Attendance at International Meetings Grew in 2013, but Next Year Will Be Better

Meetings hosted by international associations remain a steady business amid global economic uncertainty, concludes the International Congress and Convention Association after a survey of 92 international association meeting planners at this year's IMEX Association Day in Frankfurt.

Growth was minimal in 2013, but meeting planners' projections and improving business travel trends point towards a rebounding market for 2014.

Thirty-two percent, or 29 respondents, saw meeting attendance grow in 2013, but 68 percent, or 63 people, said 2013 attendance stayed the same or dropped.

This is a slight improvement in that 4 percent more respondents saw attendance growth in comparison to 2014 and 7 percent fewer respondents saw an attendance drop. However, the number of meeting planners seeing attendance grow remains the minority.

A more hopeful sign of growth for the meetings and conference sector is respondents' projections for 2014. Almost 30 percent of associations plan to run more meetings in 2014 than 2013 and only 7 percent of respondents plan to host fewer meetings.

Other meetings coverage on Skift:

• The world’s most popular international meeting destinations
• The Top Meetings Destinations in U.S. Reveal Post-Recession Rebound