According to the second IMEX America Index of Optimism poll of North American buyers and suppliers, meetings market confidence is on the rise and the outlook for the worldwide meetings, incentive travel and events industry appears brighter than at any time over the past year.
The poll found that optimism and business levels are higher than they have been for at least six months. The survey was conducted among 190 North American respondents (43 percent of whom were buyers) during March 2011.
When asked if “demand for your services has grown during the past six months,” nearly 73 percent confirmed that it had, while only 9 percent felt they had seen no growth. Just over 18 percent reported no change against the previous six month period.
The survey also questioned respondents about whether they have been attracting any business from new sources recently, extrapolating this as an indicator of general market health and potential expansion. Just over 79 percent confirmed they had been winning business from new sources.
Respondents were also asked if they saw evidence from the last six months that events are attracting more attendees or that spending per participant has increased? Nearly 55 percent responded positively, stating that they did see evidence, although nearly 25 percent saw no signs of such increases and a further nearly 21 percent were not sure.
