The economy and ever-changing compliance responsibilities will continue to challenge healthcare exhibit marketers in 2011, as shown by a survey of HCEA members conducted in December 2010 to assess their convention marketing plans for 2011. According to the survey, 37% of HCEA’s healthcare exhibitor members expect decreases in their convention marketing budgets in 2011, while 18% expect increases.
The study was conducted by Exhibit Surveys, Inc., and the results were presented at the 2011 HCEA Healthcare Convention Marketing Summit in January. A similar study was conducted in December 2009, so it is possible to make comparisons between the two years. For example, for the healthcare exhibitors who will increase their exhibit budgets in 2011, the increase will be by an average of 15 percent, which is down from 19 percent in 2010. For those with expected declining budgets, the average decrease will be 18 percent, a change from 20 percent in 2010.
Other key results of the survey include:
• Roughly two-fifths (40%) of members plans to decrease the size of their exhibits by an average of 17%.
• Almost a third of members (33%) plan to decrease the total number of conventions they participate in for 2011, while 29% plan an increase.
• Two-fifths (40%) of members plan to increase their participation in regional and local events.
• About a third of convention marketing members plan to decrease certain sponsorships and promotions.
The survey also assessed the perceived importance of critical issues faced by healthcare exhibit marketers including:
• legal and regulatory compliance – 97% ranked this with high importance (as compared to 82% in 2010)
• cost containment - 82% ranked this high importance (as compared to 94% in 2010)
• booth traffic generation – 79% ranked this as highly important (as compared to 94% in 2010)
• ROI/ROO – 72% rated this as being highly important (as compared to 78% in 2010)
What do all these numbers mean? While the healthcare convention marketing industry is still fundamentