2016 Meetings Market Report

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

2 0 1 6 MEETINGS MARKET REPORT SURVEY DATA SUMMARY

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The Respondents

by Sector

Putting the Pieces Together What’s the state of the Canadian meetings market? According to the findings of Meetings + Incentive Travel’s annual survey of planners across the country, which are presented here, the meetings market is relatively stable. The majority of respondents reported that event costs, with the exception of f&b, have remained the same yearover-year. They said most scheduled meetings have gone ahead as planned. The data collected also showed that spend is on target to increase 10.5 per cent over 2015. As for destination countries, Canada is the number one choice (no surprise as the survey asked only about meetings not incentive travel), followed by the United States.

However, a different story emerged from the question about challenges. The number one

response was “costs.” Venue costs; hotel costs; the cost of audiovisual; the cost of travel; etc. Budget constraints also made the challenges’ list, as did conveying the ROI of face-to-face meetings; attracting and engaging attendees; planning in a sellers’ market; and, of course, the impact of the down dollar on the economy.

These results told us that we would have to look beyond the data to understand the state of the industry. To that end, we have expanded our analysis of the report and industry issues to include a special panel discussion at IncentiveWorks, a three-part online series that will be published in September, and extra coverage in the September.October issue. We hope you will join us in putting the pieces together. ~ Lori Smith, Editor

Years in Industry Five to less than 10 years

24%

21%

One to less than five years

1%

11%

Work Time Devoted To Meetings-Related Responsibilities

9%

One to less than five years

Corporate/ In-House Planner

35% respondents

29% 14% %

Less than one year

100% work time w

Less than an rk 25% work time

10 to less than 15 years Not currently employed in the business events industry

18%

20% 2

25-49% e work time

75–99% w work time

Not-For-Profit/Association/ Government Planner

18% 50-74% work time

8%

By Province

respondents

AVERAGE NUMBER OF ROOM NIGHTS (2015)

0% 0%

0%

respondents

20 or more years

14% 20%

39%

Independent/ Third-Party Planner

respondents

9% 6%

1%

0% 2%

5%

564

3% respondents

73% 1%

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Show Manager

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Tactics/Methods Used To Measure Event Success

Types Of Meetings/ Events Planned Conferences

74%

Annual General Meetings

47%

Awards Banquets/Galas

46%

Executive Meetings

43%

Monthly Meetings

39%

Training Meetings

39%

Trade Shows

35%

Team-Building Meetings/Events

34%

Association Meetings

28%

Fundraising Events

27%

1%

Retreats

19%

Other

Conventions

18%

Sales Meetings

16%

Corporate Exhibitions/Conventions

16%

Festival

9%

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Events

9%

Product Launches

8%

Government Meetings

7%

Consumer Shows/Expos

7%

82%

76%

Attendance numbers

Attendee satisfaction ratings on a survey

52%

33%

21%

Financial revenue generation and/or budget adherence

Success in obtaining learning goals

Impact on driving sales (obtaining post-event sales targets and/or lead generation)

5% Do Not Measure/ No Formalized Measurements

AVERAGE NUMBER OF MEETINGS/EVENTS PLANNED IN 2015

8.8

MEASURING MEETING & EVENT SUCCESS Who’s responsible for setting objectives?

69%

41%

5%

4%

Senior Management

Board of Directors/ Volunteer Committee

Other (Education committee, owner/instructor)

Finance or Procurement

60%

19%

0%

Meeting/Incentive/Event Planner

Marketing

External Company

NUMBER OF MEETINGS PLANNED IN 2016

20%

15 to 24

20%

3 to 5

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16%

25 to 74

14%

10 to 14

9%

8%

7%

6 to 9

75+

2

5% Less than 2

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Spend Drilldown (2015 actual vs 2014 actual)

Increased

Decreased

Stayed the Same

Not Applicable

Airfare

26%

9%

40%

25%

Audiovisual Services

27%

15%

57%

1%

CSR Activities

9%

6%

34%

51%

DĂŠcor

17%

15%

39%

30%

Entertainment

11%

14%

44%

31%

Equipment Rentals

17%

9%

57%

17%

Exhibit Design, Sales and Rentals

11%

9%

45%

34%

45%

13%

41%

1%

Hotel Rooms (for accommodations)

24%

10%

55%

11%

Meeting Room Space (hotel or conference centre)

26%

9%

61%

3%

Name Badge and Registration Service

11%

5%

53%

31%

Security Services

6%

6%

35%

53%

Speakers

14%

9%

56%

22%

Staffing Services

13%

8%

48%

32%

Third-party Management Fees

7%

7%

32%

55%

Transportation (local, chartered)

