Virtual Events Remain a Central Feature of Business Life

20 August 2021 – Virtual events will remain a central feature of business life in the medium and long term, according to new research published by Chartered Accountants Ireland today. The all-island accountancy body that represents almost 30,000 members, heard from over 800 businesspeople across the island of Ireland to understand their concerns and priorities as business life moves towards a return to normal in September.

—  1 in 3 businesspeople comfortable attending fully compliant face-to-face events at present – Chartered Accountants Ireland

—  Further 33 per cent prefer to wait until all restrictions are lifted before attending in-person

—  Virtual will remain the sole preference into the future for 12 per cent of ROI and 25 per cent of NI respondents

—  Over 800 respondents across the island of Ireland give their perspectives on the future of events

—  Respondents hail time efficiency and flexibility of virtual, but for 3 in 4 it comes at the expense of networking opportunities

The survey found that two-thirds of businesspeople are not yet fully comfortable attending face-to-face events. In the short term, assuming all safety protocols were in place, 1 in 3 (34 per cent) of respondents in the Republic and 30 per cent in Northern Ireland would feel comfortable attending a face-to-face event. These respondents are more likely than the survey average to be male.

Commenting, Brendan O’Hora, Director, Members, Chartered Accountants Ireland said;

“For months now, September has been touted as a time when the shift to normality in business life will accelerate. We welcomed over 16,500 people to events and courses in 2020 against the backdrop of the pandemic, so it is important to us to take the pulse of the business community in this regard as we look ahead to autumn.

“As an all-island organisation, we surveyed North and South, with 33 per cent of respondents in the Republic expressing a desire to wait until all restrictions are lifted before attending in-person, compared to 20 per cent in Northern Ireland, perhaps reflecting the swifter pace of vaccine roll out north of the border and a greater willingness to reengage face to face.”

The survey showed a significant divergence between respondents in Northern Ireland and the Republic on longer-term preferences. When restrictions are eased, 36 per cent will attend both virtual and face-to-face events, but with a preference for virtual events.

A quarter (25 per cent) of all respondents in Northern Ireland do not envision themselves attending face to face events again, with virtual remaining their sole preference going forward. This figure drops to 12 per cent for respondents in the Republic. Women were more likely among respondents to this survey to express a preference for virtual events only in the future.

The type of event is a key factor in the decision whether to attend face to face or virtually in the long term. Larger conferences, awards ceremonies, and social events were more likely to attract respondents in person, the survey found.

Continuing, O’Hora said;

“Our findings show that at this stage of the pandemic, even with a large proportion of adults covered by the vaccination programme in both jurisdictions on this island, a shift has taken place when it comes to events, be they CPD courses, AGMs, conferences or social gatherings.

“We see a strong appetite to attend larger scale conferences, awards ceremonies, dinners, and social events in person because while virtual events offered attendees greater time efficiency and flexibility in the last 18 months, for 3 in 4 respondents it came at the expense of networking opportunities.”

Interestingly, committee meetings and AGMs were the least likely to attract in-person attendance, driven perhaps by the increasing normalisation of such significant meetings taking place online. In the past year, Chartered Accountants Ireland has called on the Government to play an active role in supporting such digitalisation, including through the full digitalisation of CRO services, and changes to the Companies Act to allow all companies to hold virtual AGMs.

About the survey

This online survey was conducted among attendees of Chartered Accountants Ireland events over the past year between 5 and 10 August 2021. Over 800 businesspeople on the island of Ireland responded to the survey.

Most respondents were between the ages of 36-45 (ROI 30%, NI 36%). Respondents in other age groups were as follows: 46-55 (ROI 25%, NI 26%); 56-65 (ROI 18%, NI 19%); over 65 (ROI 9%, NI 5.5%).