The Future of Business Post COVID-19

The Future of
Business Post
COVID-19
A Report from Informa Connect
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The Future of Business
Post COVID-19
An Introduction

In 2020 an unprecedented
disruption to “business as
usual” hit the globe with a
pandemic of a disease called
COVID-19. From accelerated
digitization of the workplace
with millions suddenly
working from home, to
manufacturers pivoting and
actually changing their
products to help the world
cope with new and sudden
needs, never before seen or
experienced phenomena
are happening in businesses
around the globe, and
analogies have been made
to both the Great Recession
of 2008 and World War II.
We at Informa Connect have
a mission to provide access
to extraordinary people and
exceptional insight. Our
parent company, Informa
plc, is a global business with
a network of trusted brands
in specialist markets across
more than 30 countries, and
a member of the FTSE 100.
We are well known for our
conferences, however we
are also at our core a digital
content creator. From
videos to white papers, our
content taps into a network
of millions of professional
and commercial customers.
The Future of Business Post COVID-19
"These are scary
times, to be sure, and
we still have so much
to sort out and work
through. Yet, it is also
an incredibly
optimistic moment for
the future of work for
humans."
Heather E. McGowan,
Forbes,"How The
Coronavirus Pandemic Is
Accelerating The Future
Of Work"

With the spirit of our
mission in mind we decided
to do a deep dive into how
COVID-19 is impacting our
global customers so we
could share this crucial data
with them and with you, the
reader. Why are people in
sectors from the life
sciences to maritime
innovating? Where are they
doing it? How successful are
their efforts? We surveyed
our customers, our speakers
and thought leader contacts
of Informa Connect, to ask
them how their
organizations are
responding to the crisis. Our
initial research told us that
the most important changes
happening right now in
organizations fell into these
categories: how
organizations manage
crises, both before and after
COVID-19; the shift to online
and working from home or
other changes in the
workplace; how companies
are trying to be relevant to
their customers; and lastly,
how they have applied
innovations with new
business initiatives or
products and creating
efficiencies. We’re offering
our exclusive findings here,
in this first-of-its-kind multi-
sector report on The Future
of Business Post COVID-19.
An April 30 Savanta survey of
US consumers gives the
mind-blowing figure: “just 24%
of respondents plan to go
about life the same as before
once we emerge from
lockdown”, so business
innovation is crucial right
now. McKinsey recently stated
that “It’s possible that entirely
67% of those surveyed have either
developed or accelerated a new
product, or introduced initiatives to
better connect with customers."
The Future of Business Post COVID-19:
July 2020

new businesses and business
models will emerge from the
crisis” and that has indeed
been proven in our survey.
Organizations have been
poised to digitally transform
their workforces for some
time; right now is a turning
point, with “trials by fire”
bringing in both interesting
and unforeseen data.
Our survey results show that
COVID-19 has indeed been a
disruptor, with 65% of
respondents reporting
negative financial impact to
their businesses, but in many
cases companies have been
able to turn this disruption
into a positive force, by
innovating and accelerating
the creation of new products
as well as cultivating deeper
relationships with their
customers.
The list of new products and
services that survey
respondees shared with us
were astounding in their
diversity: from one company
who developed a new Maté
drink "to give energy to
people in stressful
situations" during the crisis,
to a maritime organization
that developed remote
auditing of vessels, to
another organization that
purchased their own factory
to meet the demands of
their clients.
In the life sciences, one
organization, a telehealth
provider, introduced mental
health and wellness
services, a second explained
that they were in the
process of "certifying the
first 3D printing mask in the
world", a third "designed
87% of survey
respondents believe
that COVID-19 has
impacted the need for
digital transformation
for businesses."
July 2020

and developed Study
Protocols for the COVID-19
response in Africa" and a
fourth was developing
peptides related to a
COVID-19 treatment.
Financial services innovated
on such initiatives as: "a
business loan for borrowers
whose income is not based
on salary checkoff", a
"Customer Portal Bank on
wheels" and new "low cost
lending products for
businesses impacted by
coronavirus" with a
"dedicated phone line for
vulnerable customers".
The majority of companies
that shared their new
initiatives directly had stories
that involved either pivoting
their manufacturing to
produce PPE or sanitizer, or
There is a paradigm
shift in the business
world now. We can't
afford to do 'business
as usual'. We have to
up the game.
Survey Respondent

Share on TShare on LinkedInShare on Facebook
In 12-18 months looking back, these are the three biggest missed opportunities for the industry if we
don’t take advantage of these learnings now: efficiency innovation or not improving current ways
to serve the customers better and faster knowing what we know today; sustaining innovation or
delivering the products and services various market segments are demanding; and lastly
transformative innovation or building those new ventures that can augment existing business and
revenue lines."
Sabine Vanderlinden,
Co-Founder, CEO & Partner,
The Alchemy Crew

new internal and external
digital initiatives. One
particularly productive
organization announced that
"all technology advancements
that were planned for 2020/
21 have been moved forward
and completed during this
period".
There were many new
consumer products that
came out of the crisis, too.
Individuals described
software platforms they had
developed - from one that
allows employees to access
and engage with their peers
while doing virtual workouts,
yoga and healthy eating
sessions at home, to another
platform "that helps users
safely declare if they are fit to
fly, fit to shop"; one company
even developed "live online
theatre performances".
There was one response that
simply, and powerfully,
summed up the situation:
"We went digital".

Demographics and
Methodology
Who did we survey and why?

Increasingly people
from different
disciplines across an
organization or being
gathered together to
solve problems, rather
than represent a
singular division of the
business.
Shawn Dickerson, SVP
Marketing, KeyedIn Five Ways
the Future of Work is Changing
Due to Coronavirus
The Future of Business Post COVID-19
Key Insights
• 87% of respondents feel that the crisis has impacted
the need for digital transformation in business.
• 34% developed a new product, service or business
initiative in response to the crisis; 40% introduced
initiatives to better connect with customers;26%
accelerated development of an already planned
product.
• 47% of respondents put in place a dedicated crisis
response team to respond to COVID-19.
• 85% believe their organizations can cope with at least
some of their staff continuing to work from home. 43%
believe their companies can cope with large numbers
of staff doing so.

Our 2020 Informa Connect survey “The Future of Business
Post COVID-19” comprises the responses and insights of 1495
participants drawn from a wide range of Informa Connect
customers, event speakers and thought leaders. In the spirit of
Dickerson’s observation, we’ve done a first-of-its-kind multi-
sector, multi-disciplinary study. Drawn from global companies,
participants represent the sectors of: finance, life sciences
(pharma and biotech), marketing and innovation, human
resources, maritime and energy. The survey consisted of 16
questions designed to discover how COVID-19 has affected the
workplace, from human resources to innovation and product
development. The conclusions drawn in this report are based
on the collected answers and insights of our respondents.
In this section we look at the demographics of the respondents. Use the Contents menu in the top left
to jump to another section or download this report as a PDF.

Almost one third
(29.4%) of our
respondents
identified as "senior
organisational
leadership" (e.g. CEO,
General Manager,
Country Manager).

