Association and independent meeting professionals reported that, on average, food and beverage accounted for the single largest portion of expenses at their largest 2009 event (32 percent). The apportioning of expenses remained largely unchanged in 2009 from 2008.
OTHER (SIGNAGE, OFFICE EQUIPMENT, ETC.) INSURANCE SECURITY DESTINATION MANAGEMENT SPACE RENTAL DECORATOR/LABOR SPEAKERS AND ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING/PROMOTION STAFF TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS REGISTRATION/HOUSING AUDIOVISUAL FOOD-AND-BEVERAGE
32 15
8 8
7 7 7
6 3 2 1 6 % 0 10 20 30 40
“Hopefully in two to three years, our country will see the value of meetings and travel, and we will rebound from this nightmare. One thing I hope for is an equal balance between travel and meetings — if the meeting is affordable, the travel is not. That’s a problem.”
Technology With regard to technology
must-haves, respondents are most likely to mention high-speed,
wired and/or wireless Internet access. Just more than one-half (54 percent) reported that they either always
(7 percent) or sometimes (47 percent) use online RFP systems.
Golf
More than half (53 percent) of respondents indicated that one or more of their meetings involve golf events (compared to 48 percent in 2008). A majority of respondents (84 percent) host one to three of these events each year.
Spa Access
Two-fifths of respondents (40 percent) said it is important for their attendees to have access to a spa facility during their meeting, similar to 2008.