Although in-person events are returning, uncertainty with COVID-19 remains and events are not likely to return to as they once were in the pre-COVID era—nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) respondents in a new survey from virtual/hybrid event platform Hubilo agree that a robust hybrid events platform is necessary to yield financial dividends. According to the new research, “virtual and hybrid event platforms are going to remain an indispensable part of the event planner’s toolkit for the foreseeable future.”
Event organizers throughout the U.S. surveyed recognize the reality of this pandemic-altered landscape with, nearly 70 percent of respondents saying they expect COVID-19 and variants will force them to shift some in-person or hybrid events to wholly virtual over the next year and 69 percent have prioritized an investment in hybrid event technology for the future.
The expectation that virtual attendees will be a vital part of the event mix has not waned, but how to keep them engaged and combat “screen fatigue” has remained a challenge for some. In fact, a solid majority of respondents (57 percent) said engagement was the most important factor for producing a successful virtual or hybrid event.
“The survey shows that event planners are more successful in this new landscape of hybrid ad virtual events when engagement is the focus. Having the tools and a platform to enhance and optimize attendee engagement is crucial,” said Vaibhav Jain, Hubilo CEO and co-founder, in a news release. “We’ve prioritized providing multiple engagement levers that allows users to create a unified experience across audience types. As a result, customers using our tools have seen an increase event engagement by 70 percent.”
Additional survey data includes:
- The impact of COVID-19 on event planners is still huge
- The importance of Investing in hybrid event platforms
- Prioritizing engagement front and center for event tech
- Why engagement is crucial and how to achieve it
