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Sunday 13 June 2021

20 of the the UK's top industry leaders recently met on Sunborn London to discuss the current state and future trends for the industry, as it nagivates its way out of 15 months of hibernation. The event was hosted by Venue Search London's founder, Sam Gill and industry stalwart, Mike Kershaw.

The event started with an evening of cocktails and laughter at Skylight's Comedy Store Night, before the guests were transported to Sunborn London for a couple of hours' networking in the bar, followed by an overnight stay in Sunborn's luxury cabins and a meeting the following morning in their imposing Auditorium.

The meeting, led by Mike Kershaw, covered a wide range of topics that are, and will continue to, impact on the UK events industry. Key areas of common ground and agreement included:

Virtual/Hybrid

These event formats are here to stay (and indeed were around before 2020!). Driven by their ability to reach more delegates/attendees and the sustainability agenda, the group felt that live streaming of conference content would only grow over the coming years. Many felt that the word Hybrid would soon fade away, with the vast majority of in-person conferences returning with a virtual element for those working in satellite locations or overseas. All agreed that virtual was no match for live when it comes to business social events and seasonal parties.

Sustainability

There was unanimous agreement that delivering Sustainability in events would be an increasingly important factor for corporate event planners, but there was a mixed view of if or whether the corporate buyers would be prepared to cover the additional costs of delivering events sustainably. All attendees agreed that the industry needs to lead by example to reduce the environmental impact of their operations and events now and that the next generation of leaders will be fully committed to this in future years.

Incentive Travel

With sustainability in mind, most agreed that the pandemic and changing views on travel and working patterns will result in a step change to clients' approach to long-haul incentive travel. With a season of staycations ahead of us and with the added complications of Brexit, more local incentive weekends in some of the UK's amazing resort hotels may well become a trend that remains in fashion for years to come.

Christmas 2021

Whilst there remains some (but a diminishing) uncertainty around the event regulations, most agreed that this December would be a strong season for live events, partially driven by many postponed London Christmas parties from 2020.  Whilst virtual events had been a good substitute for live celebrations in 2020, live parties will bounce back strongly, although some saw a continuing demand for larger companies to hold national and international virtual gatherings, supported by more local live parties (again playing to the sustainability and reduced travel agendas).

About Sunborn London

Moored in the Docklands alongside the Excel centre (and just three minutes from the DLR), Sunborn London is a floating yacht hotel boasting 136 luxury cabins and great views of the City skyline.  The venue offers a wide range of beautiful wood-panelled meeting rooms and stunning decks and bars for social events.