PHOTOGRAPH BY TK

Meetings Market Survey FUTURE INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

the future. Of those who hold meetings in international desti- nations, a third of respondents (33 percent) reported that their attendees participate in pre- and/or post-trips abroad.

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POTENTIAL INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS International destinations that respondents were most likely to consider are:

70v 38v 36v 34v 28v 27v 25v 25v 21v

Canada 70% United Kingdom 34% South America 25% Africa 13% Asia 38% Mexico 28% Eastern Europe 25% Western Europe 36% Caribbean & Bermuda 27% Australia/Pacific Rim 21% 62 PCMA CONVENE MARCH 2013

Thirty-nine percent of respondents (about the same as last year’s survey) reported that they will be holding meetings outside the United States in

Getting the Job Done

Site Selection When it comes to tools for choosing meeting sites, site visits were ranked first by 44 percent of respondents. An equal number (20 percent) of planners said that online searches and one-on-one sales interactions were their preferred site-selection approach, and only 4 percent ranked fam trips as their first choice.

Booking Window Two-fifths of respondents (42 percent) reported that they were booking large meetings more than three years in advance; 21 percent were booking two to three years ahead; 26 percent were booking only one to two years out; and 12 percent were booking their large meetings in under one year. The average booking window is 2.4 years.

Technology Not surprisingly, the technology that respondents continue to seek most for their meetings is high-speed, wired, and/or wireless Internet access. In terms of social media, using a scale of “1” for “most important” to “4” for “least important,” 73 percent of respondents rated Facebook either “1” or “2” when it came to marketing their meetings and engaging attendees (versus 57 percent in last year’s survey). Sixty-five percent said Twitter is their No. 1 or No. 2 choice (versus 51 percent in last year’s survey), and LinkedIn was chosen first or second by 36 percent (the same as last year).

Virtual Meetings Close to one-third of respondents (32 percent compared to 28 percent in last year’s survey) reported that their use of virtual meetings and events increased in the past year, while 61 percent reported it remained the same, and 7 percent (down from 10 percent in last year’s survey) reported that it decreased. On average, respondents’ use of virtual meetings and events went up nearly 2 percent.

Golf A majority (65 percent) of respondents indicated that none of their meetings included a golf event, similar to last year’s survey responses.

Spa Access Nearly a third of respondents (31 percent, the same as last year) said it is important for their attendees to have access to a spa facility during their meeting.

Cuts and Cancellations The trend to cut back on meetings seems to have abated for now. Eighty-six percent of respondents did not reduce the number of days of any multiday meeting in 2012, and 90 percent had no plans to cut back on the length of their 2013 events. Only 15 percent canceled one or more meetings in 2012, and only 8 percent had canceled any meetings planned for 2013.

. PCMA.ORG