The Event Industry

Report 2022
APAC MEA Edition

cvent.com
Table of
Contents

About this Report 2

Total Events Program for 2022 3

All Geared Up for In-Person 6

The Hybrid Advantage 8

About this Report
This report was created to get a broader understanding of how the event
landscape has evolved from pre to post pandemic in APAC MEA. The
report was compiled using survey data gathered from 100+ event planning
and marketing professionals, from across Asia Pacific, Middle East, and
Africa. The survey concluded in the first quarter of 2022.

Note: For ease of readability, some results (percentages) in this report have
been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

Page 2
Total Events
Program for 2022

How many meetings & events does your organisation host

annually?

35%
33%

13%
11%
8%

1-10 11-50 51-100

100+ I don’t know

68% of organisations said they have 1-50 events planned for this year as part
of their total event programme, which will comprise a mix of virtual, in-
person and hybrid events.
Page 3
 What type of meetings & events does your organisation host?

Training/ Workshop 23%

Internal Meetings & Events 17%

Seminar/ Webinar 15%

Conference/ Trade Show 14%

Sales Events/ Road Shows 12%

Fundraiser/ Gala 8%

Incentive/ Retreat 6%

Others (Please specify) 5%

Now that in-person events are on their road to full recovery, it seems like
businesses across the world are diving into their events programme with
gusto. Organisations are now doing a mix of events, with 65% of
corporations choosing ‘internal meetings and events’ as the most popular
event type.

Thinking of your total events programme for 2022, how many events do you
plan to host in the following formats: virtual, in-person and hybrid?
Virtual Events In-person Events Hybrid Events

12%
19%

35%

65%

81%
88%

Yes No

Page 4
When asked about their event programme mix, 65% of respondents said they
have expressed an intent to do hybrid events – indicating an upward trend.
However, a considerable chunk of respondents do not have a fixed plan
regarding their event programme. While the results show a clear intention
among respondents to do hybrid, at the same time it is also the event
format that they are least confident about, with around 35% unsure about
proceeding with hybrid. 81% of respondents are in favour of doing in-person
events this year while 88% have planned for virtual.

Have you hosted a hybrid event?

No
51%

Yes
49%

Nearly half of the respondents said they already have experience organising
a hybrid event, denoting how organisations are exploring hybrid models that
incorporate the most successful elements of virtual, while also using in-
person events to build relationships with their target audience.

Page 5
 How do you anticipate your organisation’s events programme budget
changing in 2022, compared to 2021?

Increase in Budget
25%

Decrease in Budget
45%

Stays the same

15%

15% Don't Know

All in all, respondents are optimistic about their 2022 event budgets, with
45% respondents saying they expect their total event programme budgets to
increase. We are observing an increase in budgets for all event types across
the board, indicating that event professionals are seeing the value of a total
event programme.

Page 6
Return to
In-Person

Are you uncertain about hosting in-person events anytime in the next 2 years?

Already hosted in H1 2022

50%

25% Still uncertain

23% Planned for H2 2022

2% Planned for 2023

Continuing on that optimistic note, nearly 75% of event organisers have

either already hosted or plan to host their in-person events in 2022. It is to
be noted that uncertainty persists among certain groups, as 25% have not
made any decision regarding their in-person events yet. This mirrors the
uncertainty felt in Q1 last year as majority of respondents of our 2021 report
also expressed uncertainty about when they’d get back to hosting events
physically again.

Page 7
 Which of the following technologies do you feel is most
critical for safe return to in-person events?

Contactless check-in 32%

Event floor plan diagramming to plan

attendee flow and social distancing 31%

Specialised venue search engine to

find safe venues 24%

Tech for temperature checks 8%

Others 3%

RFID/Beacon technology for crowd

control or contact tracing
2%

With organisers all geared-up to return to in-person, onsite event safety

is on top of everyone’s minds. It is no surprise that event floor plan
diagramming tools and contactless check-in solutions remain the two most
popular event tech choices for planners. A specialised venue search engine
comes a close third.

Page 8
The Hybrid Advantage

What are some of the advantages of hosting a hybrid event?

18%

14% 14% 14%

12% 12% 12%

2% 2%

Reduced Increased
More event Greater control Higher
environmental reach &
flexibility over costs engagement
impact attendance

Boost
More sponsorship Other
Improved ROI marketing
oppurtunities
pipeline

Event organisers are recognising the multiple benefits of doing hybrid events,
ranging from reduced environmental impact, increased reach & attendance,
more event flexibility and greater control over costs.

Page 9
 Biggest factor behind not wanting to do hybrid events

44%

Don’t have the technological

infrastructure

14%
Don’t see the potential for ROI 14%

Don’t have the budget/

14% 14%
manpower to execute

Lack the guidance/ expertise

on how to execute

Other

Of the ones who haven’t hosted a hybrid event yet, the no. 1 reason for not
plunging in hybrid waters was lack of tech infrastructure.

It’s evident that as organisations scramble to incorporate to digital

components into their events, they are struggling to find technology
solutions that meet their event requirements.

With the right event technology, event planners can facilitate two event
experiences—for in-person attendees and one for virtual ones—that are
seamlessly connected to offer attendees, sponsors, and venues many new,
engaging opportunities.
Check out our Hybrid Event Strategies for Dummies eBook, in which we
cover many essential hybrid event topics including how to craft your
hybrid event strategy, how to satisfy in-person and virtual attendees and
forge partnerships with venues.
Page 10
 How does your organisation handle event management processes?

Manually (includes spreadsheets,

45%
email etc)

Using an integrated platform 26%

Using multiple software solutions 23%

Others 6%

45% of the respondents said they rely on manual processes to handle their
event management tasks. While this number has come down from the
73% that we observed pre-pandemic, the fact that manual processes are
continued to be favoured by the majority remains a concerns. This is despite
the fact that the pandemic accelerated digitisation, compelling organisations
to explore more tech-driven solutions for managing and optimising their
events for better ROI.

Do you have trouble proving the ROI for your events to key decision makers?

50%

I do not have trouble proving Event ROI

31%

I don't know

19%

I have trouble proving Event ROI

Page 11
Half the respondents claim to not have any trouble proving event ROI, while
the other half are still unable to prove their returns from events. While on the
bright side, this percentage was originally 39% pre-pandemic (for which we
believe tech played a major role), the fact that half the respondents continue
to struggle with proving ROI indicates a huge gap in event tech that needs
to be addressed.

Biggest challenge while proving event ROI

I am unable to track metrics due to

12% manual process
23%
It's time-consuming to track metrics
due to using multiple systems
26%
Lack of resources

39% Other

Usage of disparate systems to track event metrics came out to be the biggest
hindrance for event professionals in proving event ROI. Interestingly, while
this does indicate an increase in tech adoption from manual processes, the
problem lies in event professionals continuing to depend on point solutions
instead of an integrated platform.

Page 12
Whether you need to deliver event and attendee insights or measure event
performance and ROI, a centralised source of truth for event and attendee
data will help you eliminate complexity, control costs, mitigate risk, and
embrace new opportunities with speed and agility.

By using integrated technology, you can build a scalable program with the
capacity to expand as your company does. Not only will you be able to take
advantage of efficiencies, but you also have the potential to grow your
global footprint. With real-time feedback and metrics, you can gain insights
into your events and activities and adapt accordingly.

Page 13
About Cvent

CVENT is a leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider

with more than 4,000 employees, 30,000 customers, and 300,000 users
worldwide.

Cvent solutions optimise the entire event management value chain and have
enabled clients around the world to manage millions of meetings and events.

Connect with us on:-

cvent.com