Meeting spending on the upswing
Meeting spending is keeping pace with the overall upswing in the economy, says mimegasite.
“The heightened expenditures are coming in a variety of areas, from food and beverage to audiovisual and signage to the general signage of the meeting,” it said.
Meeting budgets are getting larger. And planners are looking to improve the overall quality of events.
“Attendees are looking for more of an experience for their dollar. Things that were considered extravagant in the past are now basic expectations of meetings,” said David Weil, senior director of convention and trade show services for SmithBucklin.
One example is rear-screen projection, which has become standard.
Sponsors as well as associations are spending more as well.
“But while we’re seeing more money being spent, we’re seeing more revenue opportunities, too,” he said.
Some meeting officials said while corporations are making typically short meetings even shorter, they are also spending more on food and beverages.
Report by David Wilkening
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