The “Cvent 2020 Planner Sentiment and Sourcing Report: Europe Edition” reveals hotels and venues must be ready for safer meetings and hybrid events to attract MICE business.
LONDON – Practically six in ten occasion planners (58%) throughout the UK and Europe are struggling to reschedule in-person occasions in 2021 due to inadequate well being and security protocols at venues, in accordance with Cvent’s 2020 Planner Sentiment and Sourcing Report: Europe Edition. In response to survey outcomes, planners now count on venues to supply a clear, sanitized atmosphere, provide everyday temperature checks through the occasion, and supply on-site medical personnel. With a majority (52%) of planners anticipating their in-person occasion spend to be increased in 2021 than it was in 2019, these outcomes put a highlight on the chance for MICE enterprise restoration amongst these lodges that meet excessive well being and security requirements.
Cvent a market-leading conferences, occasions, and hospitality expertise supplier commissioned an impartial analysis firm, Censuswide, to survey greater than 700 occasion planners, managers, coordinators, and administrators throughout France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. Respondents work in a broad vary of trade sectors together with training, finance, healthcare, journey, IT, engineering, catering & leisure, arts & tradition, and authorized. The survey outcomes provide hospitality professionals deep perception into the altering wants of European occasion professionals, serving to them adapt to those new necessities and alter their enterprise practices to draw extra MICE enterprise.
“Because the world plans for restoration, lodges, and venues will play an important function within the profitable return to in-person occasions, and this 12 months’ Planner Sentiment and Sourcing Report will assist hospitality professionals all through Europe maximize the impression of their gross sales and advertising efforts,” feedback Chris McAndrews, vice chairman of promoting for Cvent Hospitality Cloud. “Whereas it has been a difficult 12 months, the outcomes of this examine present planners are waiting for a brighter future. As such, it’s important that venues proceed to adapt to fulfill new planner expectations in order that they’re well-prepared to thrive within the years forward.”
Different highlights of the report embrace:
Responsibility of Care is a high planner precedence
- Security was cited as the highest requirement for a return to in-person occasions with greater than half (56%) stating that “protected house” well being and security issues would most affect their collection of a venue. It’s important that venues spotlight their well being and security procedures on their web site, on on-line sourcing platforms, and share them with vacation spot advertising organizations (DMOs).
Expertise is extra necessary than ever
- Greater than six in ten (62%) planners stated that the COVID-19 pandemic elevated their use of the expertise of their conferences and occasions program. Suppliers can leverage expertise to extend collaboration between themselves and planners within the occasion sourcing and planning phases – for instance, utilizing occasion diagramming software program to create protected room set-ups and ground plans that align with the most recent capability and well-being tips.
Hybrid occasions to develop in reputation in 2021 and past
- Over three quarters (76%) of surveyed planners stated that they’d take into account internet hosting hybrid occasions in 2021. The pandemic pressured a virtually full pivot to digital conferences in 2020. As occasion professionals plan for in-person occasions in 2021, they’re contemplating including a web-based aspect to them, and so they count on venues to be able to assist these sorts of occasions.
Venues want to supply steering and the appropriate expertise
- When requested to pick out the assist they most count on from the venue by way of enabling the hybrid expertise, over three quarters (77%) of respondents stated dependable and quick connectivity and A/V tools. In addition, they cited steering in staging a digital occasion as necessary to their venue choice.