Association Meetings SHOW MUST GO By Ron Donoho Photography by Matthew Furman THE ON ON ON annual meeting fell before the fourth quarter of 2008, their attendance figures and exhibit hall sales may not have seen dips. But groups in annual January or February rotations definitely had the economy factor into the planning process. Planners are looking warily at the rest of 2009—especially those whose association’s budget sinks or swims based on the success of the annual meeting. Some large groups generate upward of 40-50 percent of yearly income at their annual shows. So does a down economy mean a show organizer needs to cut corners? It might. But a savvy planner uses her relationship with vendors to create a program that retains value to attendees—and doesn’t risk the entire future of the event. We wondered if planners of large association meetings were How big groups are staying afloat and carrying on with annual meetings during trying economic times E ven in troubled economic times, the show must go on. The fiscal climate has hurt all levels of the meetings industry. Does it hold true that the bigger an event, the bigger the pain? Not necessarily, but the challenges do come on a grand scale, according to the planners we talked to who stage annual events for groups with attendances larger than 10,000. For associations whose last 28 I SM I August 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - August 2009