Survey insights highlight impact of digitisation on events sector
AOK Events’ new insight paper ‘New Rules of Engagement’ emphasises a marked shift in the activation of client facing events and internal employee audiences.
The quantitative research was carried out between August and September 2021 amongst AOK Events’ corporate clients and compared decision makers’ budgets, objectives, and methodologies pre and post pandemic. Key take outs from AOK Events’ research highlights:
Internal events
- The impact on employee engagement due to corporate duty of care and reticence to bring large groups back together
- Acceptance of working from home and growing migration to online learning and development
- Reduction in budget for internal events as online and hybrid events become accepted ways of imparting messages.
Client and external events
- A greater focus on client engagement to help build brand awareness after a year behind the lens as corporates use face-to-face events to re-build trust, presence and conversations
- Upscale events such as hospitality and exclusive use, along with gifting, are high on the agenda as corporates rebuild relationships in a new era for business
- A bigger focus on client entertaining is reflected in anticipated growth in budgets for 2022.
The question of what corporates are doing for Christmas remains a hot topic. Despite the palpable desire to bring teams back together, employee duty of care is casting a major shadow over the large-scale events which have traditionally brought the entire company together. Organisers are therefore looking to recognise and reward their teams in various new ways:
- 3- or 4-days exclusive use of one venue with back-to-back parties for smaller departmental groups over the duration to ensure everyone is offered the same experience
- Virtual event with tangible gift
- A move to a summer social in 2022 making use of fresh open air and predicted heightening in confidence from all employees.
AOK Events’ research paper is based on feedback from a broad range of respondents with direct control of their company’s event budgets comprised of event & sponsorship, marketing & PR, procurement and learning and development departments.
Alex Hewitt, CEO of AOK Events, says: “We asked our clients for their thoughts and ideas on how they’ll be engaging with their people and their clients going forward so we understand the implications of digitisation on our sector which has been built on shaking hands, shaking heads, and even shaking the roof down! The results should help other corporates who are navigating the need to get their people back together in today’s climate and who are looking to consolidate their brand marketing activations for 2022 and beyond.”
