Targeting The Needs Of North American Meeting Planners

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As competition among destination marketing organizations grows stronger and smarter, face-to-face meetings continue to rank as one of the most effective means of influencing meeting planners to consider a new destination, according to a new study released today by Development Counsellors International (DCI).

In its second edition, A View from Meeting Planners: Winning Strategies in Destination Marketing expands upon the 2012 report with new insights about the challenges facing the business events industry as well as forecasting future trends, providing destination marketers with an additional tool for competitive advantage.

"Our in-depth research into the state of the meetings and incentives industry and the best marketing practices to reach decision makers was the first of its kind in 2012," said DCI's Director of Business Events, Daniella Middleton. "The industry today has evolved – it's time for a fresh look at the meeting planner's path to purchase and the factors influencing planner perceptions, with insights directly from planners themselves. This edition will serve as an essential marketing blueprint for destination and meeting sales professionals."

The study was based on a comprehensive survey of more than 200 North American meeting planners with global meeting planning responsibilities, conducted in midyear 2015.

Key findings include:

• Meeting planners are most concerned about declining budgets, increased workload, and the responsiveness of suppliers when it comes to their business events.
• The three leading sources of information influencing meeting planner perceptions of international meeting destinations are destination marketing organizations (DMO)/convention & visitors bureaus (CVB), dialogue with industry peers, and business/personal travel.
• A majority of respondents, 88 percent, consider educational trips (familiarizations) as either important or very important in influencing their perception of destinations.
• London rates most favorably among meeting planner for international meetings – followed by Paris, Dublin, Barcelona, and Amsterdam – and also ranks as the most preferred convention bureau, followed by Monaco, Barcelona, Dublin and Vienna.

For your copy of A View from Meeting Planners: Winning Strategies in Destination Marketing visit http://www.aboutdci.com/winning-strategies-in-destination-marketing-2015/.

About Development Counsellors International (DCI)
Development Counsellors International (DCI) is the leader in marketing places. Since 1960, we have worked with more than 450 cities, regions, provinces, states and countries, helping them attract both investors and visitors. DCI specializes exclusively in all phases of economic development and tourism marketing.

SOURCE Development Counsellors International

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