After 17 months in the COVID-induced wilderness, real-world events are starting to re-emerge, blinking in the harsh daylight of the ‘new normal’.

You remember those heady days? Jumping out of bed into the car or onto the train and heading off to the big city to organize a hearty networking breakfast, a few meaty breakout sessions, then a little liquid refreshment on an advisor roadshow?

Webinars wear the crown

It used to happen plenty. In 2019, we organised no fewer than 1,700 physical events and advisors typically attended between six and 20 in a year.

Of course, events continued in 2020, although in a different format. Online replaced physical and webinars became king. According to our new research, it seems that some elements of that digital experience might be here to stay. We also found that financial advisors are keen to get back to events in the post-COVID world.

Return without the churn

We asked nearly 200 advisors globally about their preferences over what those events might look like and about how soon they planned to return to events. As an events provider, we wanted to establish demand from the advisors’ standpoint.

We knew that asset management firms were keen to get things going again. But that’s only going to work if the investors turn up. Let’s face it: one of the worst nightmares for event managers is arranging an event, 100 people registering and only 50 showing up on the day. That tends to make salespeople a bit cranky.

How hybrid is hybrid?

We needn’t have worried. Our research showed that 40% of investors are ready to get back to events from day one, 13% in a few weeks and 24% inside a month. That means that over three-quarters of those we surveyed were keen to mingle within a month of restrictions being lifted.

For asset managers, the client appetite is clearly there. However, our research also showed that client experience is key. What should a great event look like, post-COVID? How hybrid is hybrid, and what does that even mean? How should you structure your events? And how far are people willing to travel?

You can get answers to these and lots of other questions by leaving your contact details and we will get back to you within 24 hours.