Meeting and event space provider Etc.venues, which has spaces in the U.K. and New York City, saw a "noticeable increase" in bookings for in-person events on both sides of the pond immediately following the announcements of successful Covid-19 vaccine trials, the company announced.
"The organizers of several major events provisionally booked for Q2 and Q3 2021 confirmed them, while at the same time there was an influx of new inquiries and bookings for Q1 onwards," Etc.venues director of marketing and U.S. sales Adam Simpson said in a statement, adding that this demonstrates that planners are ready to return to running live and hybrid events as soon as they feel safe to do so.
"It's interesting that, since the announcement of the vaccine news, the majority of the inquiries for our New York venue have come from U.K.-based event planners progressing conferences for global corporate businesses and international associations," Simpson added in an email to BTN.
Etc.venues has continued to host both in-person and hybrid meetings for groups smaller than 30 people during the pandemic, according to the company. It also has gained £2 million of supplemental revenue from booking its rooms as workspaces during the second half of 2020, and it anticipates these types of bookings to continue into 2021.