The virtual events solutions company, 6Connex conducted a survey of meeting and event planners, in conjunction with BizBash in Q4 2021, which indicated that more than 75% will host at least a portion of their events virtually in 2022. More than half the respondents said they expect most of their 2022 events to be produced in a hybrid format, and another 25% said they expect their events to be fully virtual this year. Luiz Martins, chief marketing officer of 6Connex, said: “Beyond the latest variant, we believe the change is permanent, as event organisers, planners, and even attendees understand the benefits of conducting virtual and hybrid events.” Martins added: “For organisers, it’s about creating a balance between in-person and virtual offerings to take advantage of the benefits both approaches offer.” According to the survey, Covid-related fears are still a concern, as 37% of survey respondents say their organisations have increased investments in hybrid event technology because of the variants. For 2022, 32% of survey respondents report that they expect more than half of their in-person events will include one or more digital elements, such as live-streaming or remote access to accommodate virtual attendees. In 2021, 72% of respondents report cancelling or postponing events as a result of the Delta variant. Tracking sustainability The expectation of event organisers to quantify their carbon footprint in the future was 44%, which has increased since only 23% of survey respondents already calculated their carbon footprint for events in 2021. Event/meeting planner workloads Most planners surveyed work within a wide variety of function types, with meetings being most common among planners, at 60%. Among respondents who could choose more than one option, 56% said they are working on conferences. Prior to 2020, 10% said they were responsible for between 51 and 100 events. Currently, 20% of planners are responsible for 51-100 events. Budgets Roughly half of respondents reported 2021 event budgets of US$500,000 or less. Regarding technology, despite the growing reliance on virtual and hybrid event technology platforms, 63% said their event tech budgets were under $250,000, and 30% surveyed said their 2021 event technology budget was less than $25,000. The 2022 technology budget is mixed as well, as 31% report cuts to their event technology budgets and 31% report an increase in their tech budgets. When there is an increase, it’s linked to Covid, as 37% say the variant has led their organisation to increase hybrid event technology investment. Virtual tool preferences. Among the top tools for keeping virtual attendees engaged in 2021 were:
- Live chat feeds (72%)
- Real-time polling (65%)
- Live speaker Q&A sessions (60%)
- Virtual networking receptions (49%)
- One-on-one attendee networking (37%)
- Contests and giveaways (35%)
