The European events sector’s post-Covid recovery is
now predicted to happen by July 2023 – eight months earlier than anticipated –
a new survey has found.
However, there is a notable divergence in what attendees and planners are
looking for in meetings, conferences and conventions in the near future, according
to the research by MMGY
Travel Intelligence
in partnership with IMEX
Group and MMGY
Hills Balfour.
Little over half (51 per cent) of attendees said that in person
would be preferred post-pandemic compared to 80 per cent of planners. And just
under half (44 per cent) of attendees would opt for virtual compared to just one
in five (20 per cent) planners.
The study, Portrait of
European Meetings & Convention Travel: Perspectives from Travellers and
Planning Professionals study, reveals the mindsets, intentions and
preferences of both meeting, conference and convention attendees and
professional planners. The survey collected data over two phases in 2022 from more
than 3,200 respondents (1,600 in phase one and 1,600 in phase two). The
majority of planners surveyed are based in Germany, the UK and Belgium, while
attendees are divided equally among the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and
France.
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, said: “These findings are useful
in that they help identify the remaining gaps between planner and attendee
expectations. At a time when the market craves more certainty, data like this
can help us plan forward into 2023 with more confidence and insight. It’s also
reassuring to see both sustainability and carbon measurement on the
agenda.”
The findings
indicated that in-person meetings are starting to make a comeback – with
planners noting that the number of domestic and international meetings attended
in 2022 are back to pre-pandemic levels. There remains a hesitancy around
in-person events for attendees going forward, which is driven by rising costs
and potential for travel disruption, with Covid-19 listed as the second most
important concern for attendees.
Four out of five attendees believe that the
likelihood to attend meetings in the future changed because of Covid-19, while
planners no longer see Covid-19 as a major barrier, and only two-thirds of
planners attribute Covid-19 as the reason for that change.
“It is
interesting to see the comparative views of the professional planners and
attendees when it comes to the types of events they wish to attend moving
forward, with attendees clearly more satisfied with the various alternatives to
in-person meetings,” said MMGY Travel Intelligence Europe MD Cees
Bosselaar. “Although Covid-19 is no longer the number one
factor, there are still many influences at play that make virtual meetings and
events acceptable alternatives to in-person events – and therefore, virtual is
certainly here to stay.”
Other key findings from the study include:
- Nearly all planners and attendees
foresee an increase in prices for the remainder of the year due to rising air fares, accommodation costs, and fees
to hire venues and event spaces.
- Hybrid meetings are here
to stay but have lost importance since spring 2022, with three quarters of meeting planners booking
in-person meetings, demonstrating a sharp increase at the expense of
hybrid.
- Planners and attendees want something unique in meeting
venues, but attendees still tend to prefer the hotel and hotel conference
room and are more likely to attend this type of venue over
a unique or historic alternative.
- The need for sustainable
meetings and events has significantly increased compared to pre-pandemic,
more so for planners than attendees.
However, two out of three attendees indicate that they would be willing to
pay more for sustainable programmes.
- Planners and attendees
agreed that they see measuring the carbon footprint of all travel and
carbon offset programmes as a key sustainability effort.
For more information about the study visit mmgyintel.com.