The Big Picture
Business Responds to COVID-19

There has been a
great deal of
discussion about
how this crisis has
accelerated
innovation, and
here we have a
clear picture. This
was declared a
pandemic just two
months ago, and
during that time
34% developed a
new product or
service, 26%
accelerated
development of an
already planned
product and 40%
introduced
initiatives to better
connect with
consumers.

The coming months
will indeed bring a
"new normal" with
just 9% of
respondents saying
things will "go back
to normal" and 70%
saying there will be
"some change in the
way things are
done". 19% of those
surveyed say things
will be "radically
different".

Our survey shows that this pandemic has
resulted in organizations becoming more
convinced of the value and necessity of digital
transformation, with 68% saying its effects
will have long-term impact and 19% saying it
will have just short-term impact. 14% do not
see it having any impact.

42% see a future
where some of their
staff work from
home, and 43% felt
that it would be
sustainable for their
organization to
allow large numbers
of staff to work from
home in the long
term. Just 13% of
respondents see it as
unsustainable for
their companies to
have anyone
working from home
in the long term.

We wanted to paint
a picture of the
financial impact of
COVID-19, the
picture is mixed but
not surprisingly all
but 18% of
companies have
been impacted in
some way. Over 64%
of respondents have
felt a negative
impact from the
crisis, with 29%
having significant
negative impact. 12%
of our respondents
saw positive
financial impact
from the pandemic.

Only 14% of
businesses had a
crisis response team
in place before the
pandemic began,
while 47% put one in
place for the
COVID-19 crisis.
22% of respondents
do not have a crisis
response team at
their organizations.

In contrast to the
lack of crisis
response
preparedness, the
majority of
organizations (62%)
had technology in
place to respond to
the pandemic, while
27% invested in new
technology. Just 7%
of survey
participants
responded that they
have no remote
working technology
in place.

Just 8% of those surveyed have retained all of
their on site employees at their offices, labs or
other workplace during this pandemic, while
9% have a majority on site and 14% have
about half in the workplace, half working
from home. 37% of those surveyed have
everyone working at home and for 32% of
organizations, a majority of their teams are
working from home.

Hand sanitizing
stations are by far
the most common
safety measure
being taken at
organizations, with
84% responding
they have been
implemented.
Additional cleaning
(68%), protective
clothing (64%), and
restricted access to
communal spaces
(54%) are being
implemented by
over half of
organizations.

The most common
cost saving measures
at organizations
during this pandemic
have been "cutting
expenses such as
travel and social
activities" (62%). 36%
have cut budgets
(such as marketing),
and 36% have put
hiring freezes in
place; 24% have
reduced working
hours while 15%
have cut salaries.
17% of organizations
have not put any cost
cutting in place.

COVID-19 is a
“Generation-Defining”
Event
Work Comes Home

The COVID-19 pandemic has
indeed been a "generation-
defining event" that will
influence how all of us behave,
from consumers to
producers, for years to come.
Even as we return to
“business-as-usual”, with the
reopening of places that have
been shut for three months or
more, we will not be returning
to the places as we remember
them, they will be radically
changed. Microsoft CEO Satya
Nadella aptly describes the
scene: "As COVID-19 impacts
every aspect of our work and
life, we have seen two years’
worth of digital transformation
in two months".
Working from home is not
surprisingly the hottest topic
around the “new normal” of
coronavirus. But we need to
remember that work from
home is not a one size fits
all. David Michaels of the
Milken Institute School of
Public Health at George
Washington University
reminds us not to forget the
50% of UK workers, and 72%
of Americans do not have
jobs with the ability to work
from home at anytime. He
explains: “What is important
about this pandemic is that
it has shined a spotlight on
workers who have been
essential but before this
were invisible.”
COVID-19 is a “Generation-Defining” Event
"We are likely in the
midst of a generation-
defining event that
will influence how
consumers behave for
years to come."
McKinsey, How Marketing
Leaders Can Both
Manage the Coronavirus
Crisis and Plan for the
Future, April 2020

Where work from home has
been an option, multiple
organizations have conducted
studies finding several
positive outcomes from
virtual work: radical reduction
of carbon emissions, cost
savings - from company costs
to employee commute time &
costs, more productivity from
employees, improvement of
work/life balance, a more
equitable workplace for
women and people with
disabilities or chronic illness,
and better mental health and
a more diverse workforce.
Globally, the International
Labor Organization
estimates that: "18 per cent
of workers have occupations
that are suitable for WFH
and live in countries with the
infrastructure to enable
WFH." Vox tells us that only
4% of the US workforce, for
example, normally works
from home at least part time
(it’s just slightly higher for
the UK), but due to
coronavirus 34% of folks
were working from home in
early April. Whether this
sticks, only time can tell,
although Ben Pring, Co-
Founder and Leader of
Cognizant’s Center for the
Future of Work was
confident enough to make
this prediction in early June:
"probably 15% more will be
working at home
permanently than pre-
COVID-19". Entrepreneur
and adviser Hiten Shah
reminds us that a transition
to everyone who can moving
towards permanent work
from home would certainly
be a radical shift from the
status quo: “Right now,
70% of those surveyed
said they expect things
to go back to normal
with some change in the
way things are done."
July 2020

remote work isn’t working
for most companies…That’s
because we spent the last
120 years learning how
people can be productive in
an office.”
A Gartner survey says that
“74% of CFOs and Finance
leaders will move at least 5%
of their previously on-site
workforce to permanently
remote positions post-
COVID 19”. Nationwide was
one of the first US
companies to announce a
transition to primarily
working from home.
Automaker Ford has
extended work from home
for most salaried employees
"until at least the beginning
of September". Amazon and
Microsoft have announced
that their corporate
employees do not have to
return to offices until
October; Zillow, Facebook
and Google have announced
work from home until the
end of 2020, and Shopify's
offices will be closed until
2021.
Mark Zuckerberg told The
Verge "I think we could get
to about half of the
company working remotely
permanently" (in 5-10 years)
and VMWare foresees 60%
of their employees working
from home "over
time". Twitter, Square and
Groupe PSA have made
remote work permanent for
those that are able to do
their jobs from home. As of
this writing, Mondeley,
Barclays and Morgan Stanley
were all looking at rethinking
their working from home
policies. Even state
I feel things will return
to normal once a
vaccine is out."
Survey Respondent
The Future of Business Post
COVID-19:

