Posts Tagged ‘associations’
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Yes they are, according to a recent survey by PCMA (Professional Conference Management Association), their foundation and AmEx. Over 500 meeting planners were asked about plans for 2010 and 2011 this Spring and here’s what they said:
- A net increase in off-site meetings of 23 percent in 2010 and 38 percent in 2011 when compared to 2009 numbers.
- Cancellations have subsided: 89 percent stated they were not planning to postpone, cancel or rebook any meetings they had already booked in 2010 and 2011.
Industry insiders are reporting an uptick in attendance, some more than 12 percent in the association market. That’s good news for experts speaking at these events. More attendees mean more sponsorship deals, more prospects for those free experts and hopefully, less stress about paying speakers. Not breaking out the Champagne just yet, but hey, this news is better than what we’ve heard before. Let’s do a happy dance and get back to work.
Tags: associations, events, experts, Marketing, meetings, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Conventional wisdom has it that a big-name speaker drives attendance. Is that still true? Kinda, but with caveats. The economy and “teach me something now” audiences are redefining value and demanding real learning. Some big-name speakers do that: one association reports they had the biggest attendance since 2004 when they hired former President Bill Clinton to speak.
Some associations are going to the extreme by not paying speakers at all. Does that work? Not for one nameless association, who had to cancel their meeting filled with free experts because of not enough registrations.
The deciding factor: does the prominent speaker give real information, or phone it in with platitudes from a canned speech? The former still drives attendance; the latter doesn’t. It’s just that simple…
Tags: associations, meetings, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Another area of rapid recovery this year: sponsorships in general. Industry giant EIG reports that Corporate America continues to be on the prowl for new deals this year. Other interesting stats:
- 66% report looking for new deals — slightly more than 2009’s uptick of 60%
- Budget cuts are still around, but not as much: 31% say they will cut sponsorship spending this year; yes, this is good news as 51% decreased spending last year. About half report the same budget for 2010.
- 41% spend NOTHING to evaluate prospective partnerships. Translation: decisions are very subjective and “fit” is open to interpretation.
- Speaking of fit, co-branding new products shot up in popularity this year. For us content producing machines, this means joining forces with associations and other industry groups is a no-brainer.
Tags: 2010, associations, branding, economy, opportunity, Sponsorship, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Well, you’d think the world has come to an end. Sponsorship spending didn’t hit the slight increase IEG projected. Bottom line: spending was down less than one percent, shaving $100M from the marketplace. I am not crying in my beer about this.
Here’s why: big-ticket categories such as those sports packages got hit hard. Our neck of the woods (associations) increased almost three percent. Even with that increase though, results were mixed. Associations with year-round relationships did just fine with increased sponsorships. Those who sold events and piecemeal items didn’t get the deals.
IEG predicts a 3.4 percent increase in sponsorship spending for 2010. But that’s only for those who play by a new set of rules.
Tags: associations, branding, Marketing, Sponsorship, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, November 19th, 2009
When meeting industry association SITE (Society of Incentives and Travel Executives) decided to rebrand, guess what word was left out? Incentives. Now known as lavish boondoggles. New buzzwords: motivational experiences and/or engagement programs.
Heads up: the same thing might happen to “motivational speakers.” I hear rumbling about not hiring “those motivational speakers” as opposed to those with more educational content. This unfortunate idea hasn’t gained much traction…yet.
The moral of the story: watch your labels.
Tags: associations, branding, Marketing, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Interesting study out last month on how associations use social networking. Omnipress surveyed 325 associations and learned this blinding flash of the obvious: the top objectives are to increase buzz and attendance for their meetings. What I found the most interesting: 35% of associations have custom-built social network systems. When you own the structure of social interactions, you own the community.
Prediction: larger associations will move in this direction and recruit smaller, related groups to spread out the cost. And they are going to need a steady stream of content to keep folks engaged in a more enclosed setting. Great starting place for anyone who wants to be famous in an industry.
Tags: associations, branding, communities, social networking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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