While the 2015 edition of the study predicted a fall in spending (-0.7%) in Europe, this 2016 version predicts an increase (1.8%) over the coming months. This would be the first increase in spending recorded since the study was launched in 2010. The number of events should also increase, as indicated by one in five professionals (20%). "Not only the number of events, but also overall spending should increase, reversing the downward trend seen in the 2015 forecasts," points out Issa Jouaneh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of American Express Meeting & Events. The reversal should be particularly noticeable in France, where the expected increase in individual budgets (+3.3%) contrasts with the 2015 forecasts (-3.8%). The French market also stands out for the budgets allocated to training - $500 per person on average, compared with $326 for the European average - and trade shows ($621).
Another finding of this study is that the digitalisation of the market is struggling to take off. Virtual or hybrid meetings remain the exception, with only a quarter of those surveyed believing they use them for more than 10% of their meetings. In the vast majority of cases (66%), the professionals do not know whether their company has defined a policy to encourage virtual meetings. On the other hand, the use of mobile applications to improve communication and participant engagement should concern at least one meeting in ten, according to 60% of those surveyed.
