88% of Surveyed Attendees Expressed Openness to Attending
Shows
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GES, a
global experiential marketing partner to many of the world's
leading brands, surveyed over 1,300 attendees during the months of
June and July to understand concerns and impact related to
returning safely to live events. The research uncovered five
distinct attendee segments based on their COVID-19 perception of
risk assessment and mitigation requirements, including temperature
checks, mandatory facemasks, sanitation and other. The respondents
in these segments ranged from having no concerns returning to shows
to being highly concerned about COVID-19 and not believing in
mitigation.
The study revealed that 88% of respondents are open to attending
shows in person. Overall, the results indicated that 65% demand
some form of mitigation to attend, while 23% prefer no mitigation.
Five core segments emerged from the study and were classified to
their distinct perception of COVID-19 risk assessment and
mitigation requirements.
- Nope! - 12% expressed being highly concerned with health
risks and do not believe in mitigation.
- Convince Me - 24% were concerned about COVID-19 risk,
but open to attending if the event provided high value to
them.
- Open Hall -24% had only moderate concerns about
COVID-19. This group was open to personal restrictions but don't
want set meetings or limited meeting times.
- We Can Do This - 17% responded having only mild COVID-19
concerns and having faith in mitigation procedures.
- What Virus? - 23% revealed they had low COVID-19
concerns and would like shows to proceed as prior to the health
pandemic.
"GES' research findings provide great insight to event
organizers and underscore how critical it is to understand the
attendee base and their risk perceptions to plan event design and
mitigation strategies to attendee needs," said GES Global Chief
Marketing Officer Wendy Gibson. "As
a leader in the experiential marketing industry, it is our duty to
proactively take action to understand all measures necessary and
partner with all parties to safely and successfully reopen live
events."
While following the local guidelines issued by health
organizations and local governments, the study highlights it more
important than ever to design a show to client segments and balance
considerations between constituents who may have conflicting views
of acceptable practices at the event. Having his insight into
attendee perceptions, will help organizers design their entire
event from show schedules that accommodate visitors according to
their risk tolerance to separating education activities by
in-person and digital learning, and so much more.
Please click here to gain additional insight on GES' latest
research.
About GES
GES, a Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI) company, is a
global, full-service provider for face-to-face experiences,
producing exhibits, corporate events, exhibitions, conferences,
congresses and entertainment experiences. GES provides a wide range
of services, including official show services, audio visual,
cutting-edge creative and design, marketing and measurement
services, and event accommodations – all with an unrivaled global
reach. GES partners with leading brands and shows, including
Pfizer, Mary Kay, and
CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE. GES' National Servicenter has been
recognized with certification under the J.D. Power and Associates
Certified Call Center Program℠ for the past 11 years, and for the
10th year in a row, Ad Age has named GES as one of the Nation's
Largest Experiential/Event Marketing Agency Networks. For
more information visit www.ges.com.
Contact:
Otilia Ayats-Mas
214.808.2654
oayatsmas@ges.com
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SOURCE GES