Opportunities in the crisis thanks to great value for money and ever brighter image

Frankfurt/Main, 26 May 2009. Even in the crisis Germany benefits from its great value for money and ever brighter image: European meeting and event organisers see Germany as Europe's number one meetings destination - far outpacing all other EU member states: Asked to quote their favourite meetings destination, 36.7 per cent of organisers named Germany.

The events market is operating on a high level again in 2009: Germany boasts 6,330 meeting and event venues, two per cent more than last year. 2.76 million meetings and events took place in 2008 and were a bit better attended - 318 million delegates: almost four times as many as the German population - than in 2007 (up
one per cent).

These are the key results of the Meeting & EventBarometer 2009, a survey of the German meetings and events market that was unveiled at IMEX trade fair today. For the third time already the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC), German National Tourist Board (GNTB) and the GCB German Convention Bureau commissioned the European Institute for the Meetings Industry to highlight the
German meetings and events market. The market research data of the survey are crucial to help Germany adapt to changing demand and maintain its leading position despite the ever tougher competition.

"Business travel depends strongly on the economic situation and is hence greatly affected by the current economic crisis. As the results of the survey show, some German and international companies have already cut down on the number and duration of business trips both in the promotable (fairs and meetings /congress travel) and traditional segments. And further measures have been taken to minimise costs. Due to its excellent value for money Germany finds itself in an ideal
position. And when the international economy hopefully picks up again by 2010, Germany be back on par with the great results of 2007 and experience new growth," says Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board.

EVVC President Joachim König observes: "The share of small and mid-sized budgets went up in 2008. And experts do not expect spending to rise in the more distant future: So beyond their great value for money providers need to adapt to these conditions with various measures, e.g. by offering low-priced public transport packages to and from the destination. This has a direct bearing on environmental
and climate concerns, which may be another factor for the excellent world-wide position of German venues in the future."

Lutz P. Vogt, Managing Director of the GCB, points out: "For German and European organisers Germany is again number one for meetings and events. But that is not all: Germany's image as a meeting and event destination is constantly improving - according to the opinion of 82.3 per cent of experts interviewed for the survey. Constantly rising attendance figures at meetings and events over the last few years prove the growing economic importance of this market for Germany.
Experts rate its reachability, infrastructure, quality of meeting capacities, security and tourist attractions as exemplary. These are important requirements for mastering the current crisis and to emerge from it with new strength. The interviewed experts also saw the positive effects of the crisis: It will readjust the market, and the relationship between providers and organisers will gain a new dimension, with ROI (Return on Investment) rising in importance and creativity as
well as quality becoming more coveted assets. Again Germany is in an excellent position in all these fields by international standards."

Key indicators of the most important results at a glance
On balance, most experts interviewed for the survey forecast a restrained development of meetings and events in external venues: Nevertheless, 21.5 per cent agree that the number of outsourced events will grow despite the current economic situation.

And over 40 per cent of all experts expressly stated that meetings and seminars - i.e. events of a more "work-focused" nature than incentives and events - will be of rising importance. So, compared to other segments most experts clearly see some growth potential there.

Sustainability and climate protection also play a major role in the survey: Over half of all organisers (58 per cent) rate climate protection as "important" or "very important". At present, already 15 per cent of organisers are "definitely" influenced by climate protection concerns when choosing a venue for their meeting or event. And 39 per cent believe that the topic has a "slight influence" on the choice of their
preferred venue. Over half of all companies, associations and agencies would recommend climate protection projects, especially those with specific measures to protect the environment.

In 2008 the share of smaller and mid-sized budgets saw an increase. Budgets of 25,000 to 100,000 euros accounted for 29 per cent compared to 22 per cent in 2007. And experts do not expect spending to rise in the more distant future: While over half of all interviewed experts had still predicted larger budgets for the future last year, only 8.9 per cent now forecast an increase in spending. Providers can
adapt to this with various measures, e.g. by offering low-priced public transport packages to and from the destination.

Opportunities in the crisis thanks to great value for money and ever brighter image

Frankfurt/Main, 26 May 2009. Even in the crisis Germany benefits from its great value for money and ever brighter image: European meeting and event...

Meeting- & EventBarometer 2009

Chancen in der Krise durch gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis und konstant steigendes Image   Frankfurt am Main, 26. Mai 2009. Auch in der Krise...