Event Industry Global Market Research - Lumilumiinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/IML-Event...Event Industry Global Market Research January 2013 Survey commissioned by IML Worldwide

¡ Input from over 300 event companies and event stakeholders worldwide

¡ What are the key trends in the use of technology to harvest audience response and interaction globally and in local markets?

¡ How is the event industry adapting to accommodate the role of Interactive Event Technology?

¡ What value do event owners place on the gathering of data and information at events and meetings?

¡ What key features do event owners value most from Interactive Event Technology?

Event Industry Global Market

ResearchJanuary 2013

Survey commissioned

by IML Worldwide and

conducted during November

and December 2012.

Survey questionnaire

distributed to database

of existing IML Worldwide

clients and partners as

well as to a number of

relevant LinkedIn groups.

Independent survey commissioned by IML Worldwide | Survey undertaken December 2012

Report copyright © IML Worldwide

INTRODUCTION

Over recent years our industry has evolved

as technology advancements occur and

philosophies on shared intelligence develop.

IML Worldwide’s global reach and 20 years

experience means we have a unique perspective

on these changes; many of which we have led or

significantly contributed to.

We are always interested in listening to our

clients and industry colleagues to understand

their perspectives about the direction of our

industry and gaining more insight about what is

important to them; it is this ethos that led to the

commissioning of the survey.

There have been a number of interesting

findings and a summary of the research can be

found on page 15 of this document. One thing

is clear – our industry continues to change at

pace as do the opportunities represented by

the new technologies available within it. This is

a major opportunity for our industry, coming at

a time when ‘Return on Investment’ is becoming

a prerequisite.

Moving forward, the informed meeting

stakeholder will need to recognize the merits of

the different opportunities available; selecting

and incorporating them into their events

accordingly.

Please enjoy the findings and if you would like

to discuss any of them in more detail with either

myself or my team please get in touch.

Regards

Richard Fisher

CEO, IML Worldwide

[email protected]

IML WORLDWIDE

Bohunt Manor

Portsmouth Road

Liphook, Hampshire, GU30 7DL

Phone: +44 1428 721 000

1

Geographical split

Total number of responses

Event Industry Supplier 16.2%

Charity & Not For Profit 15.7%

Event Industry Agency 13.7%

Other 12.5%

Financial & Banking 11.6%

Marketing 9.8%

Public Sector 6.9%

Healthcare 5.9%

IT, Telecomms & Technology 4%

Industry & Utilities 2%

Consumer Goods & Retail 1.7%

336

Types of business and organizations taking part

UK 25.5%

ASIA 4.1%

EUROPE 19.6%

USA 16.6%

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND 22%

SOUTH AFRICA 5.8%

OTHER 6.4%

ABOUT THE SURVEY


Report copyright © IML Worldwide 2

CEO 13.5%

Marketing/Comms/Events Director 16.6%

Marketing/Comms/Events – Manager/Executive 29.5%

Production/Technical Executive 5.2%

PA, Training or HR Executive 5%

Charity Director/Trustee/Fundraiser 2.4%

Event Company Executive 15.4%

Other 12.4%

Job Title

ABOUT THE EVENTS

Types of event

Conferences 41.3%

Other 16%

Fundraising Events 15.1%

Staff/Employee Meetings 10.5%

Training/Accreditation 6.4%

AGMs 4.7%

Launches 4.6%

Elections 1.4%



Number of events hosted per year by each company/organization

Under 20

20–50

50–100

100–300

300–500

500–1,000

Over 1,000

Over 5,000

Average number of people attending each event

6.7%

13%

14.7%

27.6%

17%

10.2%

8.5%

2.3%

38.2%

32.4%

14.8%

8.8%5.8%

50%

0%

23.3%

3.4%

23.3%

Event Industry, Agencies and Suppliers

Other Companies & Organizations

Less than 10 events 10–30 events 30–50 events Over 50 events Over 100 events



How important is it to gather information and insight from the audience at your events?

KEY FINDING

GATHERING INFORMATION AT EVENTS

“Metrics and feedback show that the attendees understand the event content.”

PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE, HEALTHCARE

Not important

Quite important

Very important

Vitally Important

33.7% 42.4% 17.5%6.4%

59.9% OF THOSE SURVEYED BELIEVE

IT IS EITHER VERY IMPORTANT OR VITALLY

IMPORTANT TO GATHER INSIGHT FROM THEIR

EVENT AUDIENCES

“We need to ensure we are presenting at the right level to the audience, to enable us to tailor the topics, ask questions and establish general patterns in the crowd.”

MARKETING EXECUTIVE, LAW FIRM IN RELATION TO LEGAL SEMINARS



What technologies do you use at events to gather audience insight?

“It is becoming easier to get delegates using their own equipment (phones/tablets) to interact – in-meeting tweeting is quite common and you need to be part of that conversation, not just an observer.”

