Today @ IMEX Frankfurt
14:00-14:25
Meetings Outlook: Future predictions for the business of meetings
The session will also take place tomorrow, 1 June, 14:00-14:20.

Optimism and excitement for in-person gatherings is holding strong and growing across multiple important metrics. While believing that the value proposition of meeting in-person has been fundamentally altered by the pandemic, networking opportunities may well be the biggest driving factor for event success this year.

“People are flying in from all over the place,” he says. “Right now, there’s a huge demand for in-person stuff. People just miss being around each other.”

To make sure everyone is comfortable being under one roof, Marsico is offering badges in green, yellow and red. Green means they are fine with being hugged, yellow means they prefer social distance and red means they don’t want to be hugged.

“My assumption is the majority will be green,” he says.

As Marsico has found, optimism and excitement for in-person gatherings have picked up steam in recent months. Although 56% of respondents to MPI’s latest Meetings Outlook survey believe the pandemic has fundamentally altered the value proposition of in-person meetings, overall projected business conditions were the second-most-favorable in the history of the survey, only slightly exceeded by results for summer 2021. The majority of respondents projected business to be more than 10% better in the coming year.

Back to business…in person

Projected live attendance is the most favorable it has ever been in the survey’s history. The majority of respondents expect budgets to increase over the next year, with 45% anticipating budget growth of more than 5%. Meanwhile, employment trends have been stable, with a slight increase in hiring.

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%) and “ability to have spontaneous conversations” (63%).

As Diamond Michael Scott, an influencer who has ventured back into speaking in Denver, his local area, put it, “I do want to take advantage of the moment. There’s a vibe and energy around people getting back out there, building connection and community.”

In this business environment, 10% of respondents said their business is already back to pre-pandemic levels. However, there is still a lot of progress to be made: most respondents (64%) expect to get back to that level by 2023 or later.

Terry Cunningham (MPI Toronto Chapter) is seeing business pick up at her company Precision Event Management & Production. She is working on three events at the moment: a 300-person conference with a trade show in May; a 150-person event with a small trade show in June and a 150-to-200-person event in September. All are being held by smaller not-for-profit associations at hotels in the region.

For the June event, 95 people have registered so far, with 38 opting for in-person tickets and the rest virtual.

“Everyone is talking about wanting to be in person and making demands of associations to host in person, but I still think there is a hesitancy,” Cunningham says.

Read the full Meetings Outlook report.
Meetings Outlook is supported in partnership with IMEX Group.