Project Attrition
Presenter Name
Presenter Title
Presenter Employer
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Project Attrition
Made possible by generous support from the meetings, conventions
and exhibitions industry. Lead contributors are the foundations of:
Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
Professional Convention Management Association
(PCMA)
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA)
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Attrition is…
The difference between the actual
number of sleeping rooms picked-up
and the number agreed to in the terms
of the contract.
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Project Attrition is…
An initiative developed by the
Convention Industry Council designed
to help educate the meetings,
conventions and exhibitions industry on
attrition while pursuing solutions to
minimize the impact of the problem.
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Project Attrition’s Components
1. Case Study Resource: an ongoing industry
resource providing relevant case study
information
2. Educational Tools: planning templates and
timelines designed to assist the event
organizer, the convention & visitors bureau
(CVB) executive and the hotel executive in
minimizing attrition potential
3. Industry Research: a two part industry-wide
research study of looking at practices of the
event organizer and the attendee/exhibitor.
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Project Attrition’s Components
...Continued
4. Technology Review: an analysis of the
available technological resources for the
industry.
5. Long-Term Recommendations: a series of
long-term recommendations on the attrition
issue will be reported to the APEX Housing
and Registration Panel.
6. Legal Considerations for Event Management:
a review of approaches in dealing with the
risk and the burden of attrition in event
contracts.
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
1. Case Study Resources
A repository of over 90 case studies is at
www.conventionindustry.org
Case studies are organized into 3 categories:
1. Associations
2. Corporations
3. Exhibitions
AND, they are catalogued with:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Name of Event Host
Name of Meeting
Issue Faced
Solution Identified
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
2. Education Tools
• Event organizer timeline for events with
a signed contract
• Event organizer timeline for events
without a signed contract
• Hotelier timeline for events
• Convention & Visitors Bureau Timeline
for Events
• Decision Matrix
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
3. Industry Research
Purpose of the Current Study
• formalize a ‘snapshot’ of the attrition
situation to provide an accurate
assessment of the breadth and depth of
the problem
• evaluate the potential value of certain
measures for analysis
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Methodology
• 2200 event planners were invited to
participate
• the survey was offered to a large cross
section of events
• 342 event planners completed the
online questionnaire
• the process yielded a “convenience”
sample
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Survey Sample
Breakdown by Event Type
Event Type
% of Sample
Meeting
Number
Surveyed
64
Convention
Tradeshow/Exhibit
173
25
57%
8.3%
Other
40
3.2%
21%
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Survey Sample
Breakdown by Block and Sponsor Type
Block Type
Number
Surveyed
% of Sample
Single Hotel
181
60%
Multiple Hotel
70
23%
Citywide
51
17%
Sponsor Type
Number
Surveyed
% of Sample
Association
207
69%
Society
68
23%
Corporation
9
3%
Other
18
5%
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Survey Findings
• The percentage of groups assessed
attrition fees rose to 32% in 2002/2003
• The percentage of these groups
assessed attrition fees in 1998 was 4%
• 41% of events with multiple hotel
blocks were assessed attrition in
2002/2203
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
More Survey Findings
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Establish a formal plan to Cope With Attrition
Involve Leadership in the Plan
Offer Online Housing Registration
Combine Event and Housing Registration
Shorten Time that Room Block is Open
Conduct a Room Audit
Use Outside Housing Company
Require Attendees to Pre-Pay Hotel Room
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Even More Survey Findings
• 52 % of respondents have a formal
plan; 80% who have a formal plan feel
it is successful
• Events with shorter housing registration
period had an average of 93% pickup;
Events with longer periods had an
average of 84% pickup
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Even More Survey Findings
• The average gain from room audits
resulted in an average increase of 5%
• 91% of respondents who asked their
attendees to pre-pay hotel rooms were
successful in getting them to
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Accomplishments
•
•
•
•
Determined that attrition is a problem
Created a repository of case studies
Published several educational tools
Suggested possible solutions to
minimize attrition fees
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
Questions
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org
More Information
More information on Project Attrition,
including a free copy of the complete
report, can be found at:
www.conventionindustry.org
Project Atttition is an initiative of the Convention Industry Council | www.conventionindustry.org