The past year has transformed the way the international association meetings industry does business. As a result, ICCA has also reinvented the 2020 ICCA Statistics Report on the association meetings market.
We are excited to bring you this latest iteration of the report with a more holistic and accurate representation of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on association meetings globally.
In the 2020 report, you’ll find details on international meetings that were supposed to take place with insights into what became of COVID-19 affected meetings. We’ve added new categories to represent the full spectrum of solutions that event planners implemented in 2020; including virtual and hybrid meetings, postponement, cancellation and relocation.
The report delivers analysis on economic impact, revenue loss and other key parameters. An examination of the total expenditure in 2019 vs 2020 reveals the industry’s strong desire to return to face-to-face meetings. However, in the future, meetings are likely to include elements and best practices from virtual and hybrid events.
You can further see that postponed meetings remain overall loyal to their original destination. In short, they’ll be back. And when they return, they are likely to entice larger audiences of delegates eager to meet face-to-face within the necessary safety protocols. Meanwhile, virtual and hybrid events have helped associations expand their audience and keep members engaged with their activities. These are all positive developments that can guide top-level decision makers within associations, sectors, and local governments.
The 2020 ICCA Statistics Report not only provides a closer look at what was, it gives a clearer view of what is ahead. We at ICCA World steadfastly believe that the global association meetings industry is entering a brighter, stronger future.
Senthil Gopinath
ICCA CEO
Worth Noting:
Page 19: Technology events were the highest to convert to virtual and the sciences industries were the least likely to convert to virtual.
Page 21: Average attendance has increased by 50% going virtual with the average registration price decreased by 60%.