After using MPI’s Business Barometer as an example of cool findings in my last post, I thought it fitting to drill down.  Really a mix of good news and bad news:

• Strongest meeting segment in U.S. associations, followed by U.S. corporations.
• Yes, the criticism of meetings has gone away, but watch what happens when one of the big banks (or Goldman Sachs) parties like it’s 1999.
• Two-thirds of those surveyed said that attendance is down; about 60% say their spending for meetings is down.

Bottom line:  guarded optimism will ring in 2010.  Prepare to compete for more picky buyers.