1.  An overview of research for the UK conference market  Tony Rogers  BACD  Sally Greenhill  The Right Solution Ltd

2.  What will the presentation cover?  Volume  Value  Where is it spent?  How do we influence decisions?  Current and future trends

3. Overall Value of Business Tourism Sector Conferences: £7.6 billion Exhibitions and trade fairs: £9.3 billion Incentive travel: £1.2 billion Corporate events / corporate hospitality: £1 billion Outdoor events: £1 billion Total = £22 billion plus Inbound: 27% of visits, 29% of all spend (IPS 2007) Source: Business Visits and Events Partnership

4. British Conference Venues Survey 2007 Worth £7.63 billion in 2006 to venues Estimated 1.37 million conferences/meetings Average duration 1.6 days (62% one day or less)

5. British Conference Venues Survey 2007 Peak months: September – November Average delegate rates: £35 (inc. VAT) day delegate rate £121 (inc. VAT) residential rate 35% booked via intermediary agency

9. Top ten corporate destinations UKCMS 2007 % 2007 London68 Birmingham31 Manchester31 Leeds19 Edinburgh19 Glasgow19 Newcastle/Gateshead12 Liverpool12 Cardiff11 Nottingham11

10. Top ten UK association destinations UKCMS 2007 % 2007 London65 Birmingham37 Manchester36 Edinburgh22 Leeds18 Nottingham16 Glasgow14 Newcastle/ Gateshead12 Liverpool11 Cardiff10

11. Top ten European countries for international meetings Number of meetings 2006 (UIA) 1. France634 2. Germany434 3. Netherlands391 4. Austria382 5. Spain362 6. UK350 7. Finland325 8. Italy324 9. Switzerland288 10. Belgium239

12. Top cities for international meetings (UIA) Number of meetings 2006 1. Paris363 2. Vienna316 3. Singapore298 4. Brussels179 5. Geneva169 6. Helsinki140 7. Barcelona139 8. London118 9. Amsterdam117 10. New York93

13. Average Expenditure Per Day Corporate Day- £120 Corporate Multi-Day- £459 Domestic Association Day- £170 Domestic Association Multi-Day- £461 International Association- £305 Source: Delegate Expenditure Survey 2006

14. Top factors influencing venue selection -Location -Price/value for money -Access -Availability -Quality of service -Capacity of conference facilities

15. Top 5 sources of help with venue selection AssociationsCorporate 1.Own knowledge1. Internet 2.Internet2. Own knowledge & experience 3.Word of mouth3. Directories/guides 4.Directories/guides4. Word of mouth 5.Venue finding agencies5. PCO/Event management company Source: UKCMS 2007

16. What are the challenges for the conference market?

17. Challenges for the conference market Too much competition 38.41% Security/safety19.21% Environmental issues 12.50 % Global economic slowdown 12.50% Human resource shortages 10.06% Something else 7.32% Source: ICCA

18. Critical Success Factors Long-term infrastructure re-investment Self and competitor awareness Individual client focus: excellent CRM Coherent destination marketing & branding Destination teamwork Education and training beyond basics Source: ICCA

19. Sources of information BCVSwww.bacd.org.uk UKCMSwww.mia-uk.org BDRCwww.bdrc.co.uk UIAwww.uia.org ICCAwww.iccaworld.com Exhibitionswww.aeo.org.uk Delegate expenditurewww.visitbritain.com General trends: www.businessvisitsandeventspartnership.com