Independent research into the meetings and events industry in Australia by Micromex Research and commissioned by micenet AUSTRALIA magazine has revealed New Zealand is on top of a planner’s wish list when it comes to international events.

The online study of almost 1000 readers of micenet magazine conducted in July this year provided a raft of interesting findings that give a clear indication of the current state of the industry and the outlook for the remainder of 2011 and beyond.

On the international front 35 per cent of survey respondents are considering international destinations for upcoming events, with Asia a clear leader (35 per cent) and New Zealand (14 per cent) the most popular.

Sydney (32 per cent) and Melbourne (28 per cent) continue to be the pick of the domestic destinations survey respondents are considering for upcoming events.

Despite the ongoing economic doom and gloom and the high Australia dollar it appears as if many events are going ahead albeit with slightly reduced attendees.

On average, study participants organise or book 25 events per year, with the majority (46 per cent) having an annual budget of between $0 and $50,000. The average annual expenditure/budget for meetings and events was: up to $50,000 (46 per cent); $51-$100k (21 per cent); $101-$250k (14 per cent); $251-$500k (11 per cent); $501-$1m (five per cent); and $1m+ (three per cent).

The survey also found that 72 per cent of respondents believe expenditure on events will remain the same for the next 12 months. Good news is that 22 per cent of respondents believe expenditure on events will increase with only six per cent expecting a decrease. (In the 2009 Micromex study nine per cent expected an increase and 27 per cent expected a decrease).

The average number of event attendees has fallen, albeit slightly compared to 2009. In 2011 the average number of attendees per conference or event is 143. In 2009 the average number of attendees per conference or event was 149, and in the 2007 study conducted by Micromex Research on behalf of micenet magazine, the average number of attendees per conference or event was 158.
 

Exhibitions aplenty
Industry exhibitions continue to be a hot topic for the business event sector with some practitioners claiming there are too many. However, the Micromex Research reveals that there are a number of key events that will continue to see strong attendance numbers.

The AIME exhibition held in Melbourne continues to lead the way. The 2011 survey has revealed 50 per cent of respondents anticipate attending AIME within the next two years (up from 41 per cent in the 2009 study). The second most popular exhibition is the Australian Business Events Expo (43 per cent of respondents said they would be attending the event in the next two years). This is a significant leap from the 2009 study in which 28 per cent said they would attend the show. Planned attendance at RSVP Sydney, however, has fallen from 2009 figures. In 2011 42 per cent of survey respondents said they would attend RSVP Sydney compared to 51 per cent of respondents in 2009.

Other industry events survey respondents said they would be attending in the next two years include: RSVP Melbourne (21 per cent); Meetings New Zealand (14 per cent); Victoria Meeting Mart (10 per cent); IMEX (seven per cent); EIBTM (seven per cent); IT&CMA (six per cent); Perth Event Show (five per cent); PAICE (NZ) (five per cent); other (20 per cent); and none of these (12 per cent).

micenet will be revealing additional survey findings in future editions.

 

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