When your audience can’t show up, your event strategy has to

Remember that robust virtual playbook you built in 2020? The one you were so ready to shelve in favor of getting back onsite?

It’s time to dust it off again.

From what I’m hearing, everyone is feeling it — in-person registration numbers are trending low. That’s a fact. And I don’t think this is just the post-pandemic new normal. There’s something more specific happening here.

It looks like this:

• Canadians boycotting US travel and goods due to statehood threats
• Visitors being turned away at immigration
• Individuals with valid visas being deported with no due process
• Tariffs threats stirring uncertainty (again)

There are other theories floating around, but let me tell you a quick personal story.

I’m a US citizen who lives in Brazil, married to a non-white, non-Christian, non-English-speaking Brazilian man. He holds a tourist visa and we typically go to the US every North American summer to visit my family. This year? Near-daily conversations about whether it’s worth the risk this year. My husband just started English classes, and a friend sent me this text just this morning:

These are the conversations your international attendees are having – right now.

And I’m not just seeing it at home. I’m seeing it across my feeds, in industry threads, and on client calls. Which brings me to this:

🙏🏼 Please, put virtual back on the table. 🙏🏼

You don’t need to fully replicate the pandemic-era digital bells and whistles – although I wouldn’t be mad if you did. But you do need to offer a credible way for people to engage, contribute, and get value if they can’t be there in person.

That means:

• A slimmed-down virtual layer.
• A polished remote speaker experience.
• A clear post-event access plan.

Smart organizations won’t treat this like a step back — they’ll treat it like a strategic hedge in a chaotic world.

Because whatever your event’s goals are — sales, brand reach, community, education — they don’t get met if your audience can’t show up.

✅ Dust off the virtual.

✅ Tighten your hybrid plans.

✅ Get your team aligned now, not later.

You can’t control the political climate. But you can build resilience into your event strategy.