On the Pop-Up Biz Podcast, host Susan Sandler meets with brand founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the latest in experiential retail, marketing, and pop-ups. From new business models and creative strategies to technological innovations, there's something for every listener to learn.

While the world of virtual experiences has offered a blank canvas for creativity and an opportunity to reach massive crowds of people from afar, the desire for in-person experiences — and the connection that comes with them — won't be going away. That's why the future will be about hybrid event experiences.

A pre-pandemic article from Ad Age suggested that experiential marketing may have reached its peak, citing Instagram-worthy installations such as the Color Factory and the Museum of Ice Cream in support of the premise. Where they erred, though, was in categorizing them as examples of experiential marketing at all. Instead, they are theme parks designed to earn social media engagement.

The world of live events has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, forcing agencies, brands, and organizers to pivot to virtual events in the interim. Going forward, some consumers may still need time before they feel safe showing up to live events, so it'll be imperative to accommodate to them by creating virtual or hybrid event experiences.

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune disease that affects the lives of thousands of Americans. In honor of June being MG Awareness month, Argenx, a global immunology company, wanted to create an event to bring this community together and share its commitment to those affected by the disease. With the COVID-19 crisis preventing the possibility of any in-person engagements, we hosted a virtual launch party that brought in attendees from across the country and globe.

For agencies and event organizers, there's a lot of work to be done to assuage consumers' concerns when it comes to returning to live events. In fact, a study from Performance Research found that 60% of consumers have long-term fears about attending large events.

While old trends becoming new again is a relative constant in some industries, such as fashion, it’s unclear how many of us foresaw the return of the drive-in movie theater in 2020. However, given the constraints put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, drive-ins have seen a huge resurgence – especially in states where citizens are no longer sheltering in-place.

Though citizens across the country are more than ready for new normalcy to take hold, the unfortunate reality is that it’s going to be some time before large-scale live experiences are commonplace again. And even when they do, things will be different. In the meantime, brands have been adapting by creating virtual experiences that allow consumers to engage from afar.

In this time of extreme disruption around the world, companies and consumers are dealing with the previously unimaginable obstacles presented by COVID-19. From airline and hospitality giants to your local bar or restaurant, each has been greatly impacted by the spread of this disease. As experiential marketers, we, too, are grappling with our own set of challenges. Namely, how can brands facilitate connection – with and for consumers – during an indefinite period of time without live, in-person events?

Most marketers would agree that they’ve never faced as many challenges as they do today. Amazon, direct-to-consumer brands, and shifts in consumer behavior are making it more difficult for CPG brands to break through or retain market share. In fact, of the thousands of creative new product launches that occur each year, about 85% of them fail. Today, products are not just competing for space on the shelf; they’re competing for space virtually everywhere.