government, such as Silicon
Valley's San Jose, California
Santa Clara County board of
supervisors, is getting
involved with promoting
virtual work, asking
businesses to consider
remote work as over
100,000 employees in their
region commute for 3 or
more hours per day, and
they’ve seen as much as a
75% reduction in pollutant
levels during the epidemic.
During this pandemic,
Human Resources have
become more crucial to
businesses than ever before,
as HR departments have
been called upon to retain a
sense of normalcy and
connection. Michelle Davies,
Vice-President of People at
Phrasee explains:
“Everyone’s been in panic
mode, whether it’s fears
over losing their job or that
they weren’t able to buy
toilet paper. But it’s not just
about communicating with
people formally about
business matters. In the
office, people have lots of
informal connection points,
so we’ve tried to recreate
that virtually as you have to
try and keep things as
normal as you can.” In many
cases work has become a
lifeline to people who are
isolated from their friends
and families. Fun virtual
activities such as pub
quizzes, online fitness
classes and after-work
gatherings provide team-
building and help alleviate
the multiple stresses that
the current pandemic has
brought to people’s lives.
At Informa Connect, like
over 92% of our customers
surveyed, we've been
working remotely due to
COVID-19; and we've been
producing most of our in-
person events digitally. This
has been an incredibly busy
and exciting time; it's been a
journey of learning what our
audiences value most from
our events and digital
content. It's been important
to us to keep the quality of
our digital events as high as
our award-winning live
events; we've been focussed
on making them not only
seamless, but best-in-class,
from top-notch content to
providing as-good-as-in-
person networking
experiences. Once we are
able to do in-person events
again, we'll be bringing the
valuable lessons we've

learned to all our events and
content - both in-person
and digital. From Informa
Connect's EBD Group
transforming what would
have been a Paris
conference to a digital
solution for their BIO-
Europe® Spring event, to
our cutting edge Finovate
events going digital for
summer and fall 2020, we've
learned that it's important
for attendees to both
engage directly with
speakers and network with
their peers. We've
developed apps, live polls
and other key ways digital
conference goers can
engage with speakers and
other attendees live and on-
demand.
One company
that's notably
bucking the trend
is Walmart. Their
new 350 acre
home office,
expected to open
in stages by 2025,
is still on track;
Fortune explains
that their CEO
Doug McMillon
"firmly believes
the value of in-
person
collaboration with
colleagues will
endure and says it
won’t change the
future home
office’s design
much".

COVID-19's Impact on
the HR Sector
Data at a Glance

There has been a
great deal of
discussion about
how this crisis has
accelerated
innovation, and
here we have a
clear picture. This
was declared a
pandemic just a few
months ago, and
during that short
time 35% developed
a new product or
service, 27%
accelerated
development of an
already planned
product and 41%
introduced
connect with
consumers.

The coming months
will indeed bring a
"new normal" with
just 9% of
respondents saying
to normal" and 64%
"some change in the
way things are
done". 25% of those
surveyed say things
will be "radically
different".

Our survey shows
that this pandemic
has resulted in
organizations
becoming more
convinced of the
value and necessity
of digital
transformation,
with 70% saying its
effects will have
long-term impact
and 21% saying it
will have impact,
but just in the short-
term.

45% of respondents
see a future where
some of their staff
work from home,
and 27% feel that it
would be
organization to
allow large numbers
of staff to work
from home in the
long term. 26% of
unsustainable for
their companies to
have anyone
working from home
in the long term.

We wanted to paint
a picture of the
financial impact of
COVID-19, the
not surprisingly all
but 10% of human
resources related
businesses have
been impacted in
some way. 78% of
respondents have
felt a negative
impact from the
crisis, with 50%
having significant
negative impact. 9%
of our respondents
saw positive impact.

Only 14% of
businesses had a
crisis response team,
place for the
COVID-19 crisis.

In contrast to the
lack of crisis
response
preparedness,
almost half of
organizations (45%)
had technology in
place to respond to
the pandemic, while
33% invested in new
technology and just
16% have no remote
working technology
in place.

Just 8% of those
surveyed have
retained all of their
on site employees at
their offices or other
workplaces during
this pandemic, while
10% have a majority
on site and 19% have
about half in the
workplace. 31% of
those surveyed have
everyone working at
home and for 33% of
organizations, a
majority of their
teams are working
from home.

Hand sanitizing stations are by far the most
common safety measure being taken at
organizations, with 86% responding they have
been implemented. Protective clothing (75%)
and additional cleaning (63%) are all being
implemented by over half of organizations.

The most common
cost saving
measures at
organizations during
this pandemic have
been "cutting
expenses such as
travel and social
activities" (64%), 46%
have cut budgets
(such as
marketing), 46%
have put hiring
freezes in place
while 30% have cut
salaries. Just 9% of
organizations have
not put any cost
cutting in place.

Coronavirus and The
Financial Sector:
Acceleration of Digitization

"COVID-19 has made most
of us hyper-aware of every
touchable surface that could
transmit the disease, so in a
post-COVID-19 world, it’s
expected that we’ll have
fewer touch screens and
more voice interfaces and
machine vision interfaces"
Bernard Marr, What Does
The Future Look Like Post-
Coronavirus - 9 Future
Predictions. Fintech thought
leaders Theo Lau's (quote
on right) and Bernard Marr's
insights both show a
remarkable side effect of
COVID-19, the acceleration
of digital. What is commonly
called “voice first” and
machine vision interfaces in
mobile payments had slowly
been rolled out by early
adopters, but in the new
reality of fear of disease
transmission, it will be
something that consumers
will demand. PWC’s Covid-19
CFO Pulse survey confirms
this: “FS firms, including
asset and wealth
management, banking and
capital markets and
insurance, have been going
through a rapid digital
transformation... Once the
COVID-19 situation
stabilizes, firms may not be
Coronavirus and The Financial Sector:
Acceleration of Digitization
As we have witnessed in the past few weeks,
social distancing has forced many to work
remotely, and accelerated the adoption of digital
tools. I expect the trend to continue post-
pandemic as more organizations reap the
benefits of reduced rent obligations with less
office space. Unfortunately, we will also likely
see a shift in resource needs in some areas such
as call centers, where companies are increasing
adapting AI and automation capabilities to
augment capacity."
Theodora Lau, Founder, Unconventional Ventures

able to compete if they
haven’t built systems,
products, and processes
that meet client demands in
the ‘new normal’.”
In The Financial Brand, Jim
Marous tells us that: “As the
shutdown caused by the
coronavirus pandemic
extends, more consumers
are adjusting to vastly
different daily behaviors.
From increases in working
from home and ordering
take-out food to reductions
in visiting friends or going to
a workout facility, everything
has changed… According to
J.D. Power, only 46% of
consumers will go back to
‘banking as usual’.”
Based on our survey results,
the finance sector has been
one of the most responsive to
customer needs, with 31% of
those surveyed developing a
new product or service, 30%
accelerating development of
an already planned product
and 45% introducing new
initiatives during the pandemic
to better connect with
customers. Several
respondees mentioned
specific philanthropic projects
such as pro bono initiatives - in
one case all employees and
their family members were
provided with a supply of
masks and hand sanitizer - and
events for charities being part
of their response to COVID-19.
One organization used the
time to work on their Diversity
and Inclusion initiatives, and
several others said they
focussed on more client
interaction and
communication including
webinars and education to
In the finance sector, 31% of those
surveyed developed a new product
or service, 30% accelerated
development of an already
planned product and 45%
introduced initiatives to better
connect with consumers."
July 2020

