Recently, Successful Meetings sent a survey out to our readership asking them to tell us what they felt were the most important trends that would be impacting the affordable meetings. Of the respondents 45 percent were corporate planners, 33 percent worked for associations, and 22 percent were independent or third party planners. Of that pool, 76 percent reported that accessibility was the most important reason for choosing an affordable destination. Here's what else they had to say.
Most common budget for affordable meetings
Less than $10,000: 19%
$25,001 - $50,000: 17%
$50,001 - $100,000: 19%
$10,000 - $25,000: 13%
$100,001 - $150,000: 8%
$150,001 - $200,000: 7%
More than $200,000: 17%
Most important factors in determining affordability of a destination
Room accommodations: 82%
Meeting space: 68%
Airfare: 57%
On-site F&B: 48%
Audio/visual cost: 14%
WiFi capabilities: 12%
Local dining costs: 10%
Taxi and public transportation costs: 7%
Off-site venue rental: 4%
Local nightlife costs: 3%
Golf and other sporting activities: 2%
Motorcoach rental: 1%
Local shopping: 1%
Factors that are easy to negotiate
Room accommodations: 35%
Meeting space: 32%
On-site F&B: 15%
WiFi costs: 5%
Audio/visual cost: 5%
Airfare: 2%
Off-site venue rental: 2%
Local shopping: 2%
Taxi and public transportation costs: 1%
Local dining costs: 1%
Local nightlife costs: 1%
Motorcoach rental: 1%
Golf and other sporting activities: 0%
Most common reasons for seeking out an affordable city
Location makes it easy for the majority of attendees to get there: 76%
Budget rules out more expensive destinations: 55%
Cost saved on the meeting will be use to come in under budget for the year: 22%
Cost saved on the meeting will be spent on another event later in the year: 17%
The low cost makes it possible to create elaborate themed events: 16%