Marketers say COVID vaccines create hope for quick return of in-person events But whether organizers can safely get conferences up and running in 2021 is another question altogether. Henry Powderly on February 1, 2021 at 11:37 am More “We can’t wait to come back,” says Michael Bartholow about attending in-person conferences. “It’s really one of the best parts of a lot of our jobs.” But asked when he will feel safe to attend events, the marketing and education director at digital experience agency Bounteous is far less certain. “A few marketing events in the industry are really excited to get back together in May of this year, and that seems really optimistic to me.”