address the impact of the
pandemic.
Beyond disruption in
products, the workplace is
another place that has seen
radical change. CNBC
reported on how financial
traders were affected: “While
many global companies are
telling all staff to work from
home, for some banking
roles, this isn’t possible.
Traders, for example, often
deal with sensitive data,
requiring workstations and
technology that meet certain
compliance standards and
cannot be used at home. ”
Goldman Sachs, Citi, JP
Morgan and Bank of
America moved employees,
in some cases, to backup
offices and developed shifts
splitting up time between
work and home along with
“other protective hygiene
measures”.
In our survey of finance
professionals, 80% of
respondents said that either
everyone (49%) or the
majority of staff (31%) were
working from home. For
those who needed to
remain in the office, just 2%
reported than they did not
have some form of safety
measure in place, from hand
sanitizing stations to
changes in location.
A consistent theme in the
financial industry right now
has been comparisons of
the coronavirus pandemic to
the Global Financial crisis of
2007–08. Mike Mayo of
Wells Fargo recently told
CNBC: “In the global financial
crisis, banks were the
Almost 92% of respondents in the finance sector
believe that remote working, for some of the
staff or a large number of the staff, will be
sustainable in the long term.
July 2020

problem… The silver lining
from that is that banks are
prepared for a situation like
this, and they want to be
part of the solution this
time.” In the
Wealthmanagement.com
article “How to run a
financial advisory firm during
a recession” Erik Bergquist
interviews several financial
advisors that share similar
thoughts about the financial
crisis being a great lesson
for what the industry is
dealing with now.
Pat McClain, Co-Founder
and Senior Partner at
Allworth Financial offers this
advice: “(during) the last
crisis we did have a hiring
freeze and we went through
the expense line of the
whole business. If you think
about our business, most
advisors will work on a 30%
to 40% margin and the
assets under management
comes right off the top, so
the margins are
compressed. We didn’t
furlough anyone, but we
pulled back on the
marketing budget and tech
spend and all capital
improvements, and we are
doing the same now. You
want to make sure on the
back side of it that you are
healthy. The last thing you
want to do is lay people off
because there is going to be
a recovery, and this is a
service business that is built
around good quality people.
If you do touch people, you
don’t want them to be client
facing because there needs
to be that consistency in the
client experience; your firm
can’t look like it’s struggling.

This is the fourth one I’ve
been through—it is steeper
and faster than the previous
ones, but we learned what
the recovery should look
like.”
That PWC CFO Pulse survey
mentioned confirms that
2008 has “strengthened our
ability to withstand systemic
shocks”; additionally PWC
found that “only 55% (of
financial services) are
considering deferring or
canceling planned
investments as a result of
this crisis, compared to 67%
of all sectors.” An
Investopedia article
reinforces the stability of
finance as a sector and a
profession during this crisis;
three of the "9 Businesses
That Thrive in Recession" are
accountants, financial
advisors and economists.
Jim Chappelow writes:
"People who have
substantial assets want to
ensure that they're well
taken care of, especially
during a recession. Financial
advisors often see an
increase in work as people
become concerned about
the stability of their
investments and seek
guidance on how to protect
their assets."
A McKinsey report published
this June echoes Clarke's
sentiments; its authors
conclude: "Nothing will pay
more dividends to advisors in
the long run than deeply
servicing their existing clients."
In a recent Finovate Podcast, Alyson
Clarke, of Forrester Research had this to
say: “To hit a recession is preparing for the
upturn…. If we think back to the last
recession, they didn’t survive so well when
the economy improved. What financial
services firms and banks need to do, they
have to focus on reengineering around the
customer, not the product. Reengineering
to become more agile so you’ve got the
ability to adapt quickly.”

the Finance Sector
Data at a Glance

There has been a
great deal of
discussion about
how this crisis has
accelerated
innovation, and
here we have a
clear picture. This
was declared a
pandemic just two
months ago, and
during that time
31% of respondents
developed a new
product or service,
30% accelerated
development of an
already planned
product and 45%
introduced
connect with
consumers.

The coming months
will indeed bring a
"new normal" with
just 7% of
respondents saying
to normal" and 73%
"some change in the
way things are
done". 19% of those
surveyed say things
will be "radically
different".

Our survey shows
that this pandemic
has resulted in
organizations
becoming more
convinced of the
value and necessity
of digital
transformation, with
71% saying its
effects will have
long-term impact
and 13% saying it
will have just short-
term impact.

Over half of
respondents (56%)
feel that it would be
organization to
allow large numbers
home in the long
term, while 35% see
it as sustainable to
have some of their
staff work from
home. Under 7% of
unsustainable for
their companies to
have anyone
working from home
in the long term.

We wanted to paint
a picture of the
financial impact of
COVID-19, the
notable that
over 20% of
companies have not
been impacted
financially at all.
62% of respondents
have felt a negative
impact from the
crisis, with 18%
having significant
negative impact. 13%
of our respondents

Only 20% of
businesses had a
crisis response team,
place for the
COVID-19 crisis.

Did your organization have to invest in new technology to facilitate remote operations?
In contrast to the
lack of crisis
response
preparedness, the
majority of
organizations (68%)
had technology in
place to respond to
the pandemic, while
28% invested in new
technology and
under 3% have no
remote working
technology in place.

Fewer than 11% of
those surveyed have
their offices, labs or
other workplace
during this
pandemic, while 5%
have a majority on
site and 4% have
about half in the
workplace. 49% of
those surveyed have
everyone working at
home and for 31% of
organizations, a
majority of their
teams are working
from home.

been implemented. That along with additional
cleaning (68%) are being implemented by over
half of organizations.

The most common
at finance
this pandemic have
been "cutting
expenses such as
travel and social
have cut budgets,
and 34% have put
hiring freezes in
place. Interestingly,
20% of organizations
have not put any cost
cutting in place.

A Microscope on
Marketing
Brands to the Rescue

“Marketers—many working
remotely from home—are
faced with an entirely new
situation: How should we be
talking to our customers?
Where should we be
spending marketing dollars
and where shouldn’t we?
How should we be working
with our teams and our
colleagues across the
business? How are we going
to stay in business? And all
this on top of how can we
support our family, friends,
communities and
planet.” McKinsey, How
Marketing Leaders Can Both
Manage the Coronavirus
Crisis and Plan for the
Future, April 2020.
Marketers have had to
justify their existence since
the dawn of digital, and now
the pressure is even higher,
with budgets strained and
all eyes on cutting
costs. While marketing
teams are being scrutinized,
the Wall Street Journal tells
us that the role is more
crucial than ever. Caren Fleit
of Korn Ferry explains
to WSJ: “I don’t think
anything changes in terms
of needing marketing, but in
some cases the kind of
A Microscope on Marketing
Brands to the Rescue
Three important trends
are emerging now that
will define Marketing
for years to come: truly
valuable content in
marketing that’s
stuffed with empathy,
inspiration, and utility;
direct-to-consumer
messaging, branding,
communications; and
virtual selling and
online sales
appointments."
Ann Handley, Chief Content
Officer, MarketingProfs

