Publishing 2023 of theIFTM Top Résa puts the MICE in the spotlight. And to mark the occasion, the event is introducing a new measurement tool dedicated to the French market, to help identify trends and changes over the years. The first Kactus-IFTM Meetings & Events Barometer was unveiled this morning at Porte de Versailles. It is set to become an essential new feature of the show, providing an annual snapshot of the market. Based on booking data processed by Kactus (more than 30,000 corporate customers), the barometer also draws on external contributions from theUnimevEpsa, the AFTM and the group Accor. Solid enough credentials to guarantee the report's legitimacy.
What about the content and lessons to be learned from this thirty-page report? In the current climate, pricing is a key issue. And it comes as no surprise that the Kactus Meetings & Events Barometer shows a price rises across the board for all types of event. "The increase is particularly noticeable for residential seminarfrom 326€ per person in 2019 à 368€ (+13%) in 2022"note the authors of the report. They go on to say: "The increase in H1 2023 is being driven by large residential seminars of the beginning of the year and the strong pressure on demand that goes with it. The price of company evenings has also evolved, rising from €78 in 2019 to €99 (+27%) in 2022, then to €96 in the first half of 2023. A sharp rise in annual prices for second half of 2023 is to be expected with the organisation of end-of-year evenings: due to the generally higher level of service provided during Christmas evenings, expenditure per participant is higher".
Nevertheless, according to Delphine BroussetThe sector is becoming more mature, and therefore more effective, in controlling these costs. With its dual role AFTM and UNIMEVshe says: "The organisation of events remains a major item of expenditure for companies, but one that is becoming increasingly under control, particularly with the arrival of MICE buyers. Companies are more careful about the budget allocated to an event. They prefer to organise events on their own premises or within reasonable distances. ". At AccorCécile Benoît-Cattin warns: "Companies that do not have a dedicated organisation or MICE specialists may be surprised by this change in pricing, particularly after a period of Covid which had resulted in stable pricing compared to 2019. However, the reality of the market reflects the impact of inflation and CSR concerns, which come at a cost. "continues the VP Regional M&E and Congress Europe & North-Africa Division.
When it comes to controlling costs, comparison is often enough... The Kactus barometer believes that there is a double the difference between quotes for companies that compared at least three quotes. On average, 3.6 quotes were compared for each event. However, this comparative work is not a guarantee of "good deals", due to a lack of pricing expertise. In fact, for one event out of two (50%), the final bookings are confirmed with a budget that exceeds the initial estimate. Better knowledge of the market will therefore be essential if the sector is to become more professional.
From this point of view, the data provided by the Kactus Meetings & Events Barometer offers some valuable insights. In particular, by differentiating pricing trends by region. This 'MICE weather forecast' proposed by Kactus thus makes it possible to identify a sort of Ile-de-France exception in the field of residential seminars. L'Ile-de-France east - with the region PACA - the only zone to have lost market share since the health crisis. It has even fallen from 53% in 2019 to 40% in 2022. For Cécile Benoît-Cattin (Accor), " the increase in the number of regional events is motivated by several factors: easy access by train, in line with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) criteria, a green environment conducive to concentration and disconnection, and the desire to satisfy participants by offering them a bleisure experience. ". This trend has not, however, driven prices down in the Paris region. In fact, the average price per person rose from €338 to €378. In fact, prices have risen in every region except the Pays de la Loire. Hauts-de-France is the most expensive region (€555).
Teleworking boosts residential seminars
These data specific to residential seminars are all the more relevant as this is the event format that has benefited the most from the crisis effect and its corollary, the teleworking. Admittedly, "small meetings" continue to dominate, accounting for almost two out of three corporate events. But as the authors of the Kactus Barometer point out, in a context of general stability between 2019 and 2022 in terms of the breakdown of event types, " only the residential seminar takes on a more significant proportion ". And the authors explain this rise in power by " the growing desire on the part of companies to strengthen links between employees, to compensate for the distance created by teleworking. Although teleworking undoubtedly improves the well-being and flexibility of employees, it also creates a greater need for alignment and reconnection. ".
Cécile Benoît-Cattin can attest to this: " In 2022, Accor observed a significant increase in the number of recurring events organised by companies compared to 2019. This trend was characterised by a craze for study days and residential seminars bringing together between 10 and 300-350 people, and recurring throughout the year. This trend can be explained in part by the impact of teleworking, which has strengthened the need for companies to recreate social links and communicate their messages and ambitions. ". But is this a lasting trend? Not necessarily, according to Cécile Benoît-Cattin: " Looking ahead to 2023, after a period of euphoria, linked in particular to teleworking, there will be a definite decline in the number of small and medium-sized events. The reasons for this decline include inflation and budgetary constraints, as well as the gradual return to face-to-face working within companies. This trend should be monitored closely.." This will be the aim of the second edition of the Kactus-IFTM Barometer.
