The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the event industry in countless ways—and that includes its hiring practices. With clients’ priorities shifting, plus an increased focus on virtual and hybrid events as well as health and safety protocols, event firms and venues alike have been expanding their teams to accommodate new specialist roles.

BizBash reached out to learn what new roles we have been adding, and what skill sets we have been bringing on as we tackle virtual, hybrid and live events now. Here is what I told them:

Event firm Opus Agency, meanwhile, is hiring Participant Engagement Managers, a new addition to its Digital Studios team. This role is also dedicated to the user experience, handling things like chat moderation, polling and other real-time event support that allows speakers and presenters to engage with attendees. “In-session engagement possesses scalability, brand safety and participant satisfaction challenges. This team assures the core of our events is successful for all stakeholders,” says Brent Turner, Opus Agency’s EVP of strategy and solutions.

These managers also focus on developing bespoke moments like VIP elements, virtual viewing parties and other digital activations, and other concierge services. “In ‘before times,’ this type of work was catch-as-catch-can on the comparably few virtual events—our clients would staff this work, others from our team would step in, and the like. However, with the scale, complexity and sophistication of our virtual events, it became quickly apparent we need to train and celebrate the specialized skills and talents behind a scalable, community-centric participant engagement team.”