OUR PREDICTIONS FOR BIG BUSINESS EVENTS IN 2022

It would be fair to say we did a little jig around the office when we heard Boris’ latest announcement about the relaxing of most of the covid-restrictions. We immediately saw a bounce in meeting enquiries and a rapidly filling inbox. In fact, the volume of enquiries coming in easily out-stripped 2019 levels.

At the time of the announcement, we were planning our cunning strategy for the year ahead and we’d thought we’d share our predictions for the next 12 months.

You cannot beat face-to-face interactions…
…And boy there are times when we’re really missed having someone to bounce off.

Over the last 12 months, we didn’t get a huge amount of demand for hybrid events at Silverstone. We have five massive spaces that were perfect for social distancing and hybrid events weren’t as popular as we thought they were going to be. As we return to normal, we have a much better understanding of the technologies available to host hybrid events but we fully expect face-to-face to be a key priority for businesses as they encourage more networking and planning together.

Demand will be high and not many venues available – but there are still pockets for short lead.
The diaries are already quite full with events postponed from the last two years. Even the last two months saw a wave of new cancellations so the diary is filing up fast. We’re really lucky at Silverstone to have a range of versatile spaces that are self-contained enough for events to take place at the same time and not cross over. But demand is really strong across all venues right now, so if you haven’t considered booking your 2022 conference or exhibition yet, do it soon.

Sustainability is no longer a buzz word – event organisers are taking it very seriously and so are we
You can imagine a venue like Silverstone – a firm favourite with “petrol heads” is going to have its work cut out to bring net zero carbon business events to life but we’ve started the journey and it’s going to be just as exciting as racing around the circuit in a Lotus Evija. It’s a journey we need to skip along quite quickly.

Many of our enquirers are asking for our CSR policy and want to understand how they can create a more sustainable event. We’re on it. Our Executive Head Chef Dean is passionate about sourcing the best produce locally so you can already see our variety and sustainability promise in the menus we offer. Yet, we’re also considering how we remove plastics completely, how we create options for our organisers to hold sustainable exhibitions and working with shell scheme and creative production partners that can support stand build options made out of natural material. You can follow our journey online.

Team building is still possible even with big audiences
We’ve missed the fun networking over the last couple of years and business events are looking to give back a bit of fun networking regardless of the audience size.

One of the first big events that returned to the Wing last year was the Morgan Sindall “Meeting the Challenge”. They had a series of different fun team building activities across their event to help that reconnection and make everyone feel at home. These included simulator challenges in Hall 1, a Batack Pro to test reactions in Hall 2 and an entire mezzanine level dedicated to health and wellbeing with back massages and wellbeing tests. For their 60 or so VIPs a round of hot laps on the circuit was in order. With over 600 acres of grounds to play with, we’re ideally placed to come up with some innovative team building events.

There are probably still a lot of unknowns about 2022 but one thing we’re gearing up for is putting on some pretty spectacular events as everyone bounces back. If you need to bring your story to life, speak to us about how we can help. Contact us here.