Nearly two-thirds of business decision-makers have expressed a demand to attend more virtual, as opposed to in-person, events, according to new research commissioned by EventsX, via independent polling agency, Censuswide.
EventsX – an AI-enabled events provider – polled 500 business owners and decision-makers around the appetite for virtual and hybrid events in the backdrop of the pandemic, which saw almost all in-person events ended under government lockdowns.
A total of 65% of business decision-makers expressed a desire to attend more events virtually, as opposed to in-person, a feeling which was particularly strong among London respondents with 72% in the capital keen to attend more virtual events.
This was also echoed by young business decision makers who stated they were 70% more likely to ‘dial-in’ to an online event in place of attending in-person.
With areas opening up after the last government-mandated lockdown, 68% of business decision-makers stated that they had an interest in attending a hybrid event.
Larger companies in particular felt hybrid events offered a good medium moving forward, with 79% of companies with 250-500 employees agreeing and 74% of companies with over 500 staff expressing interest.
The appetite for more events was highlighted by 62% expressing a desire to host or attend more internal company events, with businesses wishing to reconnect with staff after the isolation of the pandemic.