Happi Staff04.14.20
With more than 300 million Americans under stay-at-home orders to help slow the spread of COVID-19, many are now required to work from home and avoid all non-essential business travel. A new survey suggests that American workers – particularly those who attended in-person meetings and conventions before the pandemic – are eager to return to them when COVID-19 is contained and physical distancing policies are no longer needed.
“Communities across the U.S. have been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we do not take the impact of this crisis lightly,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company and co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC). “However, it’s encouraging to see that 83% of Americans currently forced to work from home say they miss attending in-person meetings and conventions.”
In addition, Dixon said 78% said they plan to attend as many or more when the threat of COVID-19 passes and it is safe to do so.
The online quantitative survey of 1,000 American adults to understand the social impact of COVID-19 was conducted on April 3, 2020 by APCO Insight, the research division of advisory and advocacy communications consultancy APCO Worldwide.
When asked if convention centers and event venues should be eligible for federal support and funding, 49% of Americans agreed and only 14% disagreed – whether they previously attended in-person meetings and conventions as part of their jobs, or not. The percent who agreed is roughly on par with other industries that rely on in-person activities, such as the restaurant industry (53% support); personal services such as barbers and hair salons (44%); and grocery stores (43%).
“Communities across the U.S. have been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we do not take the impact of this crisis lightly,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company and co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC). “However, it’s encouraging to see that 83% of Americans currently forced to work from home say they miss attending in-person meetings and conventions.”
In addition, Dixon said 78% said they plan to attend as many or more when the threat of COVID-19 passes and it is safe to do so.
The online quantitative survey of 1,000 American adults to understand the social impact of COVID-19 was conducted on April 3, 2020 by APCO Insight, the research division of advisory and advocacy communications consultancy APCO Worldwide.
When asked if convention centers and event venues should be eligible for federal support and funding, 49% of Americans agreed and only 14% disagreed – whether they previously attended in-person meetings and conventions as part of their jobs, or not. The percent who agreed is roughly on par with other industries that rely on in-person activities, such as the restaurant industry (53% support); personal services such as barbers and hair salons (44%); and grocery stores (43%).