How confident are event organisers at the moment? We asked them to find out
Back when London was still under Tier 2 restrictions, we asked our clients 15 questions so we could better understand the mood amongst corporate event organisers. We had a tremendous response, so thank you to those of you who took the time to provide us with your feedback and thoughts.
Overall Confidence Levels
Confidence levels vary, when asked whether they are likely to be holding events in the next 12 months, from somewhat to not at all confident. Most people are somewhere in the middle, not really sure on what is going to happen.
When will they book their next event/meeting?
Almost half of respondents have shelved all plans to book any type of event, with a slightly lower figure expecting to book something in the next 2-3 months. At this time of year, we would expect these bookings to be some sort of Christmas event, but current restrictions make that difficult. The type of events they expect to book are small (no more than 30 people) meetings, with some expecting to use hybrid event technology to open the event out to a wider audience.
Of those expecting to book, or have already booked, it seems a good proportion believe the restrictions may be somewhat short-lived. Whilst current restrictions stop any gathering of more than 30 people, nearly 70% of respondents expect to book a meeting, conference or event for more than 30 people sometime soon. When those events will take place, we will, of course, have to wait and see.
Digital Platforms
We have all become completely au-fait on using digital platforms, such as Teams, Zoom or Hopin for business gatherings, both large and small. When asked how far into the future they expected to be using digital platforms, almost everyone said it will be into 2021 (86%), with nearly 1 in 5 unable to put a timescale on it.
Priorities
As our questions moved onto what will impact their decision making, at the point they start booking again, they were very clear on what is important. Asked to give a rating out of 10, they said:
- Flexible terms and conditions: 9.5
- Enhanced safety measures: 9.0
- Enhanced (hybrid) technology: 8.2
- Value for money: 8.4
A low score of 5.8 suggests those who plan to book meetings and events see little issue with physically touring a venue, rather than wanting to use a virtual tour only.
Covid Accreditations
Over half of all respondents will only book a venue that has been accredited as a safe venue. The Visit England “Good To Go” accreditation then ranked slightly higher than the AA Covid Kitemark. Other respondents simply said they would judge for themselves, based on what precautions a venue is taking.
Those of you who read our News Section regularly will have seen our accreditations back in July.
Food
Food is important at any venue, with buffet-style lunches being the norm prior to the pandemic. Social distancing requirements have put paid to any similar menus for the time being. Bento boxes and bowl food were the clear preferences amongst respondents. Having this food sourced locally also ranked highly, with 74% of people saying this is important to them.
In summary
Our respondents gave us a very clear picture of what they want from a venue, even though they are far less clear about what they will be doing and when they will be doing it. With the current situation, that is completely understandable. So to answer the question: How confident are event organisers at the moment – its a mixed bag!
All we can say is that we have taken all of this into consideration. Thankfully we have implemented Covid measures that meet all of the needs mentioned in our survey. For those who are still looking to run events, we are taking all precautions and we look forward to talking more soon. Thank you to everyone who did respond and the winner of the prize draw is Athena Kitching.