Event professionals are confident that live events will resume in 2020, according to a survey carried out by etc.venues during the recent UKickstart event.
During the event, which was attended by 1,419 event professionals either in person or virtually, almost a third (32 per cent) said that they are planning to run live events this year.
The poll also revealed that the recovery will continue into 2021 as 29 per cent of respondents said they are likely to run live events in Q1 2021, while 30 per cent said Q2 is more likely. Only 9 per cent said they're not organising live events until Q3 of 2021 and beyond.
Tracy Halliwell MBE, director of tourism, conventions and major events at London and Partners, who took part in the panel session at UKickstart said: “It’s a great testament to the power of live events that there is such a strong will to get them going again so quickly, and such a strong demand from our audiences to attend.”
The survey responses also revealed that event planners believed that suppliers were the most confident about the return of live events, followed by planners. However, the respondents said they believed delegates were the least confident.
Adam Simpson, director of marketing at etc.venues who initiated UKickstart, said: “It is great to see so many people planning events for this year. Although the Government’s recent announcement created a slight dip, we are already seeing the momentum towards our recovery increasing once more.
“In fact, we were among those who remained confident that the recovery of the meetings sector would continue and will remain committed to building the momentum.”
However, the latest micebook leader’s forum discussion revealed many event professionals believe live events won’t fully return until 2022. Yet other attendees at the forum said they are already working on live events for the end of this year and early 2021.
The overriding consensus from the micebook discussion revealed that the biggest concern among event planners is the lack of confidence among clients and the stigma associated with organised large events, which echos ect.venues' findings.
UKickstart was a nationwide showcase of a major hybrid event, powered by Glisser and PSAV, held at The Science Museum. The venue implemented a number of Covid-compliant safety measures in accordance with government guidelines. A video recording of the event can be found here.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
