Planners may recognize increasing globalization but meetings will be closer to home these days, according to the 2007 FutureWatch survey conducted by Meeting Professionals International and American Express.
“Concerns over terrorism and new passport rules in the United States appear to be contributing to the shift toward more domestic sites,” said the report.
Those concerns are not discouraging growth, the report said.
Corporate planners surveyed expected the number of meetings held by their organizations to rise by 7% this year, spending per meeting to increase by 4% and overall meeting budgets to rise by 18%.
Association and non-profit planners forecast slightly more robust growth: an 18% rise in the number of meetings, 8% rise in spending per meeting and a 21% increase in the overall meeting budget.
The fifth annual survey presented a snapshot of the meetings industry, as pictured by 1,443 meeting professionals across the United States, Canada and Europe, including 441 corporate, association, government or non-profit planners; 180 meeting management or service professionals; and 814 suppliers from hotels or other venues, caterers or production companies.
Planners based in the US predicted that 90% of meetings this year would be held in the US, compared with 83% predicted last year and 77% in 2005.
Of the 10% expected to be held outside the United States this year, 3% would be in Europe and 1 percent each in Canada, Asia, Mexico, the Caribbean or other locales.
Report by David Wilkening
