Throughout the month of May, a short check-up survey was distributed via The Meeting Professional. The survey garnered 535 responses—self-identified planners accounted for 74.6% of respondents; 20.8% identified as suppliers.
Emotional Check-up
Presented with 16 different words to describe how meeting professionals are feeling right now, the majority of all respondents expressed uncertainty (62%) and anxiety (57%). Almost half (45%) of respondents said they’re optimistic, which is wonderful to see, but that’s immediately followed by feelings of stress (42%), worry (41%) and exhaustion (24%).
The most striking difference between planner/supplier responses was in the feeling of optimism. Suppliers (56%) are notably more optimistic than planners (42%).
Recovery Preparations
Shoring up and enhancing professional skills is by far the most popular recovery prep action being taken by respondents, with a whopping 78.8% citing this. It’s promising that only 8 respondents (a mere 1.5%) claim to be making no preparations. Responses are generally similar between planners and suppliers.
Employment Changes
The greatest disparity between planner/supplier responses appears in answers to changes in employment.
Whereas 13% of planners say they’ve been furloughed or laid off, 21% of suppliers say the same. Even more striking, only one-third of suppliers have neither experienced nor expect a change in employment status, meanwhile 61% of planner express job security. More than twice as many suppliers have also experienced a reduction in salary during this pandemic.
Take the new survey within The Meeting Professional’s June issue and you can be entered into a drawing to win one of three virtual experience passes for MPI’s World Education Congress this November.
