We’re way past January, when all the prognosticators are sharing what they see coming for the year. But sometimes it’s important to pause mid-year to take a reading of how things are going and what lies ahead. So here are two industry reports which do just that.
First is the 2017 Economic Outlook Survey from EXHIBITOR Magazine. More than 400 responses were received, which shed some positive light on what we can expect to see from exhibiting companies. The good news is that budgets appear to be coming back, with nearly 80 percent reporting their budget will maintain or even increase this year. Of that, it seems the biggest increases will be spent on exhibit space or display materials to fill that space. (No surprise there.) But what’s also encouraging is that exhibit promotions also make the list for increases. And within those promotions, online is the front-runner, with significant increases coming for e-mail marketing, videos, podcasts and blogs. To view all the study breakdowns, visit the EXHIBITOR website.
Next up is the Event Technology Research Report from TSNN. There’s no doubt that technology will play a major role in the growth of the trade show and event industry. But beyond that, there may be a variety of opinions on what form of the technology is most important, depending on the goals of each organization. (Top three included apps, event management software, and audience engagement.) Visit the TSNN website for a more detailed summary, or to purchase a copy of the complete report.
