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
18% LinkedIn
Google+
57%
7%
71%
2%
WIFI – It’s all about connections My supplier partners are working with me to make the cost of WiFi affordable.
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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