2014 Meetings Focus
Trends Survey |
By Tyler Davidson
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With the economy stuck in low gear on its long, steep climb up “recovery mountain”—and a federal government that is having a hard time actually governing—meeting planners and industry experts are forecasting a temperate climate in 2014, but perhaps shaded by clouds of uncertainty.
This year’s Meetings Focus Trends Survey attracted complete responses from nearly 600 meeting planners, and while the economy appeared to slowly build momentum, the end of the year witnessed a government shutdown and threat of default that furthered an atmosphere of skittish corporate confidence. Compounding this was a major failure in the rollout of the Affordable Care Act—aka “Obamacare”—which sowed additional confusion and apprehension in the marketplace.
“It seems like consumer confidence is continuing to edge up a bit, but business confidence is a little sluggish with the shutdown and healthcare,” says Bobby Bowers, senior vice president of Smith Travel Research (STR), which tracks U.S. hotel trends.
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