About one in five would-be meeting attendees are "very
comfortable" with the prospect of attending an event with no more than 50
attendees, according to a new survey, but comfort diminishes substantially as
the number of potential attendees grows.
About 23 per cent of 764 event and meeting planners,
agencies and other industry vendors and suppliers surveyed online from 7-31 July
by the Event Leadership Institute indicated they were "not
comfortable" with the notion of attending a meeting of 50 attendees or less
right now, a number that grows to nearly 50 per cent for meetings of 200
attendees and 71 per cent for meetings of 1,000.
On an ascending scale of one to six, respondents rated
internal company meetings at 5.33, the top ranking, in terms of the types of
event they would be most comfortable attending after resuming group gatherings.
Social events were rated at 4.26 and industry conferences at 3.55.
The survey asked respondents to take various event factors
into consideration. For transportation, most respondents are not now fully
comfortable on a plane, train, or subway. Even if a flight were under one hour,
most respondents (55 per cent) would not feel comfortable. About 85 per cent
said they would feel comfortable driving one hour to an event; 75 per cent would
for up to a two-hour drive. Any longer and the percentage drops to 50 per cent
or below, with 16 per cent "not going anywhere right now".
Not surprisingly, outdoor events with 50 per cent capacity
are the type of event respondents feel most comfortable attending (55.2 per cent).
Even for indoor events at only 20 per cent capacity, fewer than 50 per cent
felt comfortable.
The key factor nearly all respondents (96 per cent) agreed
upon is that they expect event organisers to provide a clear statement and agreement
for all participants to follow the rules, and 81.4 per cent indicated that
anyone breaking the rules should be removed from the event. Nearly 77 per cent
each indicated that it is "very important" to have hand sanitiser
available everywhere and that all attendees wear masks.