The results of the survey will be presented at BTC 2011, Italy’s events exhibition, which will take place at the Fiera di Rimini Exhibition Centre on 30 June-1 July. The presentation, scheduled for 2.30 pm on Thursday 30 June, will be given by Nicola Piepoli, a leading authority in market research and opinion polls, and chairman of the Piepoli Institute.

The survey begins with a budget analysis, providing comparisons with last year and with other marketing and communication tools; it then analyses event types, numbers and duration, covering objectives and targets and identifying the company departments responsible for planning and execution.

The research continues with questions on which services are outsourced and which are managed internally, which suppliers are most used, with a section dedicated specifically to agencies, the criteria according to which they are chosen and any problems arising in the buyer/agency relationship.

For European companies, the survey contains a section on their level of satisfaction with Italy as a destination, covering issues like quality of facilities, professionalism of partners, destination accessibility and value for money. Those who have never organised an event in Italy will instead be questioned on their perception of the country in terms of the same parameters.

“This survey will provide us with a useful tool to understanding the buying behaviour of companies, particularly those in Europe”, says Gabriella Ghigi, BTC exhibition manager. “Investment in events directly correlates with the economic performance of the various countries, almost all more dynamic than Italy. It is therefore important to understand the size and trends of their investment, because if Italy was able to attract more international events, our industry and our economy would benefit”.

The twin tracks along which the BTC-promoted survey runs also enables a comparison of Italian and international demand, both qualitatively and quantitatively. “By analysing the international interviews, we will get a snapshot of Italy as seen from abroad, which will help us understand how to better compete on the European market”, Gabriella Ghigi continues.

After the presentation of the survey by Nicola Piepoli there will be a panel discussion on Destination Italy: promoting the brand to compete on international markets. This will use the analysis of the international results as a starting point from which various experts will debate the promotion of the “Italy” brand and the topical issues relating to our destination marketing.