MARKETING DIRECTOR, UTILITIES

KEY FINDINGS

USING TECHNOLOGY AT EVENTS IS NOw

THE NORM. ONLY 0.3%

OF RESPONDENTS SAY THEY HAVE NEVER

USED SOME FORM OF TECHNOLOGY.

VOTING/POLLING REMAINS THE MOST

COMMONLY USED FEATURE, BUT THE

BREADTH OF RESPONSES DEMONSTRATED

THE INCREASINGLY wIDE USE OF

AUDIENCE INSIGHT TECHNOLOGY.

Texting/Messaging 13.4%

Wireless Microphone 16.4%

Voting/Polling 19.1%

Portable PA 7.8%

Agenda 8.4%

Social Media 10.8%

Simultaneous Translation/Interpretation 8.6%

Sponsorship/Branding 9.3%

Data tracking 5.9%

Have not used any 0.3%

0 5 10 15 20



EVENT PLANNINGEVENT PLANNING

How important is considering return on investment when planning your events?

Vitally important 19.9%


Not important 10.2%

Not important 17.4%

Quite important 27%

Quite important 19%

Very important 42.9%


RETURN ON INVESTMENT MATTERS FOR THE EVENT STAKEHOLDER, ESPECIALLY THE CEOs

OVER 60% BELIEVE THAT ROI IS EITHER VERY IMPORTANT

OR VITALLY IMPORTANT

KEY FINDINGS

Not important 3.4%

Quite important 15.9%



To maximize the success of an event, how important is it to plan early?

CEOs

Other roles



Ideal versus actual time taken to plan an event

THERE IS AN AVERAGE VARIANCE OF 40.7% BETwEEN THE IDEAL TIME EVENT STAKEHOLDERS REQUIRE TO PLAN AN EVENT AND THE ACTUAL TIME THEY GET TO PLAN AN EVENT. THIS COULD BE A DIFFERENCE OF UP TO 6 MONTHS!

MOST EVENT STAKEHOLDERS 51.2% BELIEVE THEY NEED 3–6 MONTHS TO PLAN AN EVENT BUT 45% OF EVENTS ARE ACTUALLY PLANNED IN 1 wEEK – 2 MONTHS

KEY FINDINGS

Not important 9.0%



Vitally important 14.4%9.0% 36.7% 39.9% 14.4%

ACTUAL IDEAL

1-4 weeks 17% 9%

1–2 months 28% 15.8%

3–4 months 27% 31.7%

5–6 months 11.9% 19.5%

6–12 months 12.2% 18.4%

More than 12 months 3.9% 5.6%

ACTUAL

IDEAL

INTERACTIVE EVENT TECHNOLOGY

How important do you believe it is to obtain specialist advice prior to the event in order to maximize the insight gained through interactive event technology?



Not important 4.5%




How important can the use of interactive event technology be in maximizing an event’s overall success?

36.0%

4.5%

48.5%

11.0%

In what particular areas of an event can interactive event technology prove most useful?

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT IS BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR USE OF INTERACTIVE EVENT

TECHNOLOGY AT EVENTS

EVENTS ARE VERY MUCH BUSINESS BIASED – wITH ONLY 1%

OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS USING TECHNOLOGY PRIMARILY TO ENTERTAIN AUDIENCES

KEY FINDINGS

Audience engagement 41%


Instant Feedback 14.5%

Q&A 5%

Reporting 4%

Messaging 3%

Quizzes 3%

Entertainment 1%



To what extent do you agree with the following statement. “Without interactive event technology a significant amount of insight and knowledge is not captured at an event.”

What are the most important selection criteria when choosing interactive event technology?

Disagree 18.6%Strongly disagree 1.9% Strongly Agree 16.7%Agree 62.8%

Ease of use 41.3%

Looks/style 1.9%

Reliability/Security 20.6%

Functionality 22.3%

Price 13.9%

79% BELIEVE AUDIENCE

INSIGHT IS LOST wITHOUT

THE USE OF INTERACTIVE

EVENT TECHNOLOGY.

KEY FINDINGS

“The events we do require capture of the

rich content that is created during the

sessions so it is important when doing

these sorts of events to have the right

medium to capture that richness on.”

EVENT MANAGER, EVENT INDUSTRY AGENCY



What do you believe are the most important features of interactive event technology?

KEY FINDINGS

wHILST PRICE IS A FACTOR, EASE OF USE IS THE KEY SELECTION CRITERIA wHEN IT COMES TO THE UTILIZATION OF INTERACTIVE EVENT TECHNOLOGY FOLLOwED BY RELIABILITY AND FUNCTIONALITY –

TECHNOLOGY MUST FIT THE EVENT NOT VICE VERSA

Texting/Messaging 15.2%

Wireless Microphone 9.6%


Portable PA 1.9%

Agenda 5.9%

Social media 4.3%

Simultaneous translation/interpretation 3.3%

Sponsorship/Branding 3.6%

Data tracking 10.2%

Networking 6.4%

15.2% 9.6% 39.6% 1.9% 5.9% 4.3% 3.3% 3.6% 10.2% 6.4%

“The major problem is often getting the people running a conference to focus on an event far enough in advance to make full use of the features of technology features.”

