Planning ahead
GRAHAM POPE , VICE-PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL SALES AT CVENT , TELLS MARTIN FULLARD THE STAFFING PROBLEMS FACED BY VENUES COULD BE OFFSET WITH INSTANT-BOOK TECHNOLOGY , AS A NEW REPORT INDICATES A SWELL OF IN-PERSON EVENTS IS COMING
T he impact of staffing shortages across the industry is very much a global concern , and it is creating problems on multiple fronts . One such area to feel the pinch is the speed at which a venue can turnaround an RFP . Is there , then , a technological answer which can ease the burden on both organiser and venue ? Graham Pope , vice-president of international sales at Cvent , thinks there is . I met him at Cvent CONNECT Europe , London .
Martin Fullard : Outline the impact of staff shortages as you see them . Graham Pope : Staffing shortages impact both the planning side and the hospitality side of the events industry . I think the pandemic brought about a big exodus of people from those industries globally , because , frankly , they were quite unstable and uncertain . Brexit , too , has had an impact in the UK , especially in hospitality .
We ’ re in a situation where many hotels don ’ t only lack staff , but they
Above : Cvent CONNECT Europe , took place in London in October
Graham Pope are struggling to recruit . Salary expectations have gone up significantly , and getting people on board , even cleaning staff , is proving challenging .
If you look specifically at the meetings and events perspective , as businesses recover post-pandemic , there ’ s been a huge upswing in demand for face-to-face meetings . RFPs are flying through from planners to venues and hotels and data reveals it is growing month to month . However , the problem is the hotels haven ’ t got staff there to facilitate responses to many of these RFPs . The response times have become slower , or non-existent in some cases , which is frustrating for organisers who , of course , have fewer staff , too , and need faster responses .
This is a global concern .
50 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 121