Julie Shorrock, the managing director at business travel and events agency HTS, has said that the company has already seen an increase in enquiries since the prime minister, Boris Johnson, confirmed England would enter Step 3 on the government’s roadmap on 17 May.
“We are already seeing an increase in enquiries, and with more hotels opening their doors the momentum and anticipation of returning to live events is enormously encouraging,” Shorrock told Conference News. “Albeit cautiously, commitment is growing, and we are seeing a slight improvement in enquiries converting and contracting.”
When asked what the announcement meant to HTS as a business, Shorrock said: “More hotels opening their doors makes for easier sourcing and we can start getting back to working with our hotel partners.
“Additionally, this increase in demand does put pressure on the recruitment side of the business, having lost so many skilled people from our industry, however working closely with the Kickstart Scheme and other key resources we are well positioned to meet this need.”
A way to go
Talking about general sentiment among clients, Shorrock noted that clients who have already re-booked their live events are keen to get live events started again. “Albeit, we are providing Covid-safe details and measure from the venue suppliers this has not been a specific request from all clients,” she said.
“However it is fair to say there is still a way to go before we are anywhere near ‘business as usual’.”
