IBTM Research: Meeting Planners Report Increased Events, Attendance, Budgets

U.S. meeting planners are planning more meetings with bigger budgets attended by more attendees. So finds the second edition of Reed Travel Exhibitions’ (RTE) IBTM Global Meetings Industry Research for the Americas, published this week at the Americas Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (AIBTM) in Chicago.

Conducted by RTE’s Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings (ITBM) Portfolio in partnership with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), the AIBTM Americas Industry Research Report found that:

• The average number of events organized by meeting planners increased to 25, up from 20 last year.

• Nearly half (44 percent) of U.S. meeting planners expect their volume of events to increase in the next 12 months, and over 50 percent predict an increase in attendance.

• Meeting budgets for the next 12 months are expected to increase an average of 5.2 percent, compared to a 3.7 percent increase over the past 12 months.

Read more: http://www.successfulmeetings.com