LONDON – (October 12, 2021)- Leading the way in the future of Europe’s meetings and convention industry, MMGY Hills Balfour and MMGY Travel Intelligence Europe are collaborating with global heavyweight and MICE industry leader, IMEX, to design and field a 2021/22 survey titled ‘A Portrait of European Meetings and Convention Travel: Perspectives from travellers and planning professionals’.
A first of its kind in Europe, this survey is designed to investigate beyond existing parameters, examining not only meeting planner sentiment but also crucially, the intentions and preferences of attendees. European and global destinations as well as tourism industry stakeholders have the opportunity to lead the recovery in their communities, based on when and how the meetings industry bounces back from COVID-19. This survey will help guide their decisions on investments, marketing budgets, overall growth and development strategies by providing a clear, comprehensive and timely understanding of what European meetings and conventions look like now and in the future.
As highlighted in MMGY Travel Intelligence’s recent U.S. survey, there can be profound differences between perceptions and behaviours among planners and attendees. Europe is home to the headquarters of some of the most significant global business event organisers and with the invaluable insight provided from this survey, destinations can emerge confident in their knowledge and understanding of Europe’s outbound MICE landscape in the coming months and years.
Commenting on the US survey, Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation (NCVC) said: ‘The Meetings & Conventions survey undertaken by MMGY Travel Intelligence revealed an authentic picture of the industry’s landscape and provided invaluable insight into the US planners’ and attendees’ mindset. With the help of this accurate data, Nashville is able to create a more robust, relevant and forward-thinking M&C strategy, helping to reposition and propel our offering back into the market.’
Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO comments: “As the European meetings and events industry sets about ‘building forwards better’, these research findings will offer fresh perspectives and business information grounded in sound, representative data. We all have a visceral sense of where we’ve come from and what we’ve been through these past two years. This research intends to reveal a clearer picture of where we’re going.”
Fielded to planners all around Europe and to attendees in the U.K., Germany, France and The Netherlands, the surveys will be conducted in two waves: the first in Q4 2021 and the second in Q1 2022.
It will address relevant and timely topics such as:
- How do attendees feel about virtual and hybrid meetings and how do they think their behaviour may be impacted in 2022 and beyond?
- What conference destinations hold appeal for attendees moving forward and how have these preferences changed because of COVID-19?
- Are certain industry segments more likely than other industry segments to keep attending similar to how they did prior to COVID-19?
- What content, venues and/or incentives would be sufficiently compelling for attendees to make the decision to travel for a meeting?
- What barriers, other than the obvious health and safety concerns, need to be eliminated or mitigated?
- What meetings segments (ex. SMERF, association, corporate, etc.) do planners expect to recover first and what is the anticipated timeline?
- How can destination marketing and management organisations better meet the needs of the meetings trade now and in the future?
- How might meeting amenities or logistics affect group planning, and what new safety measures will be crucial for both planners and attendees?
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About MMGY Travel Intelligence
MMGY Travel Intelligence is MMGY Global’s industry research and insights division, offering proprietary data and research including MMGY Global’s Portrait of American Travelers® as well as DK Shifflet’s TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM, which is comprised of the largest continuous consumer travel database in the industry. The organization’s services are designed to power travel industry decision-makers through consumer insights, travel performance data, and audience modeling and segmentation. To learn more about the extensive collection of research, analytics and strategy services, visit mmgyintel.com or email us at research@mmgyglobal.com.
About MMGY Global
MMGY Global is the world’s leading integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries. With eight operating brands across the world, the award-winning organization maintains a global communications practice in all marketing channels, serving many of the world’s premier travel and tourism brands. As a company dedicated to the travel industry, MMGY Global strives to create a connected, inclusive and peaceful world by promoting travel as a cultural bridge of understanding. For more information, visit www.mmgyglobal.com.
About IMEX
The IMEX Group organises two market-leading, annual trade shows for the global meetings, incentive travel and business events industry: IMEX in Frankfurt each spring and IMEX America each autumn. In 2020 and into 2021, IMEX moved online, creating May and October editions of a magical world, PlanetIMEX, followed by a new offering, the IMEX BuzzHub from May – September 2021. Whatever IMEX does, it lives by three core values: quality, innovation and collaboration. IMEX’s mission and sole aim is to unite and advance the meetings industry – doing everything it can to educate, innovate and help everyone make powerful connections with the right people.
Contact
Kit Watts, Communications Strategist, IMEX Group
Kit.watts@imexexhibitions.com
Cees Bosselaar
Managing Director, MMGY Travel Intelligence Europe
cbosselaar@MMGYintel.com
Mathu Premaruban
Associate Director, MMGY Hills Balfour
mpremaruban@hillsbalfour.com