The latest report from American Express Meetings & Events, a division of American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), analyzes that two-thirds of event professionals surveyed expect a return to pre-pandemic levels for events with in-person attendance within one to two years.
The number of meetings & events with in-person attendance will grow in 2022, the survey participants forecast, with 81% of events expected to have at least one element of in-person attendance. Another indicator of the industry's growth is the fact that 64% of global meetings & events professionals reported increased budgets for the coming year.
However, the industry is not expecting a return to business-as-usual and is not planning to do so, the statement continues. Instead, the experience gained during the pandemic will be used to optimize the value, effectiveness and sustainability of future events. "We would all like to quickly and fully realize the pent-up demand for meetings & events, but we know that the recovery will not be straightforward and we cannot simply repeat what we have done in the past," says Gerardo Tejado, Senior Vice President of Value Development and General Manager of Meetings & Events at GBT.