b"A Hybrid Future Businessfor the Seed IndustryPost pandemic business travel has the seed industry thinking a hybrid meeting and event model is here to stay.Ashley RobinsonWHEN THE PANDEMIChalted in-person work, a newminutes before the start of a session for people to return to their technology emergedonline events. Overnight meetingsseats. This was so they could be consistent for virtual attendees.were switched to Zoom, and conferences were moved to virtualASTA did try to make sure the virtual audience felt included. event platforms. As in-person events return, many in the seedA question-and-answer button on the live stream page would industry are thinking some form of hybrid work is here to stay.send questions to the anchor to ask to presenters. However, I think we're going now to talk a little bit about what a hybridCrouse says there were few who made use of the option though.looks like. Continuing on with the virtual model, but also high- I think one lesson learned is to not just make sure you're lighting, people are anxious to get back face to face and, andnot forgetting about the virtual audience but have someone have these so-called water cooler discussions, Brent Collins,assigned that is actually prompting them to engage. Because it's BASFs head of canola seeds for North America, said in Ep. 8 ofvery easy for them as well to just sit back and be passive viewers, Seed Speaks. and not take part when they have the tool right at their fingertips In June, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) hostedto do so, she explained.its first in-person event since the start of the pandemictheCollins and Bryan Gerard, president and co-owner of JoMar Policy and Leadership Development Conference (PLDC). At it,Seeds and Gerard Seed Solutions, both agree moving forward each attendee sat at their own individual table throughout thecompanies will be using a mixture of in-person and virtual meet-conference. Leading up to PLDC, ASTA sent out informationing formats for both external and internal communications. about the flow of the event and what safety measures were inInternally in-person will be important for day-to-day work.place. For those who couldnt attend, or even those attendingWe now won't travel just for the day; we may choose to do who felt under the weather, there was a virtual option. it virtually. And so, from that aspect, I think the hybrid internally We set up the conference as though it was a television broad- is going to be more valuable than externally. It is going to help cast, and we had an anchor desk on stage. And, for the mostthough in the global business, Gerard said. Before you maybe part, a consistent emcee the whole time. Our president and CEOwent to ISF (International Seed Federation Congress) or maybe served as the anchorman, so that the virtual viewers would feelyou made one trip to Europe or one trip to South America a some consistency and feel like they're in the right place from oneyear. Now you're going to visit with them more often face to session to the next, Jennifer Crouse, ASTAs senior director offace, which is much better than a phone callthe technology is meetings and services, said. better.Attendance at the conference was about half in-person andCollins and Gerard agree though that the most important half virtual, with two thirds of presenters being virtual as well.consideration when deciding how to host a meeting or confer-Crouse says it was important to stay on time during the event,ence is to put the health and safety of their employees and with the team having to make announcements three to fourcustomers first.SWSEPTEMBER 2021SEEDWORLD.COM /39"