Two-thirds of business executives said they are ready to immediately attend in-person business networking events, according to a survey of N.J. Chamber of Commerce members conducted yesterday.
Exactly 66% of respondents said they would consider attending an in-person business networking event now. Meanwhile, 22% said they would consider attending such an event two to three months from now. The remaining 12% said they needed more time.
"There is no doubt business people want to bring human interaction back to the workplace, so you can say that Gov. Murphy's lifting of restrictions has come at the right time," said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. "Virtual technology has served the business community well during the pandemic, but our members are saying it is once again time to be able to look customers and colleagues in the eye without the aid of a camera lens.”
Methodology
The N.J. Chamber of Commerce's snap survey was conducted on May 5, 2021. All executives of the Chamber’s 1,800 member companies were invited to participate. The survey generated 100 responses.
Masks, Social Distancing: What Conditions do Executives Expect at In-Person Events
When asked if they had conditions that needed to be met before they attended in-person events, 23% of the survey respondents said they had no conditions. More than half (59%) said the wearing of masks would be a condition for them; 51% said social distancing is a requisite for them; another 39% said they would want pre-event temperature and health checks for all attendees.
Other conditions chosen by respondents included proof of vaccination (19%); clearance to attend events by the New Jersey Department of Health (17%); and clearance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (14%). For this question, survey respondents could choose as many conditions as they wanted.
How Many Organizations are Planning Events
Among survey respondents that are affiliated with organizations that host business events, nearly a third (30%) said their companies are scheduling an event within the next three months, while 21% said their organizations currently have no events planned.
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