Meetings Professional Findings – Q2 2018 Pulse Survey
Highlights from the Pulse Survey report are below for both the Meetings Professional and Hospitality Partner respondents. Download the full report to view complete findings from the new Q2 2018 Pulse Survey.
Size and Number
Those experiencing increases in the size and number of meetings being planned continued to increase in Q2 2018, with 37% and 48%, respectively, indicating this change. That represents an increase over the previous two quarters. These continued increases are the likely cause of the decreases in those reporting meetings were remaining the same in size and number. The most notable change was the 15% decrease from Q1 to Q2 in size of meetings.
Planning Cycles
The Q2 Pulse Survey was the first to ask about the planning cycle for incentive programs. Significantly more meetings professionals were planning domestic incentive programs than international ones, and the planning cycle for international incentives is longer. While respondents indicated a planning cycle of two years in similar proportions for both domestic and international programs, those indicating one year was significantly higher for domestic meetings.
Use of Security
The use of meetings and events security was another new feature of the Q2 2018 Pulse Survey. Approximately one third of respondents indicated the use of in-house security or security consultants had increased in the past 12 months, which was similar to those reporting they had not used security in that time.
Regulatory Impacts
Nearly half of meetings professionals reported no change to business practices as a result of the uncertainty in the fiduciary regulatory environment or a lack of applicability of those regulations. For those indicating changes, changes to rules of incentive programs, eligibility for awards and a change to the name or description of incentive programs were the top-three most cited types of change by respondents.
Event Technology
Most meetings professionals (83%) indicated they used event-specific apps to enhance the attendee experience at their meetings and events. Other event technologies used by the majority of respondents included audience engagement platforms and session evaluations. As a result of this increased adoption of technology at events, 70% of respondents indicated they were experiencing increased costs to provide Wi-Fi to attendees.
Partner/Supplier Relationships
The most important trait/behavior cited by meetings professionals when working with partners/suppliers was customer service, with 51% ranking that at the top of a list that included communication, customer service, customized responses and long-term relationships. Most (87%) of respondents indicated a preference for consuming marketing information from partners/suppliers, over formats such as website, video, social media and phone call.
Hospitality Partner Findings – Q2 2018 Pulse Survey
Download the full report to view complete findings from the new Q2 2018 Pulse Survey.
Business Outlook
The business outlook of the hospitality community remained strong for the second half of 2018, with similar numbers reporting that business was expected to increase and an increased number expecting business to remain the same over the first half of 2018.
Trends Impacting Buyers
When asked about trends impacting buyers in the next 12-18 months, the majority of respondents indicated increases in food & beverage costs (65%) and room rates (76%). The majority of hospitality partners also indicated no change in attrition percentages.
Destination Considerations
For incentive programs, appeal of the destination continued to be the top consideration for meetings professionals at financial services & incentive companies, according to hospitality partners. Rates were a much greater consideration for business meeting(s) or event(s) being planned by meetings professionals. While these findings are similar to Q1, safety and ease of access were increasingly important.
Use of Security
Interestingly, the proportion of hospitality partners who indicated the use of in-house security consultants was increasing for domestic meetings was significantly higher than the proportion of meetings professionals who indicated increases. The number of both audiences (meetings professionals and hospitality partners) who indicated security use was increasing or staying the same for international meetings and events was similar.
Event Technology
With regard to the top technologies used to enhance the attendee experience at meetings and events, the experiences of hospitality partners were very similar to that of the meeting planner, with regard to event-specific apps. However, more hospitality partners indicated session evaluations and digital information/resources than their counterparts.
About the Q2 Pulse Survey
Featuring data on trends impacting both meetings professionals and hospitality partners within the FICP community, FICP’s new Pulse Survey is intended to provide timely and relevant information to those across the meetings and events industry.
In spring 2018, meetings professionals and hospitality partners within the FICP community, in addition to subscribers of Northstar Travel Media publications, were invited to take a the Q2 survey to share their experiences on trends and conditions impacting their work. As with its previous Pulse surveys, FICP can now provide benchmarking with past-survey data. Download your full copy of the Q2 Pulse Survey Report for additional insight from your peers, and stay tuned for future Pulse survey invitations.