RESPONDENTS: Phase 1 of this comprehensive new survey was conducted as part of the Convention 2020 study between November 2009 and January 2010. It involved 1,125 respondents from 76 countries, representing a broad range of industry sectors. The founding sponsors are the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), IMEX and Fast Future Research.

Convention 2020 is a new global strategic foresight study designed to help all members of the meetings industry prepare for the decade ahead and ensure they stay competitive. It aims to stimulate new thinking about the future of the industry and identify key topics to be explored in greater depth in subsequent research activities.

Looking at the industry today, the results reveal that the biggest current barriers to event effectiveness are seen to be the cost of attending, poor organisation and a lack of focus on design. The quality of content, interaction, technology and networking were seen to be the main drivers of - and opportunities to deliver - an effective and exciting event.

Over the next 10 years, the quality of networking (76%) was the biggest single factor that would encourage delegates to attend events. Less than 50% cited price. 74% felt their organisation would maintain investment in live events in 2020, while 46% felt time and cost pressure might deter organisations from sending delegates and 59% predicted more investment in alternatives to live events. 49% said there would be fewer but larger events while 79% expected a growth in smaller, more specialised meetings, with 48% predicting more free or very low-cost evening-only meetings.

Strong price-based incentives will be needed, according to 77% of respondents, while 60% expect a rise in pay-as-you-go business models. 76% think there will be more opportunities to conduct transactions. Live video streaming to remote participants was the most commonly expected development, followed by social networking before, during and after events as well as content downloadable to mobile phones. Personalisation technology is also expected to have a major impact. Ethical and environmental factors will influence the decision to attend in 2020. For convention centres, the greatest competition is expected to be from schools, universities and colleges followed by museums, galleries and libraries.

The report concludes: “The challenge for the industry is to recognise the shifts taking place and embrace the need for innovation in event design and business models and to develop the professional capabilities to survive and thrive in turbulent times.”