CONCLUSION


It is clear that 2012 was a year dominated by ongoing challenges in the global economy, with the much hoped-for recovery stubbornly failing to appear in some world regions, while others continued in their progress towards modernization and prosperity. The high levels of optimism of the early months of the year evolved, by the summer, into the realization that the ‘new normal’ was still exactly that.


However, there are reasons for optimism. With each year that passes, our industry becomes more adept at operating within the conditions that have prevailed since the onset of the financial crisis; and in terms of demand, there is a widespread conviction that the corporate market in particular has come to understand that there are limits to the amount of cutbacks that can be made in terms of meetings, events and business travel before business performance is adversely affected.


Most indicators cited in this Trends Watch report point to at least a modest increase in demand and prices in 2013, while in those world regions with fast-expanding economies, much greater growth can be expected. The inter-connectedness of our industry has never been clearer than it is today. There is clearly ongoing demand for meetings and business travel services and facilities. The challenge for the year ahead will be identifying this business and satisfying the demands of customers, wherever they are to be found.


Reed Exhibitions | EIBTM Trends Watch Report 2012 32


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