A recent cost of living impact survey, carried out by The Eastside Rooms, reveals that around one third of event organisers raised salaries to help with cost of living. 37% of association and non-profit organisations and 30% of corporate organiser reported increased salaries in 2023…
The breakdown of the event organisers raised salaries:
28% of associations/not for profits increased staff salaries and another 9% increased freelance/consultant fees
25% of corporates increased staff salaries whilst an additional 5% increased freelance/consultant fees
The Eastside Rooms, a leading, modern venue in the heart of England, conducted a survey of 125* event professionals from around the world in October 2023. This was carried out to identify7m challenges and opportunities faced due to economic pressures.
A key finding from the report was that 83% of organisers saw an increase in event costs last year. However, alongside the impact on the organisers, the survey also explored differences seen in attendee behaviour.
Flexible working offered by more employers
In addition, the report showed that 24% of organisers (associations – 24% and corporates – 25%) are providing flexible working arrangements to meet the needs of their team.
Only 2.5% of corporates have seen the need to decrease freelance and consultant fees, whilst making no changes to their staff compensation. 2.5% of associations have also decreased freelance and consultant budgets, however 7.5% have also seen the need to reduce staff salaries or benefits.
“It is clear the industry continues to evolve through the current economic challenges faced by both associations and not-for-profits and corporates. Staff are the life blood of our industry, so it is a real positive that they are on the whole being looked after,” comments Leanne Bladen, Director of Sales & Marketing at The Eastside Rooms. “We undertook this survey to ensure we truly understand our clients and their current needs. The output has been incredibly powerful, and we are considering many of the key findings in our ongoing communication and activity with our clients – especially how we can help them support their teams.”
About the survey into event professionals
*The Eastside Rooms surveyed 125 event professionals in October 2023. During the survey they were asked what type of organisation they worked for; these were combined into two groups as follows:
- Association, charity and not-for-profit, government and public sector and agencies focused on these sectors. In total 80 respondents described themselves as associations/not for profits
- Corporate company with 500 or more employees, corporate company less that 500 employees, agencies focused on the corporate sector. In total 40 respondents described themselves as corporates
- The remaining five responses were excluded as industry suppliers
69% of the respondents were from the UK, 19% from Europe and the remaining 12% from the rest of the world.
Read more about about The Eastside Rooms and its commitment to sustainability
