It's Time to Meet Again

As the pandemic recedes, people are eager to interact face-to-face, and the meetings and events industry is finding its mojo once again

- By Hannah Brandler. Photographs by Nanostockk and IStock

It’s been a tough couple of years for the global meetings and events business, but there are signs of recovery. With the successful roll-out of vaccines and the easing of global travel restrictions, meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) are seeing an increase in demand, but it is from a low base. Spending on business events in the UK fell by 80 per cent from 2019 levels during the lockdown period but now, by pioneering a blend of in-person, virtual and hybrid platforms with a focus on sustainability, the future looks brighter.

APPETITE FOR GROWTH

“From a global perspective, the outlook is overwhelmingly optimistic,” says Emma Bason, meetings and events director the UK and Ireland at Amex GBT. “We are witnessing a pent-up demand come to fruition, with meetings being booked just as soon as government restrictions and corporate policies allow.”

David Thompson, event director of IBTM World, agrees. “We’re all emotional beings and we want to have experienced together. The fact that we’ve been starved of them for the past two years has made us realise even more that it’s what we want and love.”

IBTM World 2021, a global MICE industry expo, is taking place at Fira de Barcelona in early December at 70 per cent capacity – a positive step considering the show had been virtual in 2020. “In this environment, it demonstrates that recovery is going well. All trade shows are blueprints of an industry,” Thompson says.