Meetings demand in 2012 appears to be on the rise, according to a recent survey and in-depth interviews of meeting experts, including planners, buyers, and hotel suppliers based around the world, conducted by American Express Meetings & Events. Of the meeting planners surveyed, 42% of North American respondents see signs of increased activity from their clients. Additionally, 60% of meeting suppliers also expect the number of meetings planned to increase.

Higher travel and meeting costs are anticipated, driving the need for companies to focus on striking the right balance of cost effectiveness and experience impact when selecting venues.

Global Meeting Profile in 2012

Insight from both meeting planners and hoteliers worldwide sheds light on general characteristics of meetings this year that companies and organizations can use to get the maximum return on investment of each gathering. Notably, companies are continuing to support meetings and are projected to increase overall meeting budgets, while the spending for individual meetings is expected to decrease or stay flat compared to 2011. According to the survey, one third (33%) of hoteliers surveyed expect decreasing budgets per individual meeting, while only 7% expect increases.

Global Meeting Trends in 2012

• Shorter and smaller. The number of attendees per meeting will likely decrease as will the number of days, according to 40% and 33% of hotel suppliers respectively. Driving this trend is a demand to do more with less as companies look to hold a higher number of meetings.
  
• Closer to home. Suppliers indicated planners want meetings closer to their businesses, with 53% of their clients requesting more local meetings. This is also likely tied to the effort to keep individual meeting costs down.
  
• Fuller agendas. Noting that their clients’ “focus on meeting content is more critical than ever,” hotel suppliers expect to see more incentive programs infused with business-focused content, with 47% of customers planning to combine meetings and incentives.
  
• More green. Hotel suppliers noted 47% of meeting clients have green requests/requirements for their events. Meeting planners corroborated this trend with 73% indicating clients are showing increasing interest in reporting green measures. However, it’s not yet impacting property decisions.
  
• Venue selection. The Meetings Forecast reveals a shift away from bookings in luxury or resort properties.
  

North American Meeting Trends in 2012

The North American meetings market was fairly robust in 2011 and is expected to grow in 2012, according to the planner survey results from Maxvantage, the strategic alliance between American Express Meetings & Events and Maritz Travel in the region. This market continues to lead others in looking for new ways to optimize meetings spend and up the return on experience. With the number of meetings expected to increase, the survey indicates companies are conscious of avoiding any negative opinions of perceived excessive spending.

• Number of meetings expected: 80% expect to increase or maintain the number of meetings.
  
• Number of attendees per meeting: 25% will decrease the number of attendees while 45% expect about the same.
  
• Meeting locations: 71% are booking in primary/large cities and 31% in secondary cities, and 13% are shifting bookings from primary cities to second-tier cities.
  
• Planner lead time: 62% expect decreases in their lead time for planning meetings and 7% expect an increase.
  

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