American Express Forecasts 2014 Meetings Trends

According to the American Express Meetings & Events 2014 Global Meetings Forecast, following two years of modest budget and activity increases, flat or slight declines in meetings spend per organization are expected across all regions heading into 2014.  Industry activity appears likely to stabilize due to a rise in meetings-related policies designed to ensure meetings comply with company guidelines and deliver against strategic objectives. Across all regions, meeting organizers will likely continue to face challenges as they strive to achieve more with flat or decreasing budgets expected, compared to previous years.

In North America, nearly half of planners surveyed expect a slight increase (+1.5 percent overall for the region) in the number of meetings they expect in 2014. The number of attendees is also expected to increase slightly as companies try to maximize the overall value of each event and reduce the average cost per attendee.

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