Michael Begley, CEO of venuedirectory.com
“We’re now returning to pre-pandemic enquiry levels just a fortnight after the Government’s lifting of Plan B restrictions. Our enquiry levels are the same as they were in the early part of March 2020 and only 20% short of what there were at this time in 2019,” says Michael Begley, CEO of venuedirectory.com.
Reinforcing the rise in enquiries, Adam Simpson, Director of Marketing at etc.venues, said: “We confirmed £2m worth of contracts swiftly after the announcement of Plan B restrictions being lifted and our experienced team have been responding quickly to a flood of new enquiries which has increased by 20 per cent week after week in that time. They include quite a few planners who are changing events from virtual to live.
“While most are for events in Q1 and Q2, many planners are booking events right across the year, wanting to secure ideal dates in Q3 and Q4 before an anticipated rush in the coming months. These are all strong and encouraging signs that corporate and agency buyers are regaining their confidence to plan in-person meetings and events.”
Michael Begley continues: “The enquiries we’ve received are all highly focused with an average of only four venue options per enquiry, reflecting perhaps the current constraints of planners in terms of budget and resource.
“The recruitment challenges that venues are facing also mean they may not be as nimble as they’d like to be in responding to RFPs. This only reinforces the need for digital integration to allow venues to process enquiries without duplicating the information across multiple systems. This frees up a large amount of time and allows venues to dedicate resources in a much more meaningful way.
“The blossoming enquiry levels point to a steady recovery – our industry is not out of the woods yet, but we now have very good reason to be optimistic.”
