The State of the Meetings Industry - 2023

In the 2023 edition of The State of the Meetings and Convention Industry Future Partners explores the meeting planner and existing challenges in the industry. The unique research on meeting planners helps destinations and CVBs identify recommendations for working with meeting planners, evaluate marketing and advertising tactics, and understand a benchmark of performance. This study is offered as a co-op during the year, but general findings are also available for purchase. Explore key insights on engaging with partners, decreasing booking windows, and the factors impacting location.

Engaging with Planners

Future Partners surveyed 479 meeting planners across a variety of sectors including corporate (53.4%), national associations (30.5%), state associations (20.7%), regional associations (19.2%), third-party planners (21.1%), SMERF planners (41.5%), and sport/athletic events (33.4%). Nearly half (47.6%) indicated that they do source convention centers for the events they plan. These planners were also generationally diverse, 22.2 percent were Baby Boomers, Gen X made up nearly half at 42 percent, Millennials 26.9 percent, and Gen Z 9.0 percent.

“We look for destinations that truly feel the city or hotel ‘wants their [event’s] business’.”

Booking Windows

Booking windows continue to be shorter, with the typical planner sourcing venues 1.3 years before the event date. And attendees are booking in even shorter windows, planners say they are registering for events 3.5 months in advance and booking their lodging 3.3 months out. That said, one in ten (12%) attendees is booking accommodations less than 1 month from the event. Planners also indicate that booking after the room block expiration is significant and a critical challenge.

Location, Location, Location

When asked, three out of four (77.7%) planners and their clients say they’re open to sourcing new locations. This affirmative sentiment was most pronounced for third-party, sports, and SMERF planning. And given how essential it is for planners to have safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for their attendees, they shared that the best way to showcase this is in your marketing message. 

“Emphasize inclusivity with language and imagery. Create spaces within the venue for easy networking and community building and provide volunteers and greeters at airports, hotels, and venues to welcome guests and answer questions.”

Planners also share that soaring costs, staff issues, and hotel unwillingness to negotiate are creating barriers, so much so that some planners are considering sourcing boutique event centers as an alternative approach to using hotel meeting space. They are also looking for inventive ways to explore keeping food and beverage costs down. Planners have shared that they are looking outside the event space for meals and offering voucher systems for attendees to source their food. 

Over half (61.2%) of planners also indicated that controversial issues such as state or local laws have caused them to reconsider a destination for their meetings.

There’s more to discover in the full report! To learn how to best activate and increase meetings in the future, purchase our report.