Olivia PowellA recent survey conducted during the UKickstart event, instigated by etc.venues, has revealed that 32% of event professionals said they were planning to run live events this year.
UKickstart was a UK-wide hybrid event for event professionals, powered by Glisser and PSAV. Of the 1,419 event professionals surveyed at the event, 29% of respondents said they were “likely” to run live events in Q1 2021, while 30% expect Q2 and 9% stated Q3 and beyond.
Tracy Halliwell MBE, director of tourism, conventions and major events at London and Partners, who took part in a 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 UKickstart audience, of which 305 attended in person at 12 venues across the UK, were also asked who they believed was the most confident about returning to live events. The results showed that 43% believe suppliers have the most confidence, followed by planners at 40%, corporates at 10% and delegates at 5%.
Simon Hughes, Chair of BVEP called for greater focus on “the corporate and client base, and delegates”, saying that part of the solution is “the ROI piece,” adding that those in the event industry need to “work with senior stakeholders to show them the benefit of live events”.
According to previous surveys conducted by etc.venues. Over a four-week period in July, for example, the percentage of event organisers planning to hold hybrid events in 2020 grew from 73% to 95%.
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.”