Outsourcing Meeting-Related Services

Respondents outsourced a variety of meeting-related services, and they were most likely to outsource event-supply rentals (61 percent), housing (43 percent), and/or registration (38 percent), similar to last year.

SPEAKER SELECTION EVENT MARKETING LIST ACQUISITION MARKETING/PROMOTION PARTY PLANNING TRADE-SHOW MANAGEMENT REGISTRATION HOUSING EVENT-SUPPLY RENTALS

34 28 22 13 6 2 6 2 1 12 14 17 20 15 15

PARTIALLY OUTSOURCED COMPLETELY OUTSOURCED

% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Operating Ratios Expositions Attendance

Close to one-half (44 percent) of respondents indicated that the attendance at their largest convention/meeting/ exposition in 2009 was fewer than 1,000, while 55 percent held a meeting attended by 1,000 or more attendees.

NO ANSWER 1% 4% 9%

FEWER THAN 500

25%

TO 999 19%

500

TO 2,499 17%

Average: 4,409 compared to 3,744 in 2008

42 pcma convene March 2010 1,000

TO 9,999 12%

TO 4,999 13%

Average: -4.59 percent compared with +0.6 percent in 2008

2,500 5,000

REMAINED THE SAME

25%

DECREASED 48%

OR MORE TO 24,999

INCREASED 16%

10,000

ANSWER 11%

NO 25,000

2009 Attendance vs. 2008 Attendance

Almost one-half of respondents (48 percent) reported that attendance at their largest 2009 meeting decreased compared to 2008. Only 16 percent reported an increase (compared to 39 percent in the prior year) in attendance.

16 15 27

“I’d like to see better press, and more emphasis on the good that meetings accomplish.”

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