Welcome to the 2016 version of the Meetings Today Trends Survey, for which we had more than 600 respondents spanning all of the major meeting planning disciplines.
The operative word this year is “stability,” meaning that while prices may still rise, many think the rate of increase will not be as dramatic as during the last few years that led to our current seller’s market.
Inside this supplement, you’ll discover a wealth of results on how the survey-takers gauged 2015, as well as their forecast on what to expect in 2016 in areas such as budgets, attendance, booking cycles and meeting duration, as well as more abstract concepts such as career satisfaction and threats planners feel may impact both the industry and their careers.
We kick off the coverage with an interview with a top hotel consultant, STR’s Bobby Bowers, who shares perspectives garnered from the wealth of data STR gets directly from properties throughout the U.S.
This issue offers up a column by American Express Meetings & Events’ Issa Jouaneh, who emphasizes the importance of the Millennial market to incentives.
We also set up a page on our website, www.MeetingsToday.com/Trends, to display some of the many additional charts we couldn’t include in this supplement, along with key interviews we conducted with survey-takers to flesh out the raw numbers.
Additionally, we’ve been putting together an On Location panel discussion to be taped at PCMA’s Convening Leaders conference in conjunction with PSAV, which has been kind enough to let us use its eminently professional mobile studio set-up and crew over the years.
Titled “2016 Trends and Strategies” and broadcast on our website Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, we’ll examine some of the most-relevant statistics in this report, and also branch out to tackle tech trends with meetings industry tech guru and Meetings Today columnist Corbin Ball. Additional panel members will explore some of the freshest ideas impacting meeting programming and design, and which you can implement in your programs to stay ahead of the curve and offer the best return to stakeholders and attendees.
So enjoy the latest installment of the Meetings Today Trends Survey, and let’s hope 2016 is a successful year for us all!
