OCTOBER 2012 CURRENT

TRENDING TOPICS

Short Lead 13%

Times June 2012: 16%

Technological 13%
Innovation June 2012: 3%

Flat Budgets 11%

June 2012: 3%

European 5%
Economy June 2012: 7%

Virtual/
Hybrid Use
5%
June 2012: 6%

Slow Funding 3%
Approval June 2012: 1%

Declining
Incentive 3%
June 2012: 1%
Business
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

October: The Best FUTURE

is Yet to Come
TRENDING TOPICS
Changing 16%
Meeting professionals continue to Delegates represent many social gen- Technology June 2012: 2%
adapt their businesses and evalu- erations, each with different learning
ate new strategies as the geopolitical requirements, while budget owners
and technology landscapes evolve. seek to prove value and efficiency. Flexibility 11%
June 2012: 3%
They live by the mantra, Do more Meanwhile, technology innovators
with less. Many are enjoying slightly introduce new solutions, financial
higher budgets, attendance and markets and governments adjust to
Virtual/ 9%
Hybrid Use June 2012: 9%
overall business conditions. Budget economic corrections and meeting
owners are seeking greater efficiencies suppliers and managers mitigate risk
and accountability, and many meeting while performing their jobs in shorter Sustainability 8%
June 2012: 2%
professionals are actively pursuing time frames. But, in the midst of all
technology, training and hiring solu- these changes, meeting profession-
tions that align with these. als say that the most significant and Flat Budgets 6%
June 2012: 1%
Expected meeting outcomes disruptive changes to the industry are
continue to change among attendees past, and they look forward to the op-
Smaller
and budget owners, and meeting
professionals must adjust accordingly.
portunities and possibilities that exist
in the future. Meetings/ 6%
June 2012: 2%
Events
 U ii}``i>i>`i}i
V>}i`i>}VVi
Short Lead Times
Short-lead times are the rule, not the exception. As organizations exercised increasing
caution with their budgets over the past several years, meeting professionals became
WHAT YOU SAY:
accustomed to slow budgeting decisions and risk management strategies, both of "ii>ii>ii
which resulted in very short lead times. As a result, meeting pros implemented their iVi`>V
own strategies to remain flexible. >iii}iiVi`
iipii}>>}
>p`ii>i
L`}i>>

U iiV>i>V>i}ivii}

Bold Technology vi>ii`i>`>`iLi>VVi

Meeting professionals consistently describe technology as a wide range of solutions

and opportunities, and they are seeking more training and education around these.
WHAT YOU SAY:
They also plan to hire more tech-savvy employees even as they grow to understand
/iV}ivVi>
that too much technology in the meeting environment can be distracting, counter-
i}>iiV>ii
productive and expensive. iVi>`>i`iiiiiVi>`
>iLi>iVii>`>

Check out MPIs virtual and hybrid tool kits at

www.mpiweb.org/research

U/iiv>>`L`iV}Vi

Virtual and Hybrid Vi>i}L>

Meeting professionals expect that the move to hybrid events will continue. Theyre
WHAT YOU SAY:
using hybrid and virtual technology to enhancerather than detract fromtheir
face-to-face meetings, and they increasingly acknowledge the value of these compo-
nents, which fuels their adoption rates. /i`i>v>vii>>}>
>ii}i>Viv>Viv>Vi
ii}}i

 /CTOBER -0) "USINESS "AROMETER s 

 U/ii>L`>ViviV}Viii`

Social and Mobile >>i>\V>i`>>`Li>

Meeting professionals still see using social media to unite attendees and share
content as experimental. Theyre uncertain about its value. Meanwhile, delegates
WHAT YOU SAY:
increasingly want to access content via mobile apps, but there really are few best Li>vii}i>Vi
practices in the arena. >`>>`V]i`>i>
Vi>`Lii}ii

U >L`}i>ii>Vi``iV}i]

Budgets iVii}iiiV

Budgets have seen slight growth for the past 18 months in the private sector,
WHAT YOU SAY:
which includes corporations and associations. Some meeting professionals report
that their decliningor sometimes increasingbudgets are being replaced with
7iiiVi`y>i`Vi`
flat ones. This move toward center indicates a greater consistency and stability in
L`}i]ViiiV}i
the overall marketplace. L>}vii

CHANGE IN BUDGET (LAST FOUR YEARS):

2012 2011 2010 2009
13%
26% 29% 24%
34%
29% 41% 17%
PROJECTED CHANGE IN
70% BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR:
46% 43% 30%

POSITIVE FLAT NEGATIVE 14%

40%
CURRENT BUDGET DETAIL: FUTURE BUDGET DETAIL:
Vi>i 7% Vi>i 4%
47%
Vi>i 7% Vi>i 8%
xVi>i 15 % xVi>i 28%
> 46 % > 47%
x`iVi>i 15 % x`iVi>i 9%
`iVi>i 8% `iVi>i 4%
`iVi>i 3% `iVi>i 0%

