Benchmark names top meeting trends for 2011
Business travel, both individual and group, is up this year. And for the most part, the pace is better than last year, reports Benchmark Hospitality International in its “Top Ten Meeting Trends for 2011.”
Benchmark also says spending is increasing so fast that 2012 “may be the best year in a long time.”
Other trends:
• Planners want choices and flexibility in packages offered.
• Properties are increasingly agreeing to value-added options such as free internet access and cancellation flexibility.
• “The improvement in economic conditions is encouraging booking forward, especially towards the end of 2011 and 2012,” the study found.
• “Social media seems to be infiltrating the meeting planning industry, although not to the extent that it has taken over communications for the general public,” the report says.
• Planners remain highly conscious of cost. “It’s a must for government meetings, and often for meetings in the pharmaceuticals’ niche as well,” says Benchmark.
• Team building events are in demand (planners expect clever variations).
• Inquiries about entertainment options are “finally up again.”
• Planners are definitely using the Internet to learn about locations and destinations.
• Traditional industry backbones such as insurance, finance and high tech are returning to meetings. “The increase seems to be somewhat regional, but after the recession in this area in 2009 and 2010, it’s nice,” Benchmark concluded.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers