VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada
A recent survey of 398 executive meeting professionals by The Kliman Group and FULCRUM revealed that in order to offset the rising costs of key meeting elements, executives are increasingly turning to destination marketing organizations (DMOs) for access to financial incentives and growth strategies.
“Meeting executives told us that the biggest thing keeping them up at night are the relentless increases in lodging, food and beverage and Wi-Fi while their meeting budgets remain largely flat”, said David Kliman, president of the Kliman Group and co-founder of FULCRUM. “They also expressed frustration at the explosion of new service charges and fees and are increasingly turning to DMOs [for help].”
Survey respondents indicated that the availability of financial incentives now ranks higher than broad destination collaboration as the primary indicator of community support contributing to a destination’s overall appeal as a place for them to place their meetings and events.
In addition, they expect to significantly increase their DMO business activities in the areas of attendance marketing and sponsorship identification to grow their meetings revenue. Partnering with the DMO to deploy social media as an attendee service and engagement platform was seen an appealing emerging DMO event service offering to enhance the overall meeting experience at a destination.
In the coming year, meeting executives expect their DMO partners to do more to demonstrate they understand the business elements of the meetings they are trying to place in their destinations.
“One of the powerful survey takeaways for DMO leaders was that in the last 12 months, 48% of meeting executives have increased their DMO business dealings somewhat or significantly,” said Bruce MacMillan, co-founder of FULCRUM. “The driver of this increase appears to be the need for executives to grow the business performance of their events be it revenue growth, attendee engagement etc.”
When asked about the one thing that DMOs should start doing to better serve meetings executives, the curating of local intellectual capital was among the most frequently cited comments. At the same time the use of traditional print advertising and email marketing was seen as ineffective. To enhance client engagement, meeting executives emphatically advised DMOs to stop cold-calling and use strategic events and site inspections to build relationships and destination credibility.
ADDITIONAL SURVEY DATA POINTS:
Demographics of Survey Respondents
- 53% Association Meeting Planners or Association Executives.
- 24% Corporate Meeting Planners.
- 10% Event Management Agency.
- 90% have worked in the meetings & event industry 11+ years.
- 69% of all respondents’ meetings & events take place in the USA.
Key Takeaways for Destination Marketers
- 48% report increased use of DMOs over the last 12 months.
- Executives expect DMOs to provide services that increase the business performance (attendance, sponsorship) of their meetings.
- Meeting executives are best engaged through face-to-face appointments and events.
- Executives see DMO print advertising, print materials and email marketing as ineffective.
- DMOs need to do more to demonstrate they understand the business elements of the meetings they are trying to place in their destinations.
- DMOs need to stop cold-calling and emailing meeting executives.
Key Issues Currently Rocking Planners’ Professional World:
- Increased cost of food & beverage and lodging.
- Wi-Fi capacity & high costs.
- Staying current with technology developments.
- Managing the needs of multi-generational attendees.
Strong Demand Cited for:
- Precise, timely and complete replies to RFPs.
- Development of a destination’s business case/viability based on clients’ needs PRIOR to DMO outreach (“Do Your Homework”!).
- Curation of and access to local expertize and intellectual capital.
- Advocating change from measuring room night impact to overall economic impact model.
The Kliman Group & Fulcrum Marketing are a joint venture focused on co-creating business transformation for DMOs. Drawing on their combined 50+ years of tourism and meetings industry experience, they assist DMO leaders and tourism industry stakeholders to increase marketing performance and community support.
To download the survey results, click here:
http://www.fulcrum-marketing.com/
