Future of the meetings market
The impact of the recession on the meeting and incentive market: “You may hear that the recession is over, but you won’t feel it anytime soon.”
So says Corporate Meetings Incentive News.
“The impact of the Great Recession on meetings and incentives will continue into the year ahead, though how hard you’ve been hit depends on what industry you’re in,” the site says.
Some highlights of a survey of meeting manager members of the site’s Corporate Meetings & Incentives Advisory Board:
• Bad press has made the industry “so shell shocked that we may not snap out of the doldrums anytime soon,” believes Todd Zint, vice president of National Financial Partners.
• Privately held companies have been “totally unaffected by the AIG effect,” reports Bill Boyd president, and CEO of Sunbelt Motivation & Travel Inc., and are proceeding with business as usual, “though their numbers are somewhat reduced.”
• The direct-selling industry is booming as the unemployed and underemployed population turns to these companies as a way to supplement or replace income.
• The green industry is also doing well. “Our public events are booming with record-high enrollments and waiting lists. Some of this growth is being fueled by ARRA [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] funding for green jobs and clean energy in the US,” says Marge Anderson, associate director of the Energy Center.
• Where years ago meeting planners thought shorter lead times were a temporary condition, they’re now the standard way of doing business for most of the respondents, according to the report.
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 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent