Just when it looked as though we were turning a corner, we hit another roadblock. This time, in the form of the Omicron variant.
Medical experts seem to agree that this version of the virus is milder and less life threatening, but it has still led to a lack of confidence when it comes to in-person events. Broadway once again shuttered theaters, and the Grammy Awards have been postponed.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Latest Survey Data
According to a state-of-the-industry survey by EventMB, event planners who were surveyed were looking ahead towards a return to in-person events.
- 42% had already hosted in-person events in the latter half of 2021,
- nearly 30% felt that they’d be able to host in-person events in the first half of 2022 – and that was while Omicron was already circulating in some countries.
The Conference & Incentive Travel organization found similar results. In their survey:
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- 65% of event planners said at least half or perhaps all of their events would be live and in-person during 2022.
- 19% of respondents thought that 80% or more of their events would be in-person.
- Nearly 50% of event planners surveyed thought only 20% of events would happen digitally.
The answer will likely lie somewhere in between, but it is clear that the demand for in-person events has not declined. As long as that continues to be the case, there will always eventually be a strong case for in-person events.
