Meetings Today: Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2019? Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2019?
I expect my budget to remain about the same in 2019 as in 2018. I expect our attendance to remain about the same in 2019 as in 2018.--Angie Silberhorn, CMP, Conference Director, Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC), Oak Brook, Ill.
Both will increase.--Ilene Page, Global Meeting & Event Planner, Front Page Events, Palo Alto, Calif.
Both will increase.--Stacy Wald, CMP, Director of Meeting Events, Data Trace Management Services,Towson, Md.
Budget: Flat to 1 percent-2 percent increases. Attendance: Flat to 2 percent-3 percent increases.--Gary Schirmacher, CMP, Senior Vice president, Industry Presence & Strategic Development, Experient, A Maritz Global events Company, Boulder, Colo.
Budget: Increase, because costs are rising. Attendance: I expect attendance to stay the same. Our membership is still experiencing expanding business along with labor shortages. Because of these two factors increased attendance is not expected.--Liz Whitney, WLP, International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), Des Plaines, Ill.
Budget: Stay the same. Attendance: Stay the same.--Gina E. Allega, CMP, Senior Program Manager, Meeting & Event Services North America, BCD Travel, Cleveland
Both will increase.--Debbie Kopkau, Director of Certification, MBA, CAE, CMP, GMS, Michigan School Business Officials, Lansing, Mich.
Budget: We’ll see a slight increase in budgets, but our client’s boards and executive management are keeping year-over-year budgets pretty flat. Attendence: We’re planning on slight decreases for most of our clients’ attendance in 2019.--Scott Shellman, Principal, Framework Meetings and Destinations, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Both will decrease.--Geoffrey S. Duncan, Director of Sales & Marketing, Radius Display Products, Dallas
Budget: Increase. Then again, I raised attendee and exhibitor pricing, so I’d have additional budget to work with. Attendance: Barring more Acts of Government (like escalating the trade war), our numbers should increase.--Jack Molisani, Executive Director, The LavaCon Conference, Long Beach, Calif.
Both will increase.--Carl Lambrecht, General Manager, Laurel Industries, Highland Park, Ill.
Budget: I have been told my budget will decrease in 2019, which is odd given that the focus of 2019 is on experiences. Attendance: I expect flat attendance with a small increase. I feel as though customers are coming back to the show in order to have the in-person exchanges they are currently lacking in day-to-day business.--Don Pietranczyk, Senior Manager, Experiences and Activations, New York City
Our expense budget has increased, and we are extremely tight for 2019. We are working hard on marketing to increase attendance. Attendance: Increase.--Diana Bryant, Director, Conferences & Meetings, TVPPA (Tennessee Valley Public Power Association), Chattanooga, Tenn.
Budget: I get so much pushback from management and I agree, meeting costs due to increases in food and beverage are the main cause. I can’t rarely consider the suggested published menus and find myself more often than not giving the hotel my meal budget figure and asking for custom menu to fit my per person cost. Attendance: We are fortunate, we have seen steady increase.--Kay B. Clark, CMP, Director, Meetings & Events, Material Handling Industry, Charlotte, N.C.
Budget: It will stay the same. What we have strategically done over the last several years is come up with creative ways to stretch our budget farther! Like instead of feeding our attendees ballroom dinners at 120++, we give them all gift cards with $30 so they can go out and experience the town. Then, we work with our vendors and get that gift card custom branded and sponsored. It’s a win/win, for us, our attendees and our sponsor! Attendance: As we are corporate, our attendee attendance is mandatory.--Samantha Vogel, CMP, Sr. Manager, Meetings & Travel, GameStop, Inc., Dallas
Budget: We have already done our budget for 2019 and it has slightly decreased. Attendance: 2018 showed an increase and I hope for more of an increase in 2019.--Tracy Orpin, CMP, IAAP, Kansas City, Mo.
Budget: Revenue budget increased more than 10% but expense budget remained flat. Attendance: We are expecting an increase in attendance between 4%-7%.--KD O'Neal, CMP MBA, Conference & Event Services Manager, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas
Budget: Pretty much stay the same as for 2018. Attendance: Pretty much stay the same as for 2018.--Jef Robinson, Global Category Manager–Travel & Meetings, Anonymous, London
Budget: Increase. Attendance: Stay the same.--Chere L Brooks, Learning Events Manager, Habitat for Humanity International, Atlanta
Budget: Stay the same. Attendance: It will increase slightly as we are in Canada and they do not impose the same travel bans as the USA.--Leslie Zeck, CMP, CMM, HMCC, Director of Meetings, International and American Associations for Dental Research, Alexandria, Va.
Budget: Stay the same. Attendance: Increase.--Megan Martin, CMP, MPA, Senior Meeting Manager, National Conference of State Legislatures, Denver