16%

9%

47%

28%

Team-Building Programs

5%

9%

34%

52%

Unique Venues (not hotel or conference centre)

11%

7%

34%

48%

23%

5%

52%

20%

Food and Beverage

WiFi

Planners Vs Procurement

Estimated Average Spend On Meetings/Events

92% responsible for the negotiation and contract process

2015 $733,000

8% Procurement handles the negotiation and contract process with suppliers

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2016 $810,000 (+10.5%)

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DESTINATIONS Countries/Regions Where Meetings/ Events Are Being Held In 2016 4% 98%

1% 8%

UK and Ireland

Canada

1%

Scandinavia

Europe

2%

China

Japan

20% 1%

USA (including Hawaii)

Southeast Asia

7%

3%

Caribbean

Mexico

1%

1% Central America

Where in Canada?

7%

1%

South America

Middle East

India

Where in the USA?

Where in the Caribbean?

Ontario

77%

California

35%

British Columbia

34%

Florida

30%

Jamaica Dominican Republic

Alberta

31%

New York

30%

Quebec

28%

Massachusetts

20%

Nova Scotia

19%

Texas

20%

13%

Washington, D.C.

20%

Manitoba

Arizona

15%

Illinois

15%

Colorado

10%

Nevada

10%

(1)

Where in Europe?

New Brunswick

8%

Newfoundland & Labrador

6%

Prince Edward Island

4%

Saskatchewan

8%

Alaska

5%

France, Spain, Switzerland

The Yukon

3%

Louisiana

5%

Portugal, Germany,

Northwest Territories

1%

Tennessee

5%

Austria, The Netherlands,

Nunavut

1%

Other destinations: Atlanta, Chicago, Washington State, North Carolina

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(4)

Italy

Greece

(2)

(1)

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MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY F2F vs Virtual in 2015 – What respondents planned

Types of technology used for, and at, events/meetings

Online Registration

71%

Social Media

50%

Mobile App for Event

28%

Webcasting/Live Streaming

24%

44%

Session Polling

16%

Webcasts to conduct meetings

27%

Self Check-In

6%

Virtual tradeshows or use of virtual services to conduct business

6%

Appointment System

5%

None of the above

9%

RFID/NFC

1%

Face-to-face internal meetings that involved travel or off-site venues

65%

Face-to-face external meetings that involved travel or off-site venues

64%

Teleconference services to conduct meetings

No Technology Used Other

16% 1%

(AdvocateHub – respondents’ own platform, audience response system, box office ticket sales, email & print, lead retrieval scanners, voting handsets)

Types of social media used to promote events/meetings

Instagram

18% LinkedIn

Google+

57%

7%

Facebook

Pinterest

71%

2%

WIFI – It’s all about connections My supplier partners are working with me to make the cost of WiFi affordable.

Twitter

Other (Youtube)

89%

9%

67% 33%

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Marketing methods used to promote events Email Promotions

84%

Websites/Microsites

70%

Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)

68%

Print/Direct Mail

42%

Intranet/Internet Systems

25%

Blogs/Online Discussion Forums

12%

Telemarketing

10%

WiFi has become a necessity at all of our events so we are able to justify its cost Strongly Agree

48%

Somewhat Agree

32%

Somewhat Disagree

10%

Strongly Disagree

10%

6%

Voice Drops

12%

Other

(Other included fax drops/campaigns, flyers at other conferences, newsletter, promotions by members and exhibitors, webinars)

WiFi is so expensive that we use it very sparingly Understanding that meetings mean business Corporate Canada / Government understands the business value of professionally-planned meetings and business events.

Strongly Agree

14%

Somewhat Agree

23%

Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree

31% 32%

Disagree Agree

36%

64%

The general public understands the economic value of meetings and other business events Disagree Agree

64%

36%

We are not able to justify the high costs of WiFi so we do without it Strongly Agree

12%

Somewhat Agree

16%

Somewhat Disagree

23%

Strongly Disagree

48%

ABOUT THE SURVEY The 2016 Meetings Market Survey was conducted by Bramm Research Inc. on behalf of Meetings + Incentive Travel. The survey was fielded from late May 2016 to early July 2016. It drew 144 complete responses (incomplete surveys were not included in the calculations). The 2017 Meetings Market Survey is scheduled to field in January/ February 2017.

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With 1.2 million sq ft of meeting space, Calgary is a place where forward-thinking minds come together.

Innovative and high energy, we oer the event expertise, amenities and hospitality needed for world-class events.

Meet in Calgary – an intellectual hub that shares knowledge and promotes opportunities for the global economy.

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