2020 Year in Review

As the year is coming to an end we can safely say the events of this year have been something we have never experienced before. Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on economies and societies across the world. Families were torn apart, businesses were forced to close and whole industries completely shut down. It accelerated a transformation, unlike anything we’ve seen in the 21st century. So, before the year comes to a close we wanted to look back over this year and how far we’ve come.

We kicked off the year with a physical show (remember those?) partnering our new client Windy boats at Dusseldorf Boat Show as we showcased their latest sports boats and performance yachts smoothly accompanied by a tiered platform stand with a hospitality area on top overlooking the ‘marina’. Swiftly followed by Singapore Air Show and MRO Dubai leading us to deliver our first conference event down in London for client Lexis Nexis. Overlooking the River Thames we rolled out Lexis Nexis’ annual CAM conference which then turned out to be out last physical event before the UK went into lockdown- then the race to go virtual began.

Technological revolution reigned this year as the age of virtual emerged throughout the events industry. Companies quickly pivoted from offline to online and virtual product ranges were born. This diversification into a new era of events was something the industry had never experienced before, undergoing a whole digital transformation was like stepping into the unknown for many businesses. Confidence in the virtual realms had to be built throughout the industry until we could return to the show floor once again.

Our Exhibition 3.0 toolkit began as a simple conversation, as the year progressed the concept continued to grow from strength to strength evolving from live presentation software to 360 virtual exhibition spaces, staging environments and more. Proving a success for our client Dassault Systemes as took them to new virtual heights back in July. Thus triggering a domino effect as we rolled out virtual events for our client, aerospace giant Textron Aviation and Hexagon manufacturing.

Even though the Cook + Associates HQ has been closed since March to keep everyone safe, Team Cook has continued to work tirelessly from the comfort of their homes for the remainder of this uncertain and unprecedented year. Despite the hardships we’ve had to bare this year Team Cook have continued to support one another, our clients and the local community with sponsored runs/cycles for NHS charities and connecting over weekly pub quizzes. We also supported the #WEAREEVENTS campaign movement online to bring attention to our industry.-  Watch here.

And throughout it all, we even managed to give Cook + Associates a revamp, updating our branding and online presence born from our commitment to exceeding the expectations of an ever-changing world to inspire a new generation of creatives that allows to think bigger and work smarter.- Read more.

We also want to take this opportunity to thank you for all the love and support you have given us throughout this challenging year.

We look forward to what the future holds for Cook + Associates and hope for a brighter 2021.

Thank You.

Team Cook.