Industry Links

Global Data Exchange

IMEX Research Partner Research German Research Industry Research

The IMEX Global Data Exchange encourages and facilitates the international dissemination of data and opinions on topics associated with the meetings industry. Material is collated from original surveys, published academic papers, insights derived from trade associations, and from the authorised work of commercial and other relevant professional bodies.

Do you have any comments or opinions that you would like to share with us? Would you like to submit research for inclusion?

Please contact us today

IMEX Research

Current IMEX Survey Results:

Surveys in 2007:

Surveys in 2006:

Surveys in 2005:

Surveys in 2004:

Coming Up:

Emerging Markets

Partner Research:

IMEX partners with a number of industry experts to deliver vital research to the industry and identify the trends ahead.

The PLANNER.be: International associations headquartered in Brussels

THEPLANNER.be has carried out an indepth survey into the Brussels international association market. The overall objective of this research project was to get a clear answer to the following three questions:

(1) Which criteria do Brussels-based international associations use to decide where to organise their following conference?

(2) In which destinations are the Brussels-based international associations interested for future conferences?

(3) How does the whole internal decision-making process exactly work and are there certain patterns to be detected?

This association survey (e-mail survey and personal interviews with associations) was sponsored by IMEX and by ABCN Austrian Business and Convention Network, Tallinn City Tourist Office & Convention Bureau and Maison de la France.

Trend Watch: Corporate Survey Belgium Market

THEPLANNER.be is publisher of the printed bulletin ASSOCIATIONPLANNER.be, sent to 2,500 associations headquartered in Brussels and to 1,500 international associations in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. THEPLANNER.be is the only marketing & communication agency in Benelux that can offer tailor-made solutions to effectively communicate with European associations, European incentive agencies & professional congress organisers and Belgian multinationals.

www.theplanner.be

MPI European Foundation

IMEX has partnered with MPI as the lead sponsor of the MPI European Foundation. This partnership aims to advance the European meeting industry with joint marketing initiatives and research projects. In May 2004 the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) launched its first European research results in partnership with IMEX, entitled, “Aspiring to Lead in Europe”.

Key Takeaways – ‘Aspiring to Lead in Europe’:

There is a strong expectation for change in the business environment in the meeting industry in Europe, as new companies emerge which have flexible working structures amenable to women and men.
Organisations with less flexible environments are losing talent as women are increasingly willing to form their own companies to create more desirable work environments.
The key elements which appear to influence women becoming leaders in the meeting industry are their desire to succeed and life decisions they make along the way.
Women leaders in the meeting industry are generally respected by men and women
Because people define leadership in different terms, discussions between women and men must take place to ensure that leadership opportunities offered by companies are attractive to both.
Attention should be give to the fact that there is disagreement about the leadership opportunities for males and females which result from company policies

Though country cultures differ greatly across Europe, it is generally agreed that those cultures currently favour leadership opportunities for men over women.

Click here for the full report

Click here for access to MPI’s research pages

The Association Gateway

IMEX and the Association Gateway are conducting their 3rd professional survey into the association market in Europe. The 2006 research will measure the views of a wide range of professionals in different industries across Europe. The 2005 survey respondents indicated a gap between their expectations of their association and the reality in delivery. The aim of the 2006 survey is to explore whether this gap exists and if so, identify what associations need to do to meet members' expectations. To take part in the research please click here. The research will be available at the IMEX Association Day, Monday 29 May and the IMEX 2006 exhibition.

IMEX has undertaking a detailed report of the association sector together with The Association Gateway, UK. Full research results can be downloaded here:

Association Planning and Communication in Europe 2006

Membership Recruitment and Retention in Europe 2005

Membership Renewal and Retention in Europe 2004

The Association Gateway is a not-for-profit website developed for association leaders. It contains a knowledge bank of best practice, solutions and experiences; useful links to relevant industry associations; information channels; relevant events; association news; and resources. It aims to be the preferred 'gateway' through which association leaders can access useful information to support their role and come together in one place to share experiences and best practices.

The Association Gateway has recently launched an online Venue Search Directory for association leaders to use when looking to source a venue or destination for their events. The search facility uses SiteVisit Technology to provide a detailed description of the venue and its meeting facilities, as well as a logo, pictures, contact details and an RFP address.

German Research

IMEX works with the Travel Marketing Factory GmbH and CIM Magazine in Germany to ensure that the latest trends are brought to you from the German market.

Select the links below for current research available:

Executive Summary: Trends in the German outbound conference & incentive market (May 2006)

Trends in the German outbound conference and incentive market (May 2005)

Forecasts and Trends – German market 2004

Full survey results are available to purchase from the Travel Marketing Factory, please contact Johanna Fischer, j.fischer@tmf-gmbh.de

Transparency please (May 2006)

How German Meeting Mangers buy (March 2005)

Professionalism and service 2004

Full survey results are available from CIM Magazine

Further Industry Research - Bibliography

AIPC (Association Internationale des Palais de Congres)

AIPC carries out a variety of research and surveys to assist members in their operational activities, create appropriate industry measures and evaluate industry issues. The results of these are available as listed below.

AIPC Publications

Developing & Implementing Quality Standards for Congress Centres
AIPC's Guide to Calculating Economic Impact Figures and Putting Them to Use!
AIPC's Guide to Security Planning for Congress Centres
AIPC Guide to Media Relations for Congress Centre Managers
Environmental Strategies for Convention Centres

AIPC Member Surveys

Europoll Market Survey - AIPC Version
Client Contracting
Centre-Bureau Relations
Public Funding for Congress Centres
Quality Standards for Member Facilities
Ownership, Funding, Business Activities and Research Survey
Industry Research Priorities
Annual Conference Evaluation
PCO Relations in Congress Centres
Post 9/11 Impacts Survey
FAQ Survey

Click here for access to AIPC’s research pages

BACD (British Association of Conference Destinations)

British Conference Venue Survey 2007

CIC (Convention Industry Council)

Green Meetings Report June 2004

In 2003, the Convention Industry Council organized a task force of experts in the "Green Meetings" field. This task force was charged with developing guidelines for event organizers and suppliers on running environmentally-friendly events.

Project Attrition – Final Report and Phase II Report

Project Attrition was born in response to the industry’s growing concerns over attrition. Launched in April 2003, this short-term industry collaboration was designed to help educate members of the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry on the issue while pursuing solutions to minimize the impact of the problem.

The Project Attrition Final Report, which details the work of the Project Attrition Task Force and includes tools developed to assist planners and suppliers alike, is now available on-line.

The Project Attrition Phase II Report, is now available on-line! This examination of event attendee behavior and perceptions when reserving hotel rooms presents eight diverse case studies resulting from a survey of event attendees.

CIRET (Centre International de Recherches et d’Etudes Touristiques)

An encyclopaedia of worldwide research has been compiled by C.I.R.E.T. (Centre International de Recherches et d’Etudes Touristiques). The global resource includes nearly 750 documents on the topics of meetings and/or incentive travel. In total the website incorporates over 124,000 bibliographic references for tourism.

This is a unique academic resource supported by a library of over 59,000 specific published articles and other documents, and also a current databank of individual researchers in the sector, as well as a listing of specialist educational centres.

DMAI (Destination Marketing Association International)

New and upcoming DMAI reports include:

CVB Compensation & Benefits Survey 2006

This report, produced every two years by the DMAI Foundation, is used for planning budgets, negotiating salaries and compensation, hiring new employees, determining raises and evaluating CVB benefits programmes. It includes information from 239 US and Canadian CVBs on base salary and compensation for more than 48 staff positions.

CVB Futures Study (available from autumn 2007)

This DMAI Foundation funded study will provide an environmental scan of vital issues to the DMO industry and will identify the top 10 issues for the next 10 years. The study will be released in autumn 2007 and was last published in 2000.

ECM (European Cities Marketing)

European Cities Tourism Report

Yearly report on the latest developments in European city tourism: market share, market volume analysis, forecasting, competitive analysis of European city tourism marketing segments.

Global Futures and Foresight

IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers)

Latest IAPCO reports include:

ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association)

Request the latest ICCA statistics on the international meetings market

MIA (Meeting Industry Association, UK)

The MIA conducts regular research of the UK conference market in order to assist you with your business planning. Make this your first stop to find vital information to ensure your business is on the right track. Currently available are the following reports:

MIA Survey of Trends Spring 2006
British Conference Venues Survey 2006
UK Conference Market Survey 2006 (The 2006 report contains results of interviews with 300 not for profit associations and 300 corporate buyers of conference and meetings facilities and services. It highlights what's happening in the UK conference and meetings market and where it's heading.)

PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association)

PATA's Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) produces many of the publications in this catalogue, including statistical reports, market studies and occasional papers. Also listed are some of the most useful books, studies and bibliographies published by third party organisations.

Featured publications include:

Total Tourism: India

For a country of some 1.1 billion residents, India produces an amazing number of international travellers each year. The sub-continent has become a significant contributor to Asia Pacific's international arrivals count, appearing in no less than 29 of the region's country inbound numbers in 2005 when aggregate volumes of Indian arrivals reached almost 2.5 million across the region.

India Outbound Tourism - a PATA Snapshot

India has become a significant contributor to Asia Pacific's international arrivals count, appearing in no less than 29 of the region's country inbound numbers in 2005 when aggregate volumes of Indian arrivals reached almost 2.5 million across the Asia Pacific region.

PATA Task Force Reports 2001-2006

Each task force on this CD, created at the request of a PATA member government, brings together a team of experts who volunteer their time to evaluate a particular city, region or country, and make recommendations on how its tourism infrastructure can be improved or properly developed. Task Forces deal with a wide range of issues, from historic preservation and marketing to developing national parks and pilgrim sites.

Quarterly Statistical Report 2006

Indispensable for those who require up-to-date data, the four 2006 PATA Quarterly Statistical Reports all include:

Visitor arrivals by country of origin
Outbound travel data for selected PATA member countries
Percentage changes over the same quarter of the previous year
An update of four-year monthly arrival and departure data

PATA Annual Statistical Report 2005

This is the only publication that brings together in one volume the visitor arrivals data of Asia Pacific countries, the outbound travel statistics of selected Asia Pacific countries and other tourism-related data, such as length of stay, visitor expenditure, hotel occupancy rates, national tourism organisation budgets and more. The PATA Annual Statistical Report 2005 is an invaluable tool for planning marketing strategies and conducting competitive analyses.

Hong Kong Outbound Tourism - a PATA Snapshot

The travel and tourism industry worldwide is fiercely competing for a share of the outbound travel markets from the Asia Pacific region, in particular from China and India, countries that have populations that number in the billions. Hong Kong, with a population of only 6.9 million, may not at first glance be considered as a potential market in the same league. Despite its relatively small resident volume, Hong Kong has strengths that are worthy of attention. After all, this relatively small enclave still managed to generate in excess of 70 million outbound trips last year - and not all to China either. In this report, we give you a snapshot of the relatively small but none-the-less influential Hong Kong outbound tourism market.

Japan Outbound Tourism - a PATA Snapshot

With two significant travel characteristics - large volume and high spend - Japan has long been regarded as a major contributor to the Asia Pacific region. During 2004 travellers from Japan were recorded in 40 of the region's country inbound numbers when aggregate volumes of Japanese arrivals reached almost 20 million across the Asia Pacific region. This report focuses on the current outbound travel flows from Japan and how they have changed, in terms of Asia Pacific destination choice, over the past five years. From this report, readers can identify who has been successful in increasing market-share from this important source market, and equally, who has not.

Asia Pacific Tourism Forecasts 2006-2008

The latest PATA forecasts released at the April conference indicate strong international arrivals growth in most of the Asia Pacific countries and destinations covered. Overall forecast growth across all markets is close to 8% per annum between 2004-2008, with stronger growth (9%) in the initial period between 2004 and 2006.

Total Tourism: Russia

As poets and politicians have recorded through history, Russia is a fascinating country - and all the more so because of its years behind the Iron Curtain, shrouded in mystery. With a population of over 144 million, comprising as many as 160 different nationalities, Russia covers an area of more than 17 million square kilometres - and no less than 11 time zones.

PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association)

Convene's Meetings Market Survey

Convene's annual survey paints the most comprehensive picture of the meetings market, courtesy of hundreds of professional members of PCMA.

The Incentive Research Foundation

The Incentive Research Foundation funds and promotes research to advance the science, enhance the awareness and appropriate application of motivation and incentives in business and industry globally. The goal is to increase the understanding, effective use and resultant benefits of incentives to businesses that currently use incentives and others interested in improved performance.

Latest reports include:

New Zealand Inbound/Outbound Incentive Industry (Spring 2007)

This study will provide in depth information on the incentive travel marekt in New Zealand.

Industry Profile (Spring 2007)

The study will profile the incentive travel and motivational meetings industry. The focus of the study will include development of industry definitions, size of market, profiling end users, end user budgets, the role of incentive programmes and industry trends.

The Impact of Sales Incentive Programmes: A Comprehensive Assessment (Spring 2007)

The study will look at the impact of a sales incentive programme across the entire organisation and answer the following questions: Are there effects of a sales incentive programme that go beyond the sales function? If yes, can those effects be documented and quantified? From a cross-functional perspective, how can sales incentive programmes be managed more effectively?