Almost
three quarters of event planners say they will hold their next
face-to-face event before the end of the year.
A survey
by provider etc.venues found that 39 per cent are planning to organise an
in-person event to take place in Q3 and 33 per cent in Q4.
Respondents
to the six-monthly survey said that despite the return to face-to-face, 68
per cent now think hybrid events will continue to be more common than before
the pandemic.
While
the frequency of virtual events may decline, the virtual element is likely to
have a long-term role alongside live events in the plans of many event
organisers. 20 per cent will return to live only events in 2021 and a further
23 per cent will go back to live only events in 2022, but 57 per cent expect to
run a mix of virtual and hybrid events as well as live events in future.
Adam
Simpson, director of marketing for etc.venues, said: “The innate belief in live
events among event planners is rising to the surface and the necessity of
virtual events is beginning to fade now that restrictions are being
lifted. After benefiting from virtual and hybrid events out of necessity during
lockdown, there is a clear recognition that whilst virtual was good, it is not
nearly good enough and the limitations are clear, hence many planners are
clearly keen to return to live events very soon.
“In
our experience, while many organisers are ready to run live events, the key
issue that is causing concern to them is the difficulty in estimating how many
delegates will attend in person. Although rooms are being booked and options
reducing quickly, venues like ours are happy to discuss this and share our
experience with other events to guide and support them.”