New insight from Leeds based events specialist AYRE Event Solutions delves into whether Brits feel comfortable attending events, what events they are most excited to get back to and what event format they would prefer event organisers to run with.
In Scotland, only 8% of attendees and event organisers polled would feel comfortable returning to events in May, however this increases to 23% in June and 38% in Q3 (July to September). This suggests that Scots are more cautious about returning to events than UK more broadly, where 46% said they would feel comfortable returning to events from July onwards.
The events that Scots are most looking forward to are:
- Festivals, Business Conferences and Webinars (46%)
- Networking events and Business Awards (38%)
- Trade Shows (31%)
- Weddings (23%)
- Workshops (15%)
The enthusiasm for business conferences and networking events is a really positive sign for event organisers looking to get their events back on the calendar for 2021.
Scotland also ranked fourth in terms of regions of the UK most likely to prefer hybrid events, with 48% voting for hybrid over purely in-person or virtual events.
Chris Ayre (Managing director, AYRE Event Solutions) commented: “The way delegates engage with events has changed over the past 12 months and these stats prove that the best format for events in 2021 is a hybrid structure. By opting for in-person or virtual-only, event organisers run the risk of alienating large proportions of their audience.
“Our insight indicates that event organisers should maybe hold off any larger-scale events until the summer or even from September in order to achieve higher numbers. They should also opt for a hybrid format to avoid deterring any delegates from attending.
“It’s so positive to see that there is an appetite to attend festivals, weddings and networking events in 2021, and we are really looking forward to events returning once again! We hope our new study is useful to anyone looking to organise an event in the upcoming months.”
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