Successful Meetings - Passport March 2015

travel as being an effective, very effective, or extremely effective motivator for the incentive sect.

Some budget increases have been substantial—Cathy Ewing, for one, says hers have gone up approximately

20 percent over 2014. “Because of the
upsurge and strength in the economy,
traveling internationally has been revived,”
Ewing says. “There was a pullback during
the economic downturn, but they are
now going back in that direction. Travel-
ing within the U.S. is great, but heading
offshore has a higher perceived value for
the attendee. It’s something they are less
likely to do on their own.”
But increases in budgets now don’t
necessarily mean there are more attendees
touching down on foreign soil—yet. “We
plan a year or two out in advance, so for
our 2017 and 2018 programs, my clients
are definitely increasing what they will be
doing abroad,” says Abe Korn, meeting
planner of Worldwide Meeting & Event
Services in Moriches, New York.

Lead time is indeed stretching, accord-
ing to planners who participated in the
survey. Like Korn, 35 percent of respon-
dents report having more than one year to
plan for their international events—that’s
an increase from last year by at least a few
percentage points.

Any swells in lead time, even small ones, can mean great things for planners, says Eli Gorin—especially for international events. “The gist of planning a meeting domestically or abroad is the same at its core, such as the time needed for proper communication with vendors and attendees, shipping, financial matters, sourcing, and so much more,” says the managing director of gMeetings, an Aventura, Florida-based event company. “You need to have additional time padded in to ensure that your timeline is effective.” Survey results show that it takes most planners about two to four months just to select a destination for their international programs, let alone iron out the details.

But with this upsurge in corporate
spending on international programs,
planners need to be on their toes as there
becomes more and more competition for
desired dates and venues. Ewing says that
sharing this information with her clients
is what’s effected those increases in lead
times for her programs. “I can happily say
we are getting more time to put things
together, but a lot of that has to do with
our communication with our clients—
letting them know that their destination
choices may be limited if they don’t give
us proper time to search. Some of the
choices our clients were interested in were
not available because they didn’t speak up
soon enough.”
Inge Hafkemeyer highlights another
reason her clients are booking programs
further out, and savvy planners share this
with the decision-makers, too: “Currency
exchange is a big factor,” she says.

“Right now, the U.S. dollar is very strong.

So for the groups we have booked we
are paying deposits ahead of schedule
to take advantage of the great exchange
rate and save our clients a considerable
amount of money.”
Not just time and money, but also
attendance: According to survey results,
that may be growing, too. The largest
number of survey respondents this year
reported that their international events
expected to draw 101 to 500 attendees,
when last year the majority of the partici-
pating planners expected group sizes
of only 51 to 100. Fewer respondents
this year report an expected decrease in
attendance from 2014.

DESTINATION DECISIONS

What have remained steady, though, are those areas of the world that are attracting corporate meeting groups the most.

According to the survey, that’s Western Europe and the Caribbean, which take the top two spots.

“I have definitely seen an increase in requests for European destinations

CASE STUDY

• CLIENT: Top technology company • PARTNER: Xcape1 Meetings and Incentives • DESTINATION: Cancun, Mexico • PROGRAM: Annual sales incentive and strategy meeting; January 4 – 9, 2014

• PARTICIPANTS: 300 attendees including corporate executives and salespeople, with guests, hailing from all over the U.S.

• PROGRAM: Beachy locales are the top choice by this tech company for its yearly gathering:
a “50/50” mix of work and play, according to Xcape1’s owner and CEO Mark Loo, who has
planned the event for 15 years. Cancun has been a frequent choice for the event, in part
because of this: “The affordable concept of the all-inclusive resort,” says Loo—of which this
gorgeous strip of sand along Mexico’s Caribbean coast excels; this time, the host property
was the Paradisus Cancun, where meetings, mingling, and amusement merged so smoothly.
“You can’t compare the value attendees get for the experience they have at a resort area like
this; I would basically say it’s a savings of over 50 percent as it relates to other destinations.
The daily no-cost activities planned at the hotel, like pool games and beach volleyball, really
help cut program costs. And Cancun has a sun and beach better than that of any other group
• HIGHLIGHTS: “Cancun as a destination has it all—nightlife, historical tours, culture,
eco-activities,” says Loo. There’s something for everyone, but this year one activity option
attracted a whopping 75 percent of the group: a tour of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum,
as well as time at Xel-Ha, an all-inclusive eco-waterpark with everything from swimming with
the dolphins; to outdoor massages amongst lush, tropical surrounds; to ziplining and ATV
rides; to taking a dip in spectacular cenotes (naturally formed swimming holes created by
collapsed bedrock).

• RESULTS: The group is not just returning to Cancun again next year, but also to the same property; attendees were “very, very excited,” says Loo. “We give it a 100-plus rating on a scale of one to 10.”