The past year transformed the way the meeting industry. As a result, the Research Department of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has also reinvented the way it evaluates and presents the Statistical Report. This latest version reflects the changing needs of the industry. Provides a more accurate representation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at association meetings globally. Furthermore, it is an enhanced tool to guide the industry out of the current crisis and into a modified but stronger future.
The Report consists of meetings that were scheduled for 2020 and indicates what happened to each event. It includes an analysis of the economic impact in 2020 compared to 2019, loss of revenue, and several additional key parameters. New categories have been added to represent the full spectrum of solutions that event planners implemented in 2020; such as virtual and hybrid meetings, postponement, cancellation and relocation.
The key findings include:
While 44% of meetings were postponed to 2020, the vast majority of those meetings remained true to the original destination.
Virtual and hybrid meetings have helped associations attract larger audiences in 2020, compared to face-to-face meetings in previous years.
Analysis of the economic impact of COVID-19 (total spending 2019 vs. 2020) indicates the strong desire of the industry to return to face-to-face meetings. However, in the future, meetings are likely to include virtual and hybrid event elements and best practices.
"We are very pleased to offer our industry this latest version of the report that includes a more holistic and accurate representation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at association meetings globally," said ICCA Executive Director Senthil Gopinath.
“The ICCA 2020 Statistics Report not only provides a closer look at what was, but provides a clearer view of what is to come. It reveals many positive developments that can guide high-level decision makers within associations, sectors and local governments. Above all, this report captures the incredible resilience of our community. We at ICCA World firmly believe that the global association meeting industry is entering a brighter and stronger future”.