Concerns over health rules remain top priority for choosing venues
Concerns over commitments to Covid-19 safety measures remain top factors influencing how organisers choose venues, a new study reveals.
EventMB’s State of the Event Industry 2021 report found out that 39% of the respondents polled wanted a statement of commitment by the premises to follow local health rules.
Another 17% considered staff vaccine mandates their biggest concern while 16% looked for venues that had a safe track record of hosting events with no reported coronavirus cases.
Many also wanted mandatory vaccinations for attendees as well as venue staff.
The report surveyed hundreds of event professionals working in planning, management, technology, marketing and more.
A majority of the respondents were located in North America and Europe, followed by Asia, Africa and the Middle East, South America.
What’s behind the figures?
Organisers are taking no chances while hosting face-to-face events.
The threat of Covid-19 continues to weigh heavily on live events, especially exhibitions and trade shows.
Venues not only need to adhere to the local health guidelines but also position themselves as flagbearers of best practices to ensure all-round safety.
According to the report, 42% of organisers require attendees to be vaccinated or possess a negative Covid-19 test, while 27% said they would allow only vaccinated participants.
A further 52% highlighted mask mandates for indoor events and 26% want attendees to be masked for both indoor and outdoor activities.
What does it mean for event organisers?
Event plans for 2022 have been thrown off by the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Major B2B and B2C events have already been cancelled or postponed with governments of different countries reimposing lockdowns and restrictions.
Surging cases in the US and elsewhere could mean a full return to live events might be delayed yet again.
However, a majority of corporate events in 2022 are still scheduled to be held in person.
Christine Short, vice president of research at Wall Street Horizons, said: “Currently only 11% of investor conferences and events scheduled for 2022 will be held virtually.”
Organisers need to be prepared for all unpredictable scenarios.
The best action for the short-term is to insure your events through a hybrid model.
Our resources will help you get started in just a few steps:
- The Hybrid Blueprint: This free ebook includes insights, advice and best practices to help you set up a successful hybrid event framework with ease. Download it now.
- Hybrid Monetisation Checklist: Leverage the power of digital avenues to boost sponsorship and drive revenue with this handy monetisation checklist. Download it now.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. At ExpoPlatform, we want to help you build better events and communities. Please get in touch and ask for a demo here. Thank you.
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