- 97 per cent of event planners are increasingly inclined to meet in person
- 82 per cent value face-to-face meetings more than before the pandemic
Fourth etc.venues biannual survey provides interesting insights into latest industry thinking
Event planners are returning to live only events faster than expected, according to the latest research by etc.venues.
28 per cent have already held such an event, more than the 20 per cent who told etc.venues in July that they expected to return to live only events in 2021. 23 per cent will go back to live only events in 2022, exactly the same as expected in July, but the number expecting to run a mix of virtual and hybrid events as well as live events in future has declined from 57 per cent in the summer to 49 per cent now.
This and other revealing insights comes from the latest survey of event planners conducted by etc.venues, a leading provider of urban non-residential event venues,. The research, carried out every 6 months, is now on its fourth edition and highlights significant trends.
97 per cent of event planners are increasingly inclined to meet in person, with 70 per cent saying they want to meet colleagues face-to-face more often in 2022.
Planners continue to value the irreplicable quality of face-to-face meetings. 82 per cent, the same as in July 2021, say they value them more than before the pandemic. Nearly 46 per cent of event planners value the greater engagement and participation that face-to-face business meetings generate, while 42 per cent welcome them as a good way to build relationships.
Looking closely at current views of virtual and hybrid meetings, 54 per cent think they are valuable and expect to run them in future, 24 per cent think they are only valuable as a contingency back-up for live events, 13 per cent think they are the future of events and 3 per cent think they were valuable in 2020 and 2021 but are no longer valuable or worthwhile.
Adam Simpson, Director of Marketing for etc.venues says: “While virtual and hybrid are here to stay for the foreseeable future, the driving urge among event planners to return to live only events continues to grow as their appreciation of their value increases now that they have started to go back to them. We think 2022 will be the year of meeting up.”
