Report: Marketers Now See Virtual Events as a Permanent Part of Their Strategy

Many marketers began hosting virtual events during the Covid-19 pandemic, and new research suggests that they intend to continue hosting events in the digital space.

Forrester recently partnered with Airmeet to publish the “The Right Virtual Event For The Right Audience Is A Catalyst For Growth” report, and statistics indicated that 32% of respondents intend to host more virtual events within the next 12 months. About 50% claim that they will be hosting at least the same amount of virtual events as they did over the past year.

In the future, the majority of marketers (76%) “agree/strongly agree” that they would like to diversify their virtual event offerings. Additionally, 77% “agree/strongly agree” that virtual events are now a permanent element of their organization’s event mix. About 72% “agree/strongly agree” that virtual events are now more important than ever to their marketing strategy.

In-Person B2B Marketing Events Continue to Rebound

Although virtual events are becoming a larger part of marketers’ strategies, previous research indicates that in-person events are not going away altogether.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) published the B2B event statistics it gathered from the fourth quarter of 2021, and they suggested that the B2B exhibition cancellation rate fell to 12.5%. This is compared to 20.6% in the previous quarter, indicating that in-person events are continuing to rebound.

“Rising vaccination rates and continued robust economic activities bode well for the B2B exhibition industry,” said CEIR economist Dr. Allen Shaw, chief economist for Global Economic Consulting Associates, Inc. “The B2B exhibition cancellation rate should decline further.”