marketing will change.” How
that will change includes
being relevant to customers
in this time of crisis, with
authenticity and
mindfulness. Savanta Group
specializes in Coronavirus
Trackers, and their survey of
2,000 consumers (published
April 30) proves that Fleit is
spot on: “consumers say
they actively want to hear
positive advertising from
brands, with four in ten
(42%) consumers believing
that brands should focus on
life after coronavirus in their
ads.”
From Instagram Live classes,
hackathons and virtual
bingo nights to production
of hand sanitizer & PPE and
donations to frontline
healthcare professionals,
Yola Robert gives several
examples in Forbes how
"many businesses have had
to re-strategize, temporarily
shut down or pivot offerings
to stay afloat during these
times". This re-strategizing
and pivoting is happening
globally, from the US to
India. Brands who will come
out on top are those who
will be able to respond to
the pandemic with the ability
to change all of their plans in
an agile manner and shift
from regular mode to crisis
mode. Wade Paschall of
Westerra Credit Union aptly
explained the situation
to Muse by Clio: "I think
brands are going to be
remembered for what they
do right now, good or bad".
Interactive Advertising
Bureau (IAB) data "shows
that 73% of advertisers have
92% of marketing
professionals surveyed
believe that COVID-19
has impacted the need
for digital
transformation for
businesses, and that it
will have long term
impact."
COVID-19:
July 2020

modified or developed new
assets since the start of the
pandemic. Of these, over
half (53%) are increasing
messaging that emphasizes
the mission of the
company". I would say in
general that brands are
doing remarkably well,
because according to
Edelman, 55% of those
surveyed “said that brands
and companies are
responding more quickly
and effectively than
government".
Ann Handley, Chief Content
Officer of MarketingProfs
describes what she sees as
trends that came out of the
COVID-19 epidemic that will
define marketing for years
to come: “1. The importance
of truly valuable content in
marketing that’s stuffed with
empathy, inspiration, and
utility. Is your customer
newsletter a must-read? No?
Fix that. 2. The importance
of direct-to-consumer
messaging, branding,
communications. Especially
important for companies
who have relied on retail
brick-and-mortar
distribution. 3. Virtual selling
and online sales
appointments. We might be
feeling some element of
Zoom fatigue. But face-to-
face virtual meetings had a
moment in a COVID-19
interrupted world."
80% of marketers surveyed said they had either
developed a new product, service or business
initiative, or accelerated development of an
already planned product in response to
COVID-19."
July 2020

the Marketing Sector
Data at a Glance

There has been a
great deal of
discussion about
how this crisis has
accelerated
innovation, and
here we have a
clear picture. This
was declared a
pandemic just two
months ago, and
during that time
44% developed a
new product or
service, 36%
accelerated
development of an
already planned
product and 40%
introduced
connect with
consumers.

Almost a third
(28%) of those
surveyed say things
will be "radically
different" at their
organizations due to
COVID-19, while
72% see things
return to normal
however "with some
change in the way
things are done".

Our survey shows
that this pandemic
has resulted in
organizations
becoming more
convinced of the
value and necessity
of digital
transformation,
with 92% saying its
effects will have
long-term impact.
4% say it will have
just short-term
impact, while only
4% believe it will
have no impact at
all.

44% see a future
where some of their
staff work from
home, and over half
(56%) feel that it
would be
organization to
allow large numbers
of staff to work
from home in the
long term.

Surprisingly, 20% of marketing organizations
have not been impacted financially in some
way by the pandemic. 64% of respondents
have felt a negative impact from the crisis,
with 24% having significant negative impact.
12% of our respondents saw positive impact.

Only 4% of
marketing
professionals
surveyed had a crisis
response team at
their organizations,
place for the
COVID-19 crisis.
24% of those
surveyed did not put
any crisis response
team in place.

Did your organization have to invest in new technology to facilitate remote operations?In contrast to the
lack of crisis
response
preparedness, almost
three quarters of
organizations (72%)
had technology in
place to respond to
the pandemic, while
20% invested in new
technology and just
8% have no remote
working technology
in place.

12% of those
surveyed say their
organizations have
their offices other or
sites during this
pandemic, while 4%
have a majority on
site and 4% have
about half in the
workplace. 44% of
those surveyed have
everyone working at
home and for 36% of
organizations, a
majority of their
teams are working
from home.

been implemented. Additional cleaning (64%),
restricted access to communal spaces (64%),
protective clothing (57%) and shift sharing
(50%) are being implemented by over half of
organizations.

The most common cost saving measures at
marketing organizations during this pandemic
have been "cutting expenses such as travel
and social activities" (72%), 52% have cut
budgets (such as marketing), 52% have put
hiring freezes in place while 20% have
reduced working hours.

Life Sciences
Rising to the Challenge

Life Sciences
Rising to the Challenge
What COVID-19 has brought upon the world is a triple inflection of
change. Amazing technological advances, regulatory and reimbursement
approval, and the profound social imperative for use all come together to
make health tech no longer an option, but an imperative."
"My sense is that 20 years from now we will look back at COVID-19 with a
vague recollection of its social impact and perhaps even a silly
mispronounce of the name. What will endure--become a lasting aspect of
our humanity--will be the inculcation of technology into our daily lives.
From medicine to education, the toothpaste of technological innovation is
out of the tube, and there's no putting it back."
John Nosta, President, NostaLab
“If you are a public
[biotech] company
with an approach that
has promise [against
COVID-19], I don’t
think there is going to
be an issue of funding.
If you are a public or
private company not
active in this
[COVID-19] then I do
think this is going to
be a little bit tricky for
a few months.”
Otello Stampacchia,
Founder, Omega Funds
Xconomy Special Report,
Containing Coronavirus
Through Innovation and
Investment

“In a matter of weeks,
regulatory barriers to
telemedicine in the U.S.
have largely fallen. Doctors
in the U.S. now perform
remote visits across state
lines, can email and video-
chat patients in compliance
with HIPAA, and Medicare
and health insurance
providers have to now
reimburse telemedicine
services.” Emma Rose
Beinvenu, 7 Predictions for
a Post-Coronavirus World,
Medium.
From the sudden focus on
healthcare workers and the
biotech world, to the
acceleration of the
digitization of medicine and
the difficulties of social
distancing in labs; the life
sciences industry has been
has been thrown into the
spotlight during the
COVID-19
pandemic. Xconomy’s Dan
Stanton tell us that “industry
is rising to the challenge.
Supported by nervous
investors hit hard by volatile
markets, products are
whizzing through the clinic
at unprecedented speed.
Tech-sharing partnerships
are beginning to blossom.
Meanwhile, money is being
thrown at clinical trials and
manufacturing facilities with
faith that diagnostic
products, therapies, and
vaccines will spin a stronger
and healthier world out of
the current crisis.”
CapGemini research
declares that the solutions
are there for life sciences
R&D to excel during this
crisis, but they lie in pushing
in the life sciences
sector have developed
a new product, service
or business initiative
while 22% have sped
up development of an
already planned
product."
July 2020

