siul menikmati yang ada. Karena tak selamanya wabah soal menderita.

Memang tidak mudah, melihat sisi baik di balik pengalaman kurang mengenakan. Apalagi bagi pekerja dan pelaku industri MICE yang cukup terpukul akibat pandemi Covid-19.

Namun, tanpa disadari bagi penyelenggara kegiatan MICE, pandemi memaksa mereka mempelajari banyak hal baru, dan menjadi lincah beradaptasi.

Setidaknya ada tiga hikmah yang dirasakan penyelenggara kegiatan MICE selama pandemi.

Pertama, jadi melek teknologi. Maklum saja, pandemi memaksa kita berjarak, akibatnya kegiatan MICE mesti diselenggarakan secara virtual atau hibrid dengan mengandalkan teknologi.

Sebelum pandemi, biasanya hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan teknologi dan perangkat digital diserahkan penyelenggara kegiatan MICE pada vendor lain, tapi sejak pandemi, mereka dipaksa beralih dan jadi melek teknologi.

Seperti yang dikisahkan CEO Gemalindo Indonesia, Irvan Mahidin Sukamto dalam program MICE Talk di kanal Youtube @MICE Indonesia. “Di masa awal pandemi, namanya belajar, kadang ada saja kendalanya. Ya suara hilang atau berdengung, sinyal hilang. Tapi dari situ sampai saat ini kami belajar dan jadi paham menjalankan acara virtual, full online, atau hibrid yang sedang tren sekarang,” kenangnya.

Hikmah kedua, lebih disiplin. Tidak hanya penyelenggara kegiatan namun juga pengunjung kegiatan MICE. Dari sisi penyelenggara kegiatan, mesti disiplin menerapkan protokol kesehatan (prokes) dan membuat sistem yang lebih rapi supaya tidak terjadi kerumunan, antrian, dan hal lain yang tidak sejalan dengan prokes.

Sedangkan pengunjung atau konsumen juga lebih disiplin. Misalnya untuk kegiatan yang mensyaratkan antigen terlebih dulu, pengunjung pasti datang lebih awal. Selain itu, pengunjung di masa pandemi juga disiplin menjaga jarak, mengikuti antrian saat pengecekan suhu, dan

Misalnya datang lebih awal karena wajib tes antigen, juga teratur mengantri ketika pengecekan suhu, dan mengikuti aturan yang diberlakukan di venue kegiatan.

Ketiga, kreativitas nggak boleh mati. Pelaku industri MICE tidak cuma dituntut kreatif mengatur cash flow perusahaan, namun juga pandai-pandai mengemas acara supaya pesan tersampaikan, klien terpuaskan, dan pengunjung tak mengalami kebosanan.

Dalam situasi pandemi, penyelenggara kegiatan MICE harus punya lebih dari satu rencana cadangan. Bagaimana ketika terjadi gangguan jaringan, atau ketika webinar perlu mengemas acara supaya tidak membosankan, dan sebagainya.

Ah, sebagai bagian dari industri kreatif, penyelenggara kegiatan MICE rasanya mustahil kehabisan akal.

English

The Silver Lining of the Pandemic

To MICE event organizers, the pandemic does not always bring sorrow. It also gives some valuable lessons. Hence, every cloud has a silver lining.

“Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad. Don’t grumble, give a whistle. This’ll help things turn out for the best.” Those are the lyrics to Always Look On The Bright Side of Life by Art Garfunkel, an American singer and actor who is well known for the Simon and Garfunkel duo. The pandemic is a bad experience that often angers us. But instead of grumbling, we might as well whistle and enjoy the moment because the pandemic is not always about suffering.

It may not be easy to look at the bright side of an unpleasant experience, especially for MICE industry players and employees who have been impacted tragically by the pandemic. However, without realizing it, MICE event organizers have actually learned many lessons and become more agile. There are at least three lessons that MICE event organizers have learned during the pandemic.

First, they have become tech-savvy. Unquestioningly, the pandemic forces us to physical distance. This results in virtual or hybrid MICE events that strongly depend on technology. Before the pandemic, MICE event organizers used to give the responsibility of technology and software related needs to other vendors, but during the pandemic they are forced to switch online and therefore become more aware of technology use.

Irvan Mahidin Sukamto, CEO of Gemalindo Indonesia mentioned on MICE Talk on @MICE Indonesia’s YouTube channel, “In the beginning of the pandemic, we were still learning, so there were so many obstacles. Missing voices or buzzes, lost connections, and many more. But from those problems we learned how to conduct virtual and hybrid events, which are trendy these days.”

Second, they have become more disciplined. This applies to both MICE event organizers and participants. MICE event organizers must strictly comply with health protocols and create a neat system so the event does not create crowds, queues, or other situations that do not abide by the protocols.

Vistors and customers have also become more disciplined. For example, at events that mandate prior antigen tests, the visitors must arrive earlier. Aside from that, visitors also observe the health protocols by physically distancing, queueing for temperature check, and abiding by the rules in the venue.

Third, MICE event organizers have learned to be more creative. MICE industry players are not only obliged to creatively manage the cash flow of their company, they also need to cleverly create an event that can deliver a message, satisty clients, and keep the attendees interested.

During this pandemic, MICE even organizers need to have more than one backup plan. They need to be prepared for when there is an internet connection issue, or when they have to organize a webinar that keeps the attendees engaged, and many more situations.

Ah, as a part of the creative industry, MICE event organizers can’t run out of ideas!