A significant majority of European planners are sourcing for in-person events, according to a new report.

The Cvent 2022 Q1 Planner Sourcing Report: Europe Edition reveals planners across the UK and Europe are embracing diverse event formats, with in‐person experiences leading the way.

In-person events will make up the majority of event programmes for more than 70 per cent of UK and European planners in 2022.

Hybrid events are the most popular format, making up 38 per cent of events. Only 25 per cent of respondents said that virtual events would make up the bulk of their 2022 event programmes.

Cvent surveyed more than 500 event planners, managers, coordinators and directors across the UK and Europe (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain) in January 2022.

Event organisers in Spain (60 per cent), the UK (48 per cent), Germany (37 per cent) and Italy (38 per cent) say a hybrid format is the main choice. Just over half of the planners in the Netherlands (59 per cent) cited in‐person gatherings as their top option, while virtual is top in France (45 per cent).

Most planners (71 per cent) are currently sourcing venues for events with in‐person components, and of those planners, two‐thirds (66 per cent) say they will hold events in the first half of 2022 (while 70 per cent are planning events in the second half of the year).

By region, sourcing for in‐person events increases to 96 per cent for planners based in Spain, 92 per cent in the Netherlands, 87 per cent in the UK and 73 per cent in France.

Chris McAndrews, vice president of marketing for Cvent said: “As demand for in‐person experiences continues to rise in this new era of events, a venue’s digital assets are just as important as their physical ones. It is vital that venues continue to not only adapt their services and onsite expertise to support hybrid events, but to also put that same level of attention and care into where planners begin their planning and venue sourcing processes – which is online. The hotels and venues that can successfully showcase their properties and hybrid‐ready meeting space in the digital environment will bolster their appeal to attract more MICE business in 2022.”