'It used to be so easy': How networking has been reshaped by the coronavirus

Marketers, agency execs, consultants and vendors have had to find new ways to connect as in-person events remain shuttered for the foreseeable future. December 31, 2020 This newsletter features stories that are part of Endgames, a Digiday Media editorial package focused on what's next, what's coming and what's being phased out in the industries we cover. Access the rest of our Endgames coverage [here.]( Matt Hofherr credits a 30-minute chance meeting on a yacht one afternoon at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity three years ago as the source of a now long-standing client relationship. The week-long conference may be a boondoggle, but for agency execs like Hofherr, it made networking a breeze. “It used to be so easy,” he said, adding that some agencies have been too dependent on industry events like Cannes, Shoptalk and CES, among others, to cultivate new relationships and drum up new business. Read more below. - Marketers, agency execs, consultants and vendors have had to [find new ways to connect]( as in-person events remain shuttered for the foreseeable future. - Most consumer-facing retail startups quite simply [won't reach the scale worthy]( of mid- to late-stage venture capitalist dollars. - With commuting to the office and going out both #canceled, the [blow dryer saw significantly less actio]([n]( this year. Other things to know about - Getting an email marketing message to a recipient is an empty victory unless it avoids the spam folder and lands successfully in the inbox. [Download this new guide]( to learn the essential elements of deliverability — the most critical metric for email campaign success. Sponsored by Validity. - Authentic and personalized content are driving voice search success, but so is natural language technology — allowing conversations to engage and search to work more effectively. [Download this new guide]( to learn more. Sponsored by Algolia. 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