Nearly three-quarters of event planners expect to host a hybrid event before the end of the year featuring a live panel.
The trend was identified by a poll of more than 800 virtual attendees at a hybrid event hosted by Etc.venues and meetings technology and audience engagement specialist Glisser.
Additional findings show that nearly one in five planners said the biggest barrier to choosing a hybrid event is a lack of experience, followed by concerns over cost (17 per cent), risk of failure (17 per cent), perceptions of low attendance (17 per cent), confusion with technology (16 per cent) and getting stakeholder buy-in (15 per cent).
The event took place at Etc.venues’ County Hall in London and welcomed virtual attendees from across Europe, the United States and Central America.
Etc.venues COO Nick Hoare said: “For the thousands of us who believe in the power of face-to-face events, it was encouraging to discover that, despite so many limitations upon our recent activities, three-quarters of the events and meetings professionals are planning to combine in-room and virtual in events this year.
“This reveals an overwhelmingly positive message, that this approach to unleashing the face to face benefits of meetings is on the agenda for the next six months.”