Balance Between Live, Hybrid & Virtual Meetings
The nexus between in-person, hybrid and virtual meetings is constantly evolving and can be difficult to navigate for planners and venues alike.
While the pandemic highlighted some benefits of virtual access such as reduced costs or increased connectivity across larger distances, former IACC research found that the benefits of human interaction and the technological challenges of offering hybrid events were leading many planners and constituents to increasingly favour in-person events. In the previous edition of Meeting Room of the Future, we asked respondents what percentage of their 2022 events they expected to offer virtual access in comparison to 2021. Respondents then indicated a decline in the percentage of their meetings that offered virtual access and a return to meetings weighted more towards in-person interactions. 30% of venue operators reported that 90% or more of their live meetings and events offered virtual access in 2021 but fell to 19% when projecting for 2022. Asking the same question six months later, this trend has continued with only 9% of respondents now offering virtual access at 90% or more of their events. Further, a higher proportion of venues are offering very little to no hybrid events, with 28% of respondents stating that 0-10% of their meetings would offer virtual access in 2022, up from 15% in the Spring.
Figure 15: Projected percentage of live meetings that will offer virtual access in 2022
Autumn Projection
Spring Projection
0-10%
15%
28%
11-20%
14%
16%
21-30%
6%
13%
31-40%
9%
10%
41-50%
8%
4% 4%
51-60%
11%
61-70%
6%
3%
71-80%
8%
4%
81-90%
11%
4%
91-100%
19%
9%
19
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