Hotels and venues should expect to host more in-person events this year, where a majority of them will be sustainable despite the higher costs involved, according to a Cvest survey.
Speaking at the PATA Webinar: Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Events Confirmation last week, Abhilash Menon, regional account manager of Cvest said: “Based on our recently-conducted survey with over 400 planners across the Asia region, one of the key highlights is that planners are more than eager to host in-person events. In 2023, 68 per cent of our surveyed planners expect an increase in hosting more in-person events as compared to last year.
“Hotels and venues should be encouraged that in-person event sourcing is truly bouncing back and they can now look forward to a very busy 2023 and beyond.”
As expected, sustainable events will continue to play a large role in events, with 85 per cent of respondents indicating they prefer attending conferences that include sustainable practices.
Menon added: “Consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainability if they can be sure that their efforts make a difference.”
On the supplier side, the Cvest survey showed that 80 per cent of hoteliers believe that sustainability is an important factor in event planning. As such, sustainability is the first thing meeting planners would search for when looking for a venue through the Cvest network, so the availability of information about the hotel’s sustainability practices and certifications would help in the RFP creation process, noted Menon.
Ben Montgomery, director of business relations management at Centara Hotels & Resorts, emphasised that sustainability should be embraced by all industry stakeholders, and not be seen as a cost, but instead, an investment in people, products, and the environment.
