As we head toward the end of another tough year for the luxury events and incentives industry, agencies around the world remain optimistic for 2022 despite ongoing challenges caused by Covid.

We caught up with five agency leaders from the UK, Europe and US to find out what 2022 has in store, and the key trends they expect to see…

Graham Alderman, Owner & Managing Director, Ulterior Events

I haven’t got a crystal ball, but we have got some great incentives in the order book for 2022 and, honestly, I am praying to God that we get things back on track, we can do what we are planning to do, and we can get paid for work done. Three weeks ago, the clouds seemed to be clearing, and then bang, another variant. But as an industry, we are a resourceful bunch, and we will survive.

If Covid and our governments allow it, then I think we will see growth in luxury events and incentives next year. There is no doubt that the desire for getting back together is there, it’s already been seen in snapshots over the past few months so the market will grow again but whether that’s at home or abroad, only time will tell. Next year will see an abundance of live events and the fun and euphoria without restrictions will be (hopefully) back again.

We have confirmed incentives to Marrakech, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Dubrovnik, Monte Carlo and a safari to South Africa, Zambia and Botswana and one or two or three under discussion.

In terms of trends, there is none bigger in the incentive market, than the desire for groups to have an amazing time. Yes, there is a conversation around CSR, carbon footprint, wellbeing and the like, but my current experience is no different from previous experience - "What’s the ideal hotel and destination for our group? What’s the best programme for our group? What’s the WOW activity? and What’s the best use of our budget?".

That will always be the key trend for an incentive and rightly so. The “hybrid, sustainable, meaningful” narrative is credible and will grow year on year, but at this point in time, it’s still part of the bigger package rather than the top line direction.

Sam Trevenna, Co-Founder & Director, Goose Live Events

We were feeling cautiously optimistic with an upturn in enquiries confirmed events and tenders for 2022, however Omicron has certainly knocked that confidence for Q1, and certain events are now becoming hybrid/blended.  

Despite this, we do expect to see growth in luxury events next year, particularly towards the second half of the year. The automotive sector has continued to run Covid-secure live events throughout the pandemic, albeit with much smaller group sizes, and May/June seems popular for a return of live Senior Leadership events.

We have events booked for LA and Abu Dhabi so far, whilst closer to home, London is still strong. I also visited Belfast recently and I would certainly put that into the mix now too. 

Delivering sustainable events is certainly a priority for us; we are leading some of our clients through that journey already as it will become more than a trend.  Legacy will be important. What we have learnt from Hybrid/blended events will remain, and, depending on the type of event, there will always be an expectation of livestream or digital being incorporated into the mix. 

Kelly Fuller, Sr. Event Experience Manager, Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc. 

When I look at 2022, I am cautiously optimistic.  My schedule is full for the first half of 2022, and I know more requests are coming in daily.  My main focus is incentives and for most of 2021 I have supported meetings, conferences, and other types of business.  However, 2022 has multiple incentives on my schedule, some of which are outside of the US including Cancun and the Caribbean. 

I’m excited at the prospect of moving forward and having the opportunity to showcase some magnificent destinations. It’s evident that there’s a hunger to be travelling and in person. At the same time, there’s a constant sense of unknown in terms of the next COVID variant, or other COVID-related news.

There are a few trends that seem to be showcasing themselves for 2022.  It appears that domestic travel may still be a priority as it’s easier to manage travel requirements. Leaving the US requires monitoring changing expectations and requirements for entering other countries and re-entry into the US. 

However, there is clearly demand for international travel where and when it makes sense. Clients are being very intentional when it comes to identifying and determining destinations. 

While hybrid events are much more common post-pandemic, it seems that some clients are trying to decide to go virtual or in-person, but not always mixing the two together. In terms of trends for 2022, sustainability, CSR, and others still exist, though the priority seems to be shifting to overall safety – safety of the destination, of the attendees travelling, and making sure there’s a clear understanding of how a safe and enjoyable experience can be executed successfully.

Peter Jackson, Joint Managing Director, Red Blaze

Our view of 2022 and going into 2023 is somewhat mixed. We see a significant difference between attitudes to travel on three different axes. Very large corporates are more cautious than smaller enterprises, different vertical markets have different needs and wants – not everyone has had a difficult pandemic, some sectors have thrived and looking to spend money. Lastly, we see a difference between meetings and incentives, with a greater desire to return to travel for incentive trips over meetings where the option for virtual or hybrid remains.

We believe generally Q1 and Q2 will remain challenging for international travel as clients are waiting to see how the winter goes in terms of covid before they are willing to commit spend. We do however also believe there is significant pent-up demand (and available budget) waiting to be realised and once the gates are opened there will be a rush of bookings, particularly for incentives and in those vertical markets that have prospered during the last two years.

Whilst issues of sustainability, purposeful travel, diversity, and inclusion are increasingly coming to the fore, we believe the first wave of programmes, as the floodgates open, will be focussed on indulgence, pure and simple, as businesses will wish to make a statement particularly those operating through multi-vendor third party channels. Our conclusion is that the future is bright, but not quite yet.

Angelique Eriksen, CEO, Egg Events

Up until 10 days ago, 85% of our pipeline for 2022 was face to face, but the emergence of the omicron variant has resulted in several postponements and cancellations over the past 10 days. We have found that some venues/hotels/suppliers appear less flexible on cancellation policies, which we do everything to make our clients understand. We need to all stick together to get through this next difficult stage.

On a positive note, the large high-end incentives we have booked for May and June are maintained for the moment, with Switzerland, France and Greece among the top destinations.

We are cautiously optimistic as Egg has gained many new clients in the past 20 months and we have many projects in the pipeline. We have done everything to keep 100% of our staff, which we have been successful with thus far, to be ready to take on all requests when things open back up

Thankfully, our teams are being kept busy with virtual and hybrid events, which we believe will remain post-pandemic.