We recently conducted a survey asking corporate event buyers when they will be returning to live events. The survey was run from the 23 – 26 February and had a total of 152 corporate event buyers participate.
We hosted this survey to get a better understanding of the confidence in the return to live events, and to see for how long the events industry will be continuing to host virtual and hybrid events.
Key highlights from the survey:
The return to live will be slow and steady.
If you look at the middle image on the left you can see the graph showing when participants think they would host an event for under 50 attendees in blue, over 50 attendees in red, and personally attending an event in green. Interestingly, the willingness for corporate buyers to personally attend a trade show or industry event is predicted to be well ahead of their own event plans.
Hybrid and Virtual events are here to stay.
The results showed that 58% of participants will continue to use hybrid and virtual events in the future, compared the to 13% that said no virtual and hybrid once live events return. Many businesses are also planning to continue working from home or offering more flexible working plans, which will further boost the demand for online streaming, especially for conferences, exhibitions, product launches and brand activations.
Christmas plans on hold for now.
80% of corporate event buyers haven’t booked their Christmas parties yet and are waiting for further information from the Government on event restrictions once life returns to normal.
This survey was presented in our webinar – The Outlook for Events in 2021. You can view the recorded version of the webinar here.
Virtual and Hybrid Events
It is no surprise that many companies are planning use virtual and hybrid platforms for many months and years to come, and that virtual conferences or internal team building events will remain to be popular. As an agency, we are offering a series of virtual event packages, from conference to internal team building events, which can be completely bespoke and tailored to your company.
Please get in touch if you would like to receive a full copy of the survey results or call us on 0207 870 9303 to hear about how our events team can assist you with your virtual and hybrid events.
Story Webinar – How to Enhance your Virtual and Hybrid and Virtual Events – Wednesday 10th March, 11am.
Join us as we look at the key dates the Government has laid out in their roadmap, discussing what this means for our industry and how long it will really be until we can have the long-awaited social interaction of a live event. We will also be getting expert advice from our Venue Search London team on what safety precautions and measures venues will be implementing and how this will affect your live or hybrid event.
