The business events industry must respond to the changing needs of attendees and organisers post-pandemic, according to Event with Intent, a new report commissioned by ExCeL London.
Following a strong post-pandemic return to in-person events throughout 2023, the research set out to understand more about the key drivers behind event visitor behaviour, and the factors influencing event attendance, with over 300 delegates, event organisers and agencies interviewed.
The report calls for the industry to redefine ROI as ‘Return on Intent’ in order to measure and match event demands with outcomes. The research reveals that while ‘Bleisure’ opportunities – the combination of business and leisure – are still relevant, delegates are more focused than ever on maximising the business value of events and conferences, and ‘networking is King’ when it comes to the most important reason to attend a live event.
There is also an emerging need for the industry to better recognise and respond to the changing beliefs which delegates have around social and environmental impacts to ensure that the event activity aligns with these new values and intentions.