COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (March 22nd

Between February and March, a flurry of news articles predicted a huge surge in leisure travel, sometimes referred to as “revenge travel”, as people celebrate the end of the pandemic, make up for lost time and splurge after the stress of living through COVID. Airlines have reported substantial jumps in air travel demand during March and the US Transportation Security Administration has reported its highest number of passengers since March 2020, when the lockdowns began.

Even though health officials warn that the risk of COVID transmission remains a real concern, people are chomping at the bit to get out and see the world, or at least to venture beyond their neighbourhoods. So how much of that pent-up demand is spilling over to the events industry? For the March COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard, PCMA Convene turned its attention to the prospect of in person events to gauge whether or not the industry thinks it’s about to turn a corner.

There are some indications that events professionals are feeling more optimistic than in February. Of the nearly 500 respondents (339 planners and 159 suppliers) who took the survey the week of March 22nd, 57 percent of planners (versus 53 percent the month before) and 52 percent of suppliers (against 47 percent in February) said they are feeling hopeful. It is a bit of a mixed bag, however. The same planner percentage, 30 percent, reported feeling anxious. The anxiety level among suppliers, on the other hand, went down nine points, from 29 percent in February to 20 percent in March.

Suppliers also seem to be shifting their reskilling efforts to designing in person experiences in a world after COVID-19, 46 percent compared to 39 percent in February. There were corresponding decreases in their efforts when it came to rethinking new business models and business continuity plans.

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (March 22nd – 25th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

Hybrid Meetings: One Size Does Not Fit All, Survey Respondents Say (PCMA Convene article)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (February 22nd – 25th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (January 25th – 28th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

2020 Dashbords:

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (December 14th – 17th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (November 16th – 19th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (October 19th – 22nd): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

Event Organisers’ Big Leap Forward (PCMA Convene article)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (September 21st – 24th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (August 17th – 20th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard (July 13th – 16th): Survey and Analysis (PCMA website)