If you’re like most meeting planners, event planners, and conference planners, you’re always looking for new research and information that can help you with your next event. Whether it’s information about attendees, about new trends, or about event planning best practices, you’re probably on the lookout for updated research.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 37 essential facts every event planner, meeting planner, and conference planner should know.
Ready to check them out? Here goes:
- Technology Improves Performance: Event technology can help increase event attendance 20%, increase productivity 27%, and decrease costs 20-30%. (Source)
- Events Save Money: The average cost of face-to-face meeting at a tradeshow is $142, whereas the average cost of meeting at a prospect’s office is $259. (Source)
- Revenue and Cost Split: 50% of event revenue typically comes from registration fees. Food and beverage expenses typically take up 33% of the overall budget. (Source)
- Speaker Tips and Tricks: Research shows that humans can quickly get overwhelmed by too much information. Coach your speakers to keep information concise and easy to remember. People often remember 3-4 things at a time before becoming overwhelmed. (Source)
- Event Industry Growth: The projected job growth rate for the events industry is 10% between 2014 and 2024. (Source)
- Majority Download Apps: 54% of attendees download the event app. (Source)
- New Customer Acquisition: Over 50% of trade show attendees are there for the first time. (Source)
- Event Marketing Budgets: According to HubSpot, event marketing consumes less than 20% of the typical marketer’s budget. (Source)
- Mobile Technology at Events: More people own a mobile device than a toothbrush. Given that, most attendees will expect you to provide an app for the event. (Source)
- Digital Payments a Must: 9% of Americans carry no cash and more than half carry $20 or less. Mobile payment services have revolutionized the way we pay, making cash increasingly obsolete. Make sure the event and your vendors accept digital payment. (Source)
- Maintain Topical Focus: Stay fixated on the purpose and/or theme of the event. Remember that the attendees are coming to your specific event for a reason, so don’t add too many outlying activities. (Source)
- Event Planning Budgets: 53% of planners expect an increased budget, with most projecting the increase to be between 1% and 5%. (Source)
- The Importance of Technology: Nearly 60% of planners classified on-site technology as extremely important for a successful event, with internet connection ranked as the technology most needed for a successful meeting. (Source)
- Customizable Registration Pages: According to event professionals, a custom registration page is the most important feature in a registration platform. (Source)
- Size of Events Industry: The events industry accounts for $115 billion annually to the U.S. GDP. (Source)
- Length of Speaker Presentations: Are long form presentations a thing of the past? Studies show that attendees prefer 20-30 minutes presentations. (Source)
- Sponsorship Dollars: 75% of sponsors are looking for new partnerships. (Source)
- Attendee Research: 79% of attendees use smartphones when first researching live events. (Source)
- Return on Investment: 70% of event professionals measure ROI by PR and social media exposure. (Source)
- Attendee Engagement: 63% of planners reported entertainers were critical in driving attendance to the event. (Source)
- Growth of Virtual Reality: 13% of event professionals will use virtual reality technology this year. (Source)
- Conference Expenses: Group hotel rates in the United States have dropped 0.4% since 2015. (Source)
- B2B Marketing Budgets: B2B exhibitions were 39.2% of B2B marketing budgets in 2011 and have held steady at that number for several years. (Source)
- Fish Where the Fish Are: 81% of trade show attendees are potential customers for exhibitors. (Source)
- Attendee Engagement: The average attendee spends 8.3 hours viewing trade show exhibits. (Source)
- Reasons for Attending: 92% of attendees say they are looking for new products when attending an event. (Source)
- Reasons for Attending Part Two: 85% of decision makers say attending a trade show saves their company time and money. (Source)
- Reasons for Attending Part Three: 91% of attendees say attending a show helps them make buying decisions because their competition is in one place allowing for comparison. (Source)
- Word-of-Mouth: Trade show visitors will tell 6+ people about their experience. (Source)
- Supplier Acquisition at Events: At the last show they attended, 77% of executive decision makers found at least one new supplier. (Source)
- Importance of Events: 79% of people rank events as an important aspect of their business. (Source)
- Importance of Events Part Two: Over 90% of nonprofits rank events as important or extremely important. (Source)
- Who Spends the Most: Nonprofits spend the most amount of time planning their events. (Source)
- Time Spent Planning: On average, most B2B companies spend roughly 5-8 weeks planning an event. (Source)
- Event Marketing: Email is used most often for event marketing. (Source)
- Event Marketing Part Two: The least used event marketing medium is magazine ads. (Source)
- Use of Social Media: B2B organizations are the least likely group to rely on social media for event marketing. (Source)
So there you have it — 37 essential facts every event planner, meeting planner, and conference planner should know. Did I miss any of your favorite facts? If so, let me know in the comments section below.
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About the Author: Jamie Turner is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and CEO who speaks about business, digital media, and leadership at events, conferences, and corporations around the globe. He has been profiled in one of the world’s best selling marketing textbooks, is the author of several business books, and can be seen regularly on CNN and HLN. He can be reached at +1-678-313-3472 or via email at Jamie.Turner@SIXTY.Company.