Raleigh, N.C. — In a joint effort by several industry associations, a study on what drives attendance reports that networking in a hip and alluring city remains a powerful draw.
The Maximize Attendance survey found that receiving cutting-edge education was a nearly unanimous priority, and more than three-quarters of attendees surveyed considered visiting an interesting destination and networking with peers to be major incentives for taking part in a show.
“Content and meeting location are the top two drivers for people in deciding whether to attend a meeting,” said John Graham, President & CEO of the Center for Association Leadership (ASAE). “It also highlights how attendees have higher expectations and desire new experiences, so it is critical for teams to develop new content, experiences, and engagement strategies.”
Specifically, 92% of the 8,992 survey respondents considered education and keeping abreast with developments in their particular industry to be among the top reasons to attend an exhibition or other type of meeting. Networking with peers was cited by 76%, and 78% were drawn by the destination venue.
Maximize Attendance was conducted by The EXPERIENCE Institute in North Carolina with the support of ASAE; the International Association of Exhibitions & Events; Destinations International; Meeting Professionals International (MPI); and the Professional Convention Management Association. It can be downloaded at no charge at http://www.theexperienceinstitute.org.
“This research is critical to understanding the various needs of attendees and their processes for determining whether or not to attend a meeting,” said Paul Van Deventer, President & CEO of MPI.
Reach John Graham at (202) 626-2741 or jgraham@asaecenter.org; Paul Van Deventer at (972) 702-3000 or pvandeventer@mpiweb.org; Mickey Schaefer, CEO and Founder of The EXPERIENCE Institute, at (913) 558-0325 or mickey@theexperienceinstitute.org
