2022 is shaping up to be a big year for the recovery of in-person events. A few large-scale events, including gaming conference E3, have been cancelled yet again this year, but most events are returning for their first in-person edition since the pandemic began.
Several industry reports have shown that although challenges still exist, there is reason to be optimistic as we look ahead to the rest of the year and into next year. Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the latest organization to share its insights into the industry’s recovery, having just released its Meetings Outlook for Spring 2022.
Industry recovery is certainly underway, with 10 percent of respondents to MPI’s survey indicating that their business is already back to pre-pandemic levels, and another 26 percent indicating that they believe they will get there by the end of the year. However, the remaining 64 percent of respondents anticipate their business returning to 2019 levels by 2023 or later, so we can expect even bigger recovery next year.
Virtual events have enabled the industry to survive throughout the worst of the pandemic, but it’s clear that they can’t replace every aspect of the in-person experience. Specifically, “respondents reported that a desire for networking opportunities may be the biggest driving factor for event success this year. Asked which elements will impact attendance most, respondents cited networking receptions (65 percent) and ‘ability to have spontaneous conversations’ (63 percent),” reads the report.
Perhaps the most promising metrics is projected live attendance, which is the most favorable it’s ever been, according to MPI. 85 percent of respondents indicated that they anticipate an increase in live attendance — and a majority believe that in-person attendance will increase more than 10 percent — over the next year.
On the flip side, 50 percent predict a decrease in virtual event attendance, which is unsurprising as focus has shifted back to in-person for the time being. That said, 26 percent still expect virtual attendance to increase as well, so it’s clear that both formats will have an important role moving forward.
MPI also notes that projected business conditions are the second-most favorable result in the history of the Meetings Outlook report, just behind the results of Summer 2021, which was right before Delta hit. The majority of respondents believe that business will be more than 10 percent better in the coming year.