A recent survey by APCO suggests the majority of Americans who attended conferences and conventions prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and are now working from home are eager to return to face-to-face events once the virus has been contained. In fact, 83% of Americans working from home due to COVID-19 say they miss in-person meetings and conventions according to the survey.

“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. As important, 78% say they plan to attend as many or more when the threat of COVID-19 passes and it is safe to do so.”

In addition, 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%).