Purpose

The aim of this study is to understand the transformations that the event industry has undergone during the COVID-19 pandemic and what changes still may happen in the future, here according to business event managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Being explorative in nature, the study adopts a qualitative research design based on semi-structured in-depth interviews submitted to a purposive sample of 26 Italian business event agency managers.

Findings

The findings reveal that the pandemic boosted the digital transformation of the event industry, spurring organizers to recraft and execute their business models. Such changes may give rise to important ethical concerns that should be carefully considered by academics, professionals and policymakers.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on a purposive sample of Italian business event managers. Therefore, in addition to be country-specific, the research includes only a single typology of business event stakeholders.

Originality/value

The article points out possible counterintuitive considerations that may rise related to the ethical issues emerging from the adoption of novel business models in the event industry after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study suggests possible objects of reflection for scholars, event managers and policymakers to plan and organize a more equitable and sustainable business in the future.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 和商业活动的数字化：健康危机如何加速伦理问题

目的

根据商业活动经理的说法，这项研究的目的是了解活动行业在 COVID-19 大流行期间经历的转变以及未来可能发生的变化。

设计/方法/途径

本研究具有探索性，采用定性研究设计，基于对 26 名意大利商务活动代理经理的有目的样本进行的半结构化深度访谈。

发现

调查结果表明，大流行推动了活动行业的数字化转型，促使组织者重新制定和执行他们的商业模式。这种变化可能会引起重要的伦理问题，学术界、专业人士和政策制定者应该仔细考虑。

研究局限性/影响

该研究基于意大利商业活动经理的有目的样本。因此，除了特定于国家/地区之外，该研究仅包括商业活动利益相关者的单一类型。

原创性/价值

这篇文章指出了可能与 COVID-19 大流行之后活动行业采用新型商业模式所出现的道德问题相关的可能违反直觉的考虑。该研究为学者、活动管理者和政策制定者提出了可能的反思对象，以规划和组织未来更公平和可持续的业务。