How Event Planners
use Technology & Social Media
Pre-IMEX 2012 social media survey by AIM Group International
1
This report is based on a May 2012 survey conducted
by AIM Group International primarily via LinkedIn
professional group “Latest trends in Event Industry by
AIM Group International” as well as through other social
media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The survey
was exploring questions and trends on technology and social
media in the meeting industry and how meeting professionals
and their clients use them in everyday life.
AIM GROUP INTERNATIONAL | Worldwide know-how. Local experience.
2
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{Summary}
•The purpose for usage of social media in the
meeting industry
• The most effective social media platforms
and technologies to use before, during and
after the event or conference
This study surveyed event planners and
meeting professionals with the goal of
understanding how they are currently using
social media and technology in their job. The
respondents of the survey include an invited
group of meeting professionals who are
responsible for running large-scale (in size,
budget or visibility) congresses, conferences
and events for associations and corporations.
On the following pages, you’ll discover:
•Technology tools and trends influencing the
future of meeting industry
•Difference in social media and technology
use and approach by corporates
–
associations – governmental institutions
• Use of meeting apps during events and
conferences
• Future for paper free conferences
• What are the major pros and cons for the
meeting industry
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AIM GROUP INTERNATIONAL | Worldwide know-how. Local experience.
{Most important findings}
Here’s a short summary of our findings:
• Top three reasons for social media use • Conference and meeting apps holds the
for the meeting industry:
top spot for future trends in the meeting
industry
• marketing and promotion of the company
• Corporate companies most demanding
clients concerning social media and
technology use during events
• to keep up with industry news and happenings
• promotion of events
• Inexperience as main obstacle to use
social media and technologies
• Top five social media networks/tools for
event organizers:
• Facebook
• Conference /
• Twitter
Meeting apps
(in no particular order).
• LinkedIn
• Conference website
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{Use of social media in the meeting industry}
66,7%
66,7%
We asked a few questions to determine the
event planners’ experience using social
media in the meeting industry.
50%
We began by asking survey participants what
is their main purpose for usage of social
media in the meeting industry. The majority
indicated they were employing social media for
marketing and promotion of the company
and to keep up with industry news and
happenings. Multiple answers were possible.
50%
50%
16,7%
5,6%
16,7%
Leads acquisition
50%
Promotion of events
50%
Online networking
66,7%
Marketing and promotion
of a company
5
AIM GROUP INTERNATIONAL | Worldwide know-how. Local experience.
66,7%
Keep up with industry
news and happenings
50%
Building a community
5,6%
Other (please specify)
{Use of social media in the meeting industry}
Promotion of the Events
The event promotion was mentioned as a
third most important objective for social
media use in the meeting industry. Yet which
specific channels are used by event planners
and is there a difference in promotion during
3 stages of the conference life, i.e. before –
during – after the event? Multiple answers
were possible.
61,1%
50%
55,6%
50%
44,4%
22,2%
According to our survey respondents, conference
website and LinkedIn are leading the ranking
as the most effective ways to raise awareness
and create communication and networking
opportunities among the attendees before a
conference.
16,7%
16,7%
11%
Conference website
LinkedIn
Conference Apps
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
YouTube
Other (please specify)
Blog
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{Use of social media in the meeting industry}
During the event
The channels and platforms are dramatically
changing for the period of the conference
happening where Conference Apps and
Twitter are taking the lead. LinkedIn,
Facebook and YouTube are rarely used by the
respondents during their events.
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AIM GROUP INTERNATIONAL | Worldwide know-how. Local experience.
{Use of social media in the meeting industry}
After the event
LinkedIn is back at lead after the event to
review event performance and to continue
the networking opportunities amongst the
participants. Conference website is keeping
its importance throughout the whole period
of a conference life.
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{
What will be the leading tools and technologies
for meeting planners in the future
Beside the actual use of social media and new
technologies in the event industry, it is very
interesting to see what the event organizers see
as main trends for the future. Again, multiple
answers were possible.
Almost 80% of the survey participants see
smartphones and mobile apps for events
to take a leading role for meeting planners
in the future. It is obvious that the congress
participants tend more and more to find all
information related to a conference online.
The actual life of an event is starting well
before the opening ceremony and first speaker’s
presentation and lasts long after the conference
venue closes its door to the delegates.
9
AIM GROUP INTERNATIONAL | Worldwide know-how. Local experience.
}
{
What will be the leading tools and technologies
for meeting planners in the future
}
A future leading tool: Conference and Meeting Apps
Will future events be paper free?
We asked event planners if they were creating and using
meeting apps during their events and whether this
happens through outsourcing or own development. A 52%
majority said no nevertheless with the intention to create
an app for their next event. Outsourcing predominates
over the internal development for those who already use
meeting apps during their events.
The overwhelming majority 81,3% of event organizers
has no experience with creating a paper free conference.
Nevertheless with new technologies and social media we
may soon experience a trend towards creating completely
paper-free events with no printed materials or poster
panels.
16,7%
81,3%
16,7%
Yes
81,3%
No
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{
Event organizers and meeting planners
- what their client say?
Social media and new technologies offer a
variety of possibilities to extend the event or
conference experience. Despite the fact that these
tools are getting more and more popular, there
are situations when event organizers cannot use
the full potential of them due to the fact that
their clients are not keen on using these tools. We
asked about the reasons, multiple answers were
possible.
“Inexperience” is by far the biggest obstacle to
meeting professionals’ clients to use the social
media and new technology when planning
an event. Amongst other reasons were costs,
security and also time issues, i.e. a manpower
to manage the social media accounts. Non
respondent mentioned that a client would have
a bad experience in this area.
}
Further we asked event organizers what feedback
they receive from their clients re use of new
technologies and social media during events and
whether there is a difference in behavior between a
corporate, association and governmental meeting/
client. All respondents showed a similar general
point of view and experience:
Corporate meeting / client : a must
Association meeting / client : a possibility (to involve
the audience, to explore new approaches towards
members, etc. nevertheless with concerns)
Governmental meeting / client : no requests
25%
87,5%
18,8%
12,5%
18,8%
Costs
87,5%
Inexperience
25%
Security issues
0%
Bad experience
18,8%
No need for their members/
delegates/employees
12,5%
Other (please specify)
18,8%
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AIM GROUP INTERNATIONAL | Worldwide know-how. Local experience.
{
What the main pros and cons for use of new
technologies in the meeting industry?
}
An open question to summarize personal feelings of event planners and meeting professionals on this area
concluded the survey. Here is our selection of replies:
Pros
Cons
• “Not all people are acquainted with technologies so it depends
on who is your target client.”
• “Reaching a wider audience”
• “Everyone needs to keep with the technology being developed
and used in this or any other industry”
• “Not everybody is adapting nor inclined to keep up with the
fast changes in technology and applications; too many things
to learn in so short a time”
• “The facility of management, time management, image,
logistics, performance of the conferences”
• “Sometime are the cost and the inexperience”
• “New technologies can help to the fusion of knowledge and
awareness. Also helping to target a specific group of people or
companies, decreasing costs”
• “This will be the future”
• “New tools are implementing new rules of communication.
The pace of changes in technology, may be leaving behind
more aged experts -that are not sufficiently informed on new
technologies but might have a lot to give”
• “More visibility and speed of information, increase links”
• “It is necessary to train staff to manage and also to sell these
new tools to clients”
• “Faster, less rigid, everything on real time!”
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