The ongoing global
COVID-19
pandemic has disrupted our business activities as well as those of our employees, customers, partners, suppliers and vendors and other parties with whom we do business, and may prevent us or our customers, partners, suppliers or vendors or other parties with whom we do business from conducting certain marketing and other business activities for an indefinite period of time, which could adversely impact our business, financial position and results of operations. The global
COVID-19
pandemic, which has continued to spread, and the related adverse public health developments, including orders to
travel restrictions and mandated business closures, have adversely affected workforces, organizations, customers, economies and financial markets globally, leading to an economic downturn and increased market volatility. It has also disrupted the normal operations of many businesses, including ours. The impact of the global
COVID-19
pandemic significantly impacted our ability to sign new clients, and to upsell to and renew contracts with our existing clients, starting in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. Additionally, in May 2020, in response to the global
COVID-19
pandemic, we implemented a global reduction in force of approximately 10% that affected all areas of our business. Despite these challenges, total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $20.1 million, or 4.0%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The ultimate impact of the global
COVID-19
pandemic on our business and financial results remains uncertain, particularly as new variants, including the Delta and Omicron variants, continue to emerge, evolve and spread, and a continued and prolonged public health crisis such as the global
COVID-19
pandemic could have a material negative impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. The extent to which the global
COVID-19
pandemic affects our business will depend on future developments in the United States, India and around the world, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the duration and spread of the pandemic and different
COVID-19
variants, including the Delta and Omicron variants, new information which may emerge concerning the severity of
COVID-19
and the actions required to contain and treat it, among others.
In addition, the global
COVID-19
pandemic may adversely impact the business and operations of third-party service providers who perform critical services for our business, which in turn may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our business depends on discretionary consumer and corporate spending. During periods of economic slowdown and recession, such as the worldwide recession triggered by the global
COVID-19
pandemic and the resulting high levels of unemployment, consumers have historically reduced their discretionary spending. The impact of economic slowdowns on our business is difficult to predict, but has and may continue to result in reductions in event planning and meetings, particularly for
in-person
events, and our ability to generate revenue. Many factors related to discretionary consumer and corporate spending, including employment, fuel prices, interest and tax rates and inflation, can adversely impact our results of operations.