Event planners are returning to live-only events more quickly than expected, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest research from specialist operator etc.venues.
The twice-yearly survey found that 97 per cent of planners were “increasingly inclined” to meet in person in 2022, with 82 per cent saying they valued face-to-face meetings more now than they did before the Covid crisis started two years ago.
Just over one quarter of planners (28 per cent) said they have already held a live-only event – compared with just 20 per cent who expected to return to live events before the end of 2021 in July’s survey.
There also seems to be some softening in the desire to offer “hybrid” events, which combine both live and virtual components. Only 49 per cent of planners expected to run this type of event in 2022, down from 57 per cent of respondents last summer.
Adam Simpson, director of marketing at etc.venues, added: “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.”
This is backed up by the survey results, with 70 per cent wanting to meet colleagues face-to-face more often this year, primarily due to the greater engagement and participation possible at physical events, as well as being a good way to build relationships.
The majority of planners (54 per cent) still think virtual and hybrid meetings are valuable and expect to run them in the future, with another 13 per cent believing they would be the future of meetings. Although, 24 per cent said they were only valuable as a back-up contingency for live events.
Etc.venues operates around 500,000 square feet of meetings and events space across venues in London, Birmingham, Manchester and New York.