beyond "old boundaries to
accelerate". Companies such
as Novartis, recently
interviewed by Pharma
Intelligence, are successfully
pushing those boundaries,
as their Chief Digital Officer
Bertrand Bodson explains:
"Many things that we had
planned to take a couple of
years to get into full motion
have happened in two
months. Everybody,
including the regulators,
have come together on this,
and so we have been able to
change gears strongly."
Our life sciences survey
results illustrate this pushing
of "old boundaries"; 36% of
respondents have
developed a new product,
service or business initiative
while 22% have sped up
development of an already
Infectious disease is a long-term issue that
cannot be solved with short-term fixes. It may
be COVID-19 impacting today, but tomorrow
could bring antibiotic-resistance bacteria.
Additionally, COVID-19 proved what every
remote worker such as myself has argued for
years: work shouldn’t be restricted to a single
location if the work is predominantly conducted
over phone, email and on a laptop as it is done at
my employer."
Survey Respondent

planned product. The
products and services
people described were
exciting: one shared that
their organization was in the
process of certifying the first
3D printed face mask in the
world, a few were working
on remote patient
monitoring and remote
clinical trial recruitment, and
several were working on
developing a treatment or
vaccine for COVID-19.
Burning Glass Technologies
Labor Insights tells us that
"the number of (life
sciences) job postings in
mid-May increased from the
number in early February"
and MassBio's discussions
with industry leaders have
found that "most employees
are as busy as ever." In a
May McKinsey study of life
sciences R&D leaders, the
picture is less rosy, with
reported productivity having
fallen "between 25 and 75
percent due to remote
working" and "an average of
40 to 50 percent of their
time (spent) on crisis
management".
In our survey of global life
sciences professionals, we
discovered that fewer than
10% of respondents had a
crisis management team in
place before COVID-19,
which parallels the McKinsey
data showing that a great
deal of workers' time
needed to be spent on that.
Our data found, however,
that life sciences
professionals were positive
about the change to "work
from home"; over 88% of
respondents saw this as

sustainable business
practice for their
organizations in the long
term. 45% agreed it was
sustainable for at least some
to work from home, and
44% for large numbers of
employees to work from
home.
Digital transformation in
healthcare has been
accelerated by COVID-19 and
84% of our survey
respondents agree that the
disease has had an impact;
62% feel that the impact will
be long term, 22% short
term. In the pharma industry
this has certainly been
demonstrated; for example,
tools such as "sentiment/
voice analysis, behavioral
analysis, (and) strategic
intelligence" are coming out
of the "innovation shadows"
to challenge the "status quo".
With people unable to or
afraid to leave their homes,
digital health via telemedicine
has filled the gaps - and
regulatory bodies have been
forced to speed up their
approval processes. A new
Deloitte study affirms that:
"increased digitization is likely
to change how therapies are
provided, how clinicians
practice, how health plans
pay for care…and where
investors place their bets".
Ryan Browne of CNBC informs
us that: “The outbreak has led
to increased uptake of
telemedicine services from
the likes of Teladoc, Babylon
Health and Kry” and “Research
firm Forrester estimates U.S.
virtual care visits will top 1
billion this year due to the
pandemic and other
factors.” The spotlight has
been on healthcare workers in
hospitals, but Browne
reminds us not to forget
about those in labs, labs
which are both ramping up
testing for coronavirus and
developing vaccines. Their
workplaces too have had to
ramp up social distancing
efforts, by adjusting staffing
and rearranging schedules to
practice social distancing.
Informa Connect Life Sciences
is following someone on the
front lines who is working for a
cure in their Coronavirus
Diaries series, how they've
had to quickly pivot the kinds
of studies they were doing
and apply new cleaning
regimes. You can read their
story here.

In Money’s March article “5
Stocks That Are Actually Up
Since the Coronavirus
Market Implosion” - not
surprisingly two of the
stocks were biotech
companies - Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals Inc. and
Gilead Sciences Inc. both
working on drugs related to
the COVID-19 outbreak.
Moderna Therapeutics is
another company that's
doing well with a recent
$483 million funding from
the government for a “RNA-
based SARS-CoV2 vaccine”
they’re working on. Johnson
& Johnson is making
progress with development
of its vaccine; and CEO Alex
Gorsky has pledged to make
it available on a not-for--
profit basis. Other
organizations working on
Coronavirus cures - from
repurposing drugs to
Covid-19 treatments include:
AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Roche,
Novartis, Ergomed PLC,
Synairgen PLC, CytoDyn Inc,
GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Tiziana
Life Sciences, CureVac, The
Vaccine Group, Amgen and
Adaptive Biotechnologies,
AltImmune, BioNTech and
Pfizer, Heat Biologics, Inovio
Pharmaceuticals, Novavax,
Takeda Pharmaceutical,
Vaxart, Vir
Biotechnology, and several
Universities as well. As of
early May there were over
800 clinical trials working on
COVID-19 treatments and
124 coronavirus vaccines in
development.

the Life Sciences Sector
Data at a Glance

During the time since COVID-19 was declared
a pandemic, 36% developed a new product or
service, 22% accelerated development of an
already planned product and 38% introduced
initiatives to better connect with consumers.

15% of those
surveyed say things
will be "radically
different" at their
organizations due to
COVID-19, while
72% see things
return to normal
however "with some
change in the way
things are done".

Our survey shows
that this pandemic
has resulted in
organizations
becoming more
convinced of the
value and necessity
of digital
transformation,
with 62% saying its
effects will have
long-term impact.
22% say it will have
just short-term
impact, while only
16% believe it will
have no impact at
all.

45% see a future
where some of their
staff work from
home, while 44%
organization to
allow large numbers
home in the longer
term.

57% of respondents
have felt a negative
financial impact
from the crisis, with
23% having
significant negative
impact. 14% of our
respondents saw
positive financial
impact for their
businesses due to
COVID-19.

Only 10% of life
sciences
professionals
surveyed had a crisis
response team at
their organizations,
place for the
COVID-19 crisis.
20% of those
surveyed do not
have a crisis
response team in
place.

In contrast to the
lack of crisis
response
preparedness, almost
three quarters of
organizations (66%)
had technology in
place to respond to
the pandemic, while
24% invested in new
technology. Just 4%
have no remote
working technology
in place.

6% of those
surveyed say their
organizations have
their offices/labs or
other sites during
this pandemic, while
11% have a majority
on site and 18% have
about half in the
workplace. 33% of
those surveyed have
everyone working at
home and for 33% of
organizations, a
majority of their
teams are working
from home.

been implemented. Additional cleaning (71%),
protective clothing (70%), restricted access to
communal spaces (59%) and changes in
location (57%) are being implemented by over
half of organizations.

The most common
at life science
this pandemic have
been "cutting
expenses such as
travel and social
have cut budgets,
29% have put hiring
freezes in place
while 19% have
reduced working
hours. 20% of
respondees say that
their organizations
have not put any
cost-cutting
measures in place.

Maritime and Energy
Will Turmoil Lead to Transition?

Maritime and Energy
"The positive message for both shipbuilders
and shipping investors is that the shipbuilding
industry enters this recession at the end of a
long period of contraction, so we may be
looking at a (relatively mild) recession. The
climate crisis could also be a positive supply
side influence... So, the real focus in the
scenarios going forward is on the economic
management of the pandemic and continued
focus on climate change. I4 and new
propulsion technology will also create new
opportunities for adventurous investors."
Dr. Martin Stopford. Coronavirus, Climate Change &
Smart Shipping: Three Maritime Scenarios

Two of the sectors hit early
on before coronavirus
became a global pandemic
were shipping and energy.
This is primarily because
China - where COVID-19
began - is the largest
shipowning country in the
world. The maritime
sector, which moves 90% of
the world’s goods, came to a
standstill and this greatly
affected the usage of oil as
well. The International
Labour Organization tells us:
"With 384 sailings cancelled,
the first half of 2020 could
see a 25 per cent reduction
in shipping, with a 10 per
cent annual fall in 2020."
And the World Economic
Forum says that: "Maritime
shipping has seen
COVID-19-associated drops
in activity of up to 30% in
some regions."
Another major impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic has
been the drop in oil prices.
Although, as Infiniti Research
states: "The current oil price
war could be short-lived
owing to the increased
economic dependence on
the sector." Nonetheless it
has sent waves through not
only the energy sector, but
through every sector on the
Globe, as Jeff Meli, Global
Head of Research at
Barclays said in their press
release: “COVID-19 will
accelerate this trend
[towards ESG] even further
— creating a greater sense
of urgency and responsibility
toward everything from
consumer behavior to
climate change, supply-chain
practices and the future of
work and mobility — and
potentially alter the nature
One of the interesting things about shipping is
that there will always be heavy machinery
(ships) moving heavy stuff (cargo) around. This
means that, unlike so many other industries,
digitalisation will only go so far. On some level,
there will always be a need for people to be
physically involved in those processes. The
maritime industry's future operators will need to
be experts in combined mechanical and digital
systems. Even with the rise of autonomous
shipping and remote operations, there is also no
doubt that a career at the sharp end of the
maritime industry will still mean putting on a
boiler suit and getting your hands dirty
occasionally.
Nick Chubb, Founder & Director, Thetius

of the investment process as
a result.” Deloitte offers that
"Some of the larger,
healthier (oil, gas &
chemical) companies may
alter or accelerate their
plans to diversify into other
energy segments."
As with other industries,
COVID-19 has had the effect
of speeding up some
phenomena already in place,
such as decarbonization and
digitalisation. We cannot
forget the human element,
however, as Nick Chubb so
aptly reminds us "there will
always be a need for
people". Digital
transformation in shipping
and maritime has been both
tested and sped up during
this crisis, emerging as a
"silver lining". And that is not
the only silver lining from this
crisis, as some say we may
also see a speeding up of the
transition to renewable
energy. In fact an IRENA
study found that "renewable
energy could power an
economic recovery from
COVID-19 by spurring global
GDP gains of almost $100tn
(£80tn) between now and
2050". Power Technology
weighs in with more positive
news for renewables fans:
"Since the start of the year,
returns from renewable
energy investment have
stayed well above those
from fossil fuel projects, and
slightly above US industrial
averages. In many areas,
investment in oil and gas has
fallen below the rate needed
to replenish existing
reserves. Since the same is
not true of renewables, they
will gain a larger share of the
in the maritime and
energy sectors believe
that the coronavirus
crisis has impacted the
need for digital
transformation.
July 2020

generation as a result of the
pandemic."
Energy company BP which
employs 70,000 people
worldwide announced in
June that they would be
cutting 10,000 of those
roles, all office based; with a
significant portion of roles
cut being senior level.
Electrek writes: "This (cut) is
a result of the coronavirus
impact on the economy, and
also CEO Bernard Looney’s
plan to shift the fossil-fuel
company to green energy."
Just two days after those
layoffs were announced, the
BBC reported that as of
midnight June 10 "Britain's
electricity grid will not have
burnt any coal for 60
days... by far the longest
period since the Industrial
Revolution began more than
200 years ago" more
evidence that COVID-19
could be the environment's
"big moment".
Many analysts, however,
don't believe the future is
bleak for the largest oil
companies and see in fact
that they may benefit from a
COVID-19 induced "fire sale"
environment. The
Washington Post, in their
article Big Oil could end up
even bigger by the end of the
coronavirus pandemic,
explains: "the oil
giants... have wells around
the world and the cash on
hand to weather the
turmoil" and "the largest
petroleum industry players
to scoop up more wells on
the cheap – and leave them
with more reserves after all
the market tumult."
We are convinced, that
the greening aspect in
the maritime industry
will get more attention
in the future as one
outcome of
coronavirus. This leads
us to focus on our
already existing plans
to realize digital
financing solutions for
greening.
Maritime & Energy Sector
Respondent
COVID-19:

The main impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the energy
industry was on 'demand' (particularly the oil demand).
Demand shock in the short-term due to the global-lock
downs and demand shortfall in the long-term due to
potential changes in people’s lifestyles around the world.
Dr. Sara Vakhshouri, President, SVB Energy International

the Maritime & Energy
Sectors
Data at a Glance

There has been a
great deal of
discussion about
how this crisis has
accelerated
innovation, and
here we have a
clear picture.
During the two
months since
COVID-19 was
declared a
pandemic, 24%
developed a new
product or service,
26% accelerated
development of an
already planned
product and 31%
introduced
connect with
consumers.

The coming months
will indeed bring a
"new normal" with
under 13% of
respondents saying
to normal" and 70%
"some change in the
way things are
done". 15% of those
surveyed say things
will be "radically
different".

Our survey shows
that this pandemic
has resulted in
organizations
becoming more
convinced of the
value and necessity
of digital
transformation,
with 63% saying its
effects will have
long-term impact
and 22% saying it
will have impact, if
only in the short-
term.

Over 44% see a
future where some
of their staff work
from home, and 40%
organization to
allow large numbers
home in the long
term. 13% of
unsustainable for
their companies to
have anyone
working from home
in the long term.

We wanted to paint
a picture of the
financial impact of
COVID-19, the
surprisingly 21% of
survey respondents
have not seen any
financial impact
from COVID-19. 67%
of respondents have
felt a negative
impact from the
crisis, with 29%
having significant
negative impact. 9%
of our respondents

19% of respondents
said their businesses
had a crisis response
team in place before
COVID-19, while
47% put one in place
for the COVID-19
crisis.

In contrast to the
lack of crisis
response
preparedness,
almost three-
quarters of those
surveyed (72%) said
their organizations
had technology in
place to respond to
the pandemic, while
20% invested in new
technology and just
5% have no remote
working technology
in place.

Just 7% of those
surveyed have
their offices, other
workplace sites
during this
pandemic, while 9%
have a majority on
site and 13% have
about half in the
workplace. 35% of
those surveyed have
everyone working at
home and for 35% of
organizations, a
majority of their
teams are working
from home.

been implemented. Additional cleaning
(71%), restricted access to communal spaces
(64%), protective clothing (60%) and changes
in location (50%) are being implemented by
over half of organizations.

The most common
at organizations
during this pandemic
have been "cutting
expenses such as
travel and social
have put hiring
freezes in place, 29%
have cut budgets
and 11% have cut
salaries. Over 20% of
organizations have
not put any cost
cutting in place.

The "New Normal"
Becomes "Next Normal"
A Conclusion

Not surprisingly, new
research tells us that in-
person meetings and
conventions are something
that 83% of Americans
miss. Trina Camacho-
London, Vice President of
Global Group Sales at Hyatt
Hotels Corporation and
MMBC says: “Research
proves what many of us
have long suspected to be
true. Our collective
experience of physical
distancing has us craving the
day that we can all come
together again and meet in
person." Our disrupted lives
will indeed never be the
same, but irrevocably
changed; however we will
enter into this "Next
Normal" invigorated,
transformed, and ready to
connect again.
83% of Americans currently forced
to work from home say they miss
attending in-person meetings and
conventions. As important, 78%
say they plan to attend as many or
more when the threat of
COVID-19 passes and it is safe to
do so."
Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company and co-chair of the Meetings Mean
Business Coalition (MMBC)

As a society we will emerge
from the COVID-19
pandemic as people who
rely on digital and "the
cloud" more than ever
before, but also people who
have radically changed
ourselves. Those of us who
have had the luxury to work
from home have massively
slowed down our usual
hectic lives; many of us have
had some time to reconnect
with our families, and have
revisited our own personal
goals. Shana Sissel, Chief
Investment Officer of
Spotlight Asset Group
recently told InsideETFs
about an unexpected benefit
from the current crisis: "This
has caused people to have
to slow down...I almost feel
like I'm connecting more to
people that I took for
granted before."
One of the biggest things
that COVID-19 has exposed
are the flaws in our global
supply chain systems -
shown most dramatically in
global healthcare workers in
some of the wealthiest
countries in the world being
"dangerously ill-
equipped" to deal with the
crisis. However, almost
overnight we saw
corporations, groups and
individuals step up to deal
with the challenges. It's this
proud legacy of hands-on
problem solving and
innovation we can take into
our "next normal"; and as
Wolfgang Lehmacher
explains (on the next page),
those companies that invest
in the best talent and
technology will come out on
top.
For those companies who have
employees on site, more than half
of all respondents surveyed stated
that measures were implemented
such as hand sanitizing stations
(84%), additional cleaning (68%),
protective clothing (64%), or
restricted access to communal
spaces (54%)."
July 2020

Various safeguards will be
coming into offices in new
and innovative ways as we
slowly return. For those
companies who have
employees on site, more
than half of all respondents
surveyed stated that
measures were
implemented such as hand
sanitizing stations (84%),
additional cleaning (68%),
protective clothing (64%), or
restricted access to
communal spaces (54%). We
will be bringing our new,
most likely masked, selves
into our sanitized, medically
monitored and socially
distanced office
spaces. Othman Loraki, CEO
of Color explained the
situation to Protocol: "This is
literally the first time in
human history where we're
going to try to reintroduce
350 million people back into
the workforce amidst an
infectious disease that we
are trying to suppress". The
World Health Organization
has guidance on "Getting
Your Workplace Ready for
COVID-19" here.
Our parent company
Informa has collaborated
with association partners
and peers including venues,
suppliers, contractors and
health, government and
local authorities to develop
industry-wide Informa
AllSecure standards that
raise the bar on safe,
hygienic, productive and
high-quality organised event
experiences.
It means that when
exhibitors, speakers,
sponsors and attendees
COVID-19 has opened
people’s eyes for the
power of digital in
supply chain and
logistics. Those that
open their minds will
make the leap. The
talent to build the new
solutions is out there.
Go and get it."
Wolfgang Lehmacher, Supply
Chain and Technology Strategist,
Former Head of Supply Chain
and Transport Industries, World
Economic Forum

come to our events, they can
connect, learn, know more
and do more business,
effectively, safely and with
confidence. All Informa
events will be run according
to official government and
local authority guidance in
the first instance, as well as
any venue or location-specific
regulations. In addition, all
Informa events around the
world, irrespective of format
or location, will follow the
ten Informa AllSecure priority
commitments which include:
enhanced cleaning, personal
hygiene, non-contact
registration, avoidance of
physical contact with physical
distancing including at food
and beverage stations, use of
PPE.
As we are revisiting our own
personal goals we are also
reinventing our business
strategies. Whether you are
management or entry level,
there is no one in business
who is not right now
reevaluating what they do
for their companies and
their customers. Wolfgang
Lehmacher advises large
companies look to startups
for inspiration in his article:
"How startup power can
eliminate pain points in the
time of pandemic"
explaining how startups are
helping the business world
through this pandemic with
everything from assistance
to working from home to
cybersecurity and innovative
supply chain solutions.
Annobio Morelix takes it a
step further, calling the post-
pandemic economy “The
Great Reboot” reminding us
in Inc. that “half of the
Fortune 500 companies
started during a contraction,
and… more than 50
unicorns started in the
Great Recession”. He
recommends that
businesses “take advantage
of the opportunities in
complements and
substitutes” that this reboot
has to offer. CNBC even
offers this inspiration to
would-be entrepreneurs: "it
might not be such a crazy
idea to start a company right
now" and the "coronavirus
pandemic is in many ways
serving as a 'catalyst to
creation'”. This HBS Working
Knowledge blog explored
some of the ways
companies are applying
innovation - from "Just Walk
The coronavirus
pandemic is in many
ways serving as a
'catalyst to creation'."
Index Ventures Partner Jan
Hammer in an interview with
CNBC
In the Harvard
Business Review
Article "Shift Your
Organization from
Panic to Purpose"
the authors explain
that "this moment
provides a rare
chance to reflect on
why we’re in
business to begin
with." They
continue: "There
may never be a
better time to
activate in this way.
For once, leaders
can boldly let brand
purpose drive
business decisions."

Out" technology "that
combines computer vision
and AI to bill customers
directly as they walk out of
the store" to museums and
galleries continuing their
arts' mission through online
engagement.
At Informa Connect we're
learning from our customers
and innovating, on a daily
basis. This can been seen in
the work our teams are
doing to connect with
digitally with our audiences
in new and different ways. In
just 16 days, Informa
Connect's EBD Group
transformed what would
have been a Paris
conference to a digital
solution for their BIO-
Europe® Spring event. This
summer and fall our cutting
edge Finovate and
SuperReturn events are all
offered virtually. And they're
not what you might think, as
Finovate's site describes:
"these won’t be like any
other digital events you’ve
seen before. Live and on-
demand content will put
your finger on the pulse of
the industry. Live Q&A and
polls will ensure you can
engage directly with
speakers. And 24/7
networking and an app
packed with fintech
enthusiasts will make it easy
to start a conversation with
the right person."
The pandemic has made us stronger as a
business. During this pandemic we built a
digitized platform which cut 40% of our
operating costs."
Survey Respondent

Thank you for reading
The Future of
Business Post
COVID-19
Data from Informa Connect Research & Insight
Written by Leah Kinthaert
For more info leah.kinthaert@informa.com
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