- Separate areas for ‘bubbles’ and table service are top-ranked options
- Gen Z more cautious around large events than any other generation in the UK
Global staffing partner for brand experiences, Elevate, has conducted consumer research across the UK, USA, France and Germany, revealing consumer levels of post-pandemic confidence when it comes to events and experiences, as well as the services that Brits are willing to pay for to feel safer.
Willingness to pay more
Well over half (59%) of Brits are willing to pay extra at a given event to secure additional health and safety measures for their group. This is less than the global average (77%), reflecting a more relaxed attitude to events overall. Brits are the most likely to attend an indoor event no matter the scale, with 29% suggesting numbers have no impact on their desire to attend, versus 23% globally.
For those Brits willing to pay more for extra health and safety measures, separate areas for ‘bubbles’ and table service were jointly ranked top, with 35% willing to pay more for these services, followed by an express line for testing (22%) and private transport to the event (19%). Londoners, Scots and the Northern Irish are the most keen to splash the cash on extra services, with 68% of people in these regions happy to pay more.
Overall women (61%) are more likely to pay for additional measures than men (55%). Gen Z showed itself to be the most nervous around events, with 79% of 16-24 year olds happy to pay more compared to just 47% of over 55s. For these younger age groups, separate seating (48%) was the most popular additional expense.
Gen Z caution
Interestingly, in the UK Generation Z (16-24) are overall more cautious than millennials (25-34) in terms of event attendance. 37% of millennials will go to any sized indoor events, while 79% of Gen Z do have limits on what number they feel comfortable being indoors with. In fact, Gen Z are the most cautious in this sense, with every other generation showing greater willingness to attend any sized indoor event.
Event types
Around a quarter (24%) of men would embrace risk to attend a sporting event while only 13% of women would do the same. Restaurants were the most popular event across all age groups with just under half (48%) willing to risk going to a restaurant, whilst only 10% of respondents in the UK would embrace risk to attend nightclubs, despite rules from the government that require nightclub attendees to be double vaccinated.
With discussion about vaccine passports for visits to nightclubs rife, it’s interesting to note that the group most concerned about vaccination status are 16-24 year olds (30%) who are also the age group most keen to visit nightclubs (22%).
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Role of staff
Half (51%) of UK consumers felt that one of the most important roles of staff at an event today was in checking Covid rules compliance, reflecting the huge role front of house staff play in making people feel safe at events. Almost half also indicated that enforcing social distancing was something they valued in staff members. As the front line between brand and attendee, staff are clearly viewed as essential for health and safety measures as well as providing entertainment and help on the day.
Carina Filek, Global COO of Elevate, commented: “With Generation Z, we must always expect the unexpected, and their relative nervousness around events is something brands aiming at this market must take into account. Overall, it’s heartening for the events and experiences industry to see that across the world, appetite for events is there – especially in the UK. While some countries are more prone to wish for extra health and safety provisions, the majority in every region accept that they may have to pay more for events to go above and beyond for them.
“These results underline what we’ve already seen in the market – huge appetite from consumers to get back out there, and a fundamental reliance on the staff at the event to make them feel safe and secure. The opportunity for brands is there, as long as they take the right steps to make consumers feel secure attending their events.”
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