This fall’s theme is reconnection, says Ken Holsinger, Freeman’s senior vice president of data solutions, and he’s quick to tell us it’s time to get our boats back in the water. “Frankly, we desperately need to reconnect. Exhibitors are back. They want to see you. Their number one priority is you, and we should be focusing on in-person because there’s a pent-up demand for that. It’s all about getting back to face-to-face.”
Sharing the results of a new research study, Freeman, the global leader in events, concluded that the timeline for returning to in-person events has been moved up, with 85% of attendees and 86% of exhibitors planning to return to in-person events by winter 2021. From February to April 2021, overall positive sentiment increased from 30% to 45%, and negative sentiment decreased (unaided) from 51% to 36%. “It’s now more positive than negative,” Holsinger said.
In a February survey, only 74% of attendees and 78% of exhibitors expected to return to the show floor by the end of the year. Holsinger says confidence and optimism are at an all-time high, meaning the timeline for returning to events in the fall has strengthened significantly, with confidence rising as early as July and August. The study is based on data from more than 1 million attendees, exhibitors, organizers and brand marketers in the U.S., and includes 20% international attendees, with a margin of error of +/-1%, to provide a comprehensive view of where trade show organizers are currently and their top concerns.
“People are clamoring for information that will help them figure out what’s going to happen in the fall,” Holsinger said, adding that we’re all looking for a timeline for a return to live events. “We’re seeing a real pent-up demand. In fact, it’s higher than normal.” This is also where trade show organizers have a major opportunity and responsibility to provide key information to potential attendees to help them plan their attendance at in-person events.
Using a unique algorithm, the study’s confidence index started at 0.42, indicating very low confidence. “But now we’re almost double that number,” Holsinger said. “Our benchmark was 0.8 or higher to guide decision-making; we’re at 0.81 percent.” In this data-driven scenario, attendees and exhibitors are clearly ready. “But that message needs to be delivered and shared with local authorities,” Holsinger said.
So what do these exhibitors need to hear to prepare for these fall events?
Related. Freeman offers expert advice for designing safe and engaging in-person meetings.
Clear and timely communication is necessary
With September just four months away, Holsinger said it’s very important to be able to make these decisions now and for organizers to communicate clearly. It can also be frustrating, especially in regions and cities that haven’t shared clear, consistent guidelines.
While communicating health and safety to attendees and exhibitors is critical, Holsinger said show organizers don’t need to share every detail. “For example, we don’t need to know the details of how the fire department keeps us safe; we just need to know that they know (how to do it). That’s where we are in the industry. We can communicate details to attendees instead of saying, ‘We’re pros; we know what we’re doing.’”
While Freeman’s research shows that attendees want to understand the specifics of vaccines, as well as the state of the pandemic, Holsinger urged event producers to “point them to the authorities. What’s going on in their own hotel is what matters. They want to understand: What do I need to know about this event in Chicago, the venue, and the hotel I’m going to?” This is an opportunity for the organizer to personalize the event. If you’re attending an event in Orlando, Florida’s status is less important. “Narrow down your choices,” he urged.
Holsinger also recommended that show producers shift from a risk/reward mindset to a reward/risk mindset. “We can get so focused on risk that we forget what we’re doing in this industry. East “The reward side. It’s about connecting with other humans and being around other humans. The reason we love this industry so much is the relationships.”
RelatedCOVID-19 vaccine rollout sparks optimism in trade show industry
Event professionals get vaccinated
Event professionals get vaccinatedHolsinger said vaccines are a big part of the optimism, which bodes well for event industry professionals who are more likely to get vaccinated than the general population.
“Studies show that age, education and income are the biggest factors influencing the decision to get vaccinated,” he said. In February, only 52% of the general U.S. population was willing to get vaccinated right away; that number is now close to 70%. However, among event professionals, whose average age is 48, average education level is five years out of high school and average salary is $125,000 or more, that number is 80%, and only 15% plan to get vaccinated, leaving just 6% who will not get vaccinated.
“Event professionals are much more optimistic, especially after being vaccinated,” Holsinger said. “As we close the gap with those who have been vaccinated, we see their optimism rise to 88%.”
Lifting of travel restrictions
Freeman’s study paints a potentially rosy picture, with 74% of respondents believing they will no longer have travel restrictions in place by fall 2021. This coincides with the time frame when most attendees and exhibitors (75%) plan to return to in-person events.
“Right now, we’re all virtual, with a few events,” Holsinger said. “In the short term, from June to August, we’re seeing a lot of people jump in, with smaller, in-person events. But then we’ll see the return to larger, in-person events starting in the fall.”
The likelihood of exhibitors attending a physical event increased from 68% to 80%, and the likelihood of “unlikely” attendance decreased from 14% to 8%, the highest values to date for both exhibitors and attendees. By next winter, 86% of exhibitors plan to return to physical events.
Holsinger reiterated that business and commercial travel will remain limited for some time due to economic recovery and caution and should not be viewed in the same light as travel for meetings and events. “You have to dig beyond the headlines to see the real numbers.” As businesses restart, Holsinger said it’s important to remember that while office-to-office travel is generally not considered essential, meetings and events are considered essential travel for attendees and exhibitors.
Personalization and quality of participants
Holsinger believes the conversation around personalization in the industry is long overdue. “This is an opportunity for us to segment more and focus more on our audience than ever before,” he said, adding that the last 20 years have seen a slow but steady collapse of personality between our professional work environments and our personal lives at home. “And COVID has only accelerated what was already happening. The research is very clear: our consumer and professional personas are blended. Our desire for personalization and flexibility, along with an understanding of the trends that influence consumer behavior, is something every organizer should master, as well as how that intersects with their community.”
In this regard, Holsinger stressed the critical importance of communicating to exhibitors the quality of participation. “As an industry, we typically only communicate numbers, not the ‘who’ (participant), and we do a disservice by only talking about numbers when quality is far more important.”
Holsinger believes that early-bird registration models will not be the same as they were pre-COVID in the future. Typically, about 50% of registrants take advantage of early registration, but Freeman’s research has found that the most qualified attendees typically register late, in the last three to four weeks before the show begins. These late registrants tend to be the busiest executives and are often left with unfilled hotels and last-place seats. “We tend to reward loyalty over quality, and we have to be careful about that. We don’t want to shut out our most qualified attendees,” he said, advising show managers to be especially careful when closing out quotas with early registrants.
While cautiously optimistic about the return of live events, Holsinger urged trade show professionals to share this data-driven message with local authorities to help spread the belief that the industry can indeed hold these events safely.
Hybrid and virtual: here to stay
“In-person events are irreplaceable,” 87% of attendees said, and many are willing to travel to smaller in-person events even more readily than before. While only 5% of exhibitors are willing to pay for hybrid or virtual experiences beyond returning to in-person events, Holsinger believes this can be significantly improved if we view hybrid as an asynchronous opportunity. “There’s no evidence that everyone wants to be online and in-person at the same time to enjoy a kumbaya moment,” he said, comparing it to attending a basketball game in person with courtside seats, rather than watching it at home.
“When we’re sitting on the edge of the pitch, the best way to communicate is to send a selfie to our friends, because we’re going to be focused for several hours on the moment, the experience we’re having, the food, the drinks and the company. Our friends at home? They’ll have a drink and move on from kick-off until the game gets boring, or, if it’s exciting, until the final buzz.”
Contact Ken Holsinger at ken.holsinger@freeman.com (214) 445-1000