Survey Says: Planners Are Scheduling On-Site Events in 2022

In its poll of 500 corporate meeting planners, Delamar Hotels found that the majority of their future in-person events will be networking receptions.

Author: Curt Wagner       

Delamar Southport Meeting

Delamar Hotels has properties in West Hartford, Southport (shown above), and Greenwich Harbor, Connecticut, and Traverse City, Michigan. (Photos courtesy Delamar Hotels)

Four out of 10 corporate meeting professionals are planning meetings in 2022, according to new survey from Greenwich Hospitality Group’s Delamar Hotels — a group of boutique hotels located in West Hartford, Southport, and Greenwich Harbor, Connecticut, and Traverse City, Michigan, that offer indoor and outdoor event spaces.

The online survey of a cross-section of 500 corporate meeting planners in the Northeast was conducted in October.

More than one-third of future gatherings will be networking receptions, while the number of other types of events —board of directors and executive leadership meetings, sales training sessions, and employee retreats — were evenly distributed.

Other findings include:

  • 44 percent of respondents split their time between home and office.
  • 79 percent cited hybrid meeting capability and technology among the most important factors in choosing a meeting venue.

The survey also showed that COVID-19 precautions remain top of mind — with 46 percent of the meeting planners sharing the protocol that should be in place:

  • Attendees must show proof of vaccination or negative COVID test.
  • Hotel staff must wear masks.
  • Social distancing must be practiced between tables and at receptions.

Fewer planners — 38 percent — expect hotel staff to be tested regularly or to have been vaccinated, and just three out of 10 respondents said that attendees must wear masks.

Regarding teambuilding and recreational activities, more than 30 percent of respondents placed importance on having access to progressive culinary programs, outdoor spaces, and on-site spa services.

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