 /CTOBER -0) "USINESS "AROMETER s 

 U L>iii>i
Employment and U iV`Vi}>`>i
>i}
Business Conditions
Overall, employment trends continue to show growth, though most hiring is
WHAT YOU SAY:
occurring in the U.S. market. Meanwhile, 66 percent of meeting professionals
report increasingly favorable business conditions, and 68 percent see those con-
ii}>i>i`i>vvi`]
ditions improving in the coming year. i>`}iLii>i>}
POSITIVE FLAT NEGATIVE ii
`iviL}]
Lii>`i}iv>v
FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT >i>i>iLiV>i
2012 2011 2010 ii}iii
12% 13% 13%
22% 25%
35%

46% 65% 62%

PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT
2012 2011 2010
8% 9% 7%
32%
20% 33% CURRENT BUSINESS DETAIL:

59% 70% 60%

Vi>i 9%
Vi>i 21 %
xVi>i 37 %
CONTRACT EMPLOYMENT
> 20 %
2012 2011 2010 x`iVi>i 6%
7% 9% 7%
29%
`iVi>i 3%
33%
42%
`iVi>i 5%
52% 60%
63%

BUSINESS CONDITIONS (LAST 3 YEARS)

2012 2011 2010

14% 15% 17%

CURRENT BUDGET DETAIL:
20% 21%
66% 63% 21% 63%
Vi>i 8%
Vi>i 19%
xVi>i 42 % PROJECTED CHANGE IN
> 21 % BUSINESS CONDITIONS
2012 2011 2010
x`iVi>i 8%
11% 15% 11%
`iVi>i 1%
21% 15% 19%
`iVi>i 2% 68% 70% 70%

 /CTOBER -0) "USINESS "AROMETER s 

 U /i i>iVi>>VVi]Li>L
>i>Li`

Austerity U /i1-i`i>iiV>}>}>V
ii}`iV>i
and Elections
Meeting professionals do not see a strong recovery in the eurozone, but they do see improved
stability throughout the region. Meanwhile, meeting professionals expected changes to ensue
regardless of who was elected U.S. president (Barack Obama), and its not clear if any significant
decisions were affected by the election.

U ii}>i>`i`yiLiLi`i

Flexibility >VV`>iiVV]iV}V>>`V>V>}i

Meeting professionals feel the best way to address many of the challenges they face WHAT YOU SAY:
(limited budgets, virtual and mobile offerings, short lead times, risk management
techniques, the shifting expectations of attendees and budget owners and new ways 7ii>L>`>
of communicating and negotiating) is to adopt a work model that reflects new and >``iv]>`i>i}
novel requirements and solutions. iyiLV>
Vi

U iV]V>iii}>i}}i}ii

By Segment ii}v>

Meeting professionals are seeing great growth in national business meetings, especially in the U.S. market-
place. But that same market is seeing government meetings fall in the wake of several scandals.

U ii}`i>iV>}}]>`>}i>i

The Meeting U iiiiviV`iii>>`

>>Li>i
Experience
The flexibility of meeting professionals (mentioned above) has resulted in com- WHAT YOU SAY:
mon and traditional meeting models remaining popular. But theyre deploying
new, innovative, interactive and virtual experiences at the same time. Meeting 7iiiiiVvi`ii}>`
professionals are keenly aware of the byproducts that exist and are embracing a ii>iV>i
variety of inherent advantagesenvironmental, experiential and financial.

 /CTOBER -0) "USINESS "AROMETER s 

 U
i`>ViLi>i]>`ii}i}Lii

Attendance WHAT YOU SAY:

Forty percent of meeting professionals have seen attendance grow in the last year,
and another 35 percent have seen flat numbers. Over the next year, these numbers ii}>`Vii>i}i}>
will continue to grow50 percent of meeting pros expect greater attendance, and >i`p>i>`iVi
another 35 percent expect the same. i>]>}>Viii>`
i>i>wV>iii

CHANGE IN ATTENDANCE (LAST 4 YEARS)

PROJECTED
2012 2011 2010 2009 CHANGE
IN ATTENDANCE
12% FOR NEXT YEAR:
25% 25% 30%
40% 44% 49% 22%
66% 15%
35% 31% 21%

50%
35%
POSITIVE FLAT NEGATIVE
CURRENT ATTENDANCE DETAIL:

Vi>i 2%
Vi>i 12 % FUTURE ATTENDANCE DETAIL:

xVi>i 27% Vi>i 3%

> 35% Vi>i 12%
x`iVi>i 17% xVi>i 25%
`iVi>i 7% > 35%
`iVi>i 1% x`iVi>i 12%
`iVi>i 2%
`iVi>i 1%

U ii}>i>}ivii]i}>ii
>ii}
Where, When U
iVVi>iVi>}>i]ivV
Viiii>i
and How
Regional meetings represent lower transportation and housing costs, and intimate settings allow for
greater learning experiences. Networking remains essential, but content is getting more attention.
Meeting professionals focus increasingly on delivering important information and putting attendees
back in their offices, lowering event costs and raising relative impact.

 /CTOBER -0) "USINESS "AROMETER s 

 MPI BUSINESS BAROMETER - BI-MONTHLY
The MPI Foundation launched the Business Barometer in April 2008 to monitor
the meeting industrys most immediate needs in relation to economic concerns
and opportunities. Meeting professionals must understand how perceptions and
realities of the economy affect decision-makers. Beginning in February 2012, the
Business Barometer began reporting on predicted conditions, previously relegated
to a single annual report.
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For additional information, visit www.mpiweb.org.

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