MARKETING DIRECTOR, BANKING

“With the economy and limited budgets you want to make sure you’re gleaning as much from meetings/events as possible including realtime feedback & insights from your audience. Get the most bang for the buck.”

EVENT MANAGER, EVENT AGENCY



More important 66.0%

Much more important 22.6%

Less important 8.9%

Much less important 2.0%

How important is the insight gathered with interactive event technology at events in driving business decisions/strategy?




Not important 4.2%

“We get feedback from delegates on the speakers, as well as the general organization of the event, amongst other things. We find it better to get the information onsite, instead of expecting the delegates to complete questionnaires afterwards, which they then don’t do.”

EVENT MANAGER, EVENT INDUSTRY SUPPLIER

4.2%33.3%45.8% 16.7%

Is post event feedback becoming more or less important?

“Gathering insight ensures we are presenting at the right audience level and enables us to tailor the topics, ask questions and establish general patterns in the crowd.”

MARKETING MANAGER, LEGAL COMPANY

How important is post event analysis and feedback on the data/insight captured at the event?

Not important 4.3%






How important is interactive event technology in contributing to a measurable return on investment for an event?



Not important 11.7%


Yes, much more important 58.1%

Yes, a bit more important 21.0%

Yes, it will become one of the most important aspects of an event 18.8%

No 2.1%

“Use of this technology to invite audience participation requires engaged and

capable meeting facilitators/chairmen to make sure the interaction is being taken

full advantage of.” PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY

89.1% BELIEVE THEIR ORGANIZATIONS COULD DO MORE TO MAxIMIZE THEIR INSIGHT

THE FuTuRE OF INTERACTIVE EVENT TECHNOLOGY

Do you believe that your organization could do more to maximize the insight gained via interactive event technology at events?

Agree 71.4%

Strongly Agree 17.7%

Disagree 8.9%

Strongly disagree 2%

Do you believe interactive event technology will become more important in the future of events?

KEY FINDINGS



In what particular areas of events will it become more important?

How much of a difference has interactive event technology made to events in the past 5 years?

Level of audience engagement 56.3%

Ability to measure Return on Investment 12.9%

Level of entertainment 3.9%

Level of data/insight gained 19.7%

Driving business strategy 7.2%

“Having attended events where interactive event technology is used, the

benefits are almost self explanatory, such as instant reactions, gauging

audience participation and a general sense of a slick well run event.”

CEO, NOT FOR PROFIT

56.3% 12.9% 3.9% 19.7% 7.2%

No difference 4.5%

Small difference 34.4%

Major difference 53.3%

It’s made the biggest difference 7.8%



RESEARCH SuMMARY

¡ Data gathering from delegates at events and conferences is important for event stakeholders

(over 90% agree).

¡ Event stakeholders already utilize a variety of technologies to gather audience insight

(including texting, social media and data tracking) and over 60% believe that interactive event

technology has made a major or the biggest difference to events in the past five years. What’s

more over 75% also believe that interactive event technology will become either much more

or one of the most important components of events in the future.

¡ There are two main ways in which event stakeholders believe interactive event technology will

become more important in the future – to increase audience engagement at events (56%) and

to facilitate data and insight gathering (20%) – both these factors point to the stakeholder

wishing to maximize the input of delegates - getting the most from each whilst they are a

captive audience at an event. As for post event feedback, over 85% believe this is becoming

more important.

¡ Whilst cost is a factor when selecting interactive event technology – it is not the main factor –

more stakeholders are concerned with Ease of Use (41%), Functionality (22%) and Reliability

and Stability (20%). However, return on investment is an important factor for 90% of survey

respondents.

¡ With the increasing use of technology within events so grows the belief that it is important to

obtain specialist advice to assist in the maximization of insight ‘harvesting’ at events. 95% of

survey respondents believe specialist advice is important and 95% believe interactive event

technology is important in terms of maximizing an event’s overall success. Given the wealth of

technology options and delivery platforms available it is not surprising that event stakeholders

believe they need specialist guidance and consultancy in this area of event management.

¡ The missed opportunity – Currently nearly 90% of event stakeholders believe they could do

more to maximize the insight they gather via technology at events. An important statistic

considering 95% also believe the insight gathered at events is important in driving business

decisions and strategy.

For further information contact Richard Fisher CEO IML Worldwide via

[email protected]

www.imlworldwide.com



Documents

Event Industry Global Market Research - Lumilumiinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/IML-Event...Event Industry Global Market Research January 2013 Survey commissioned by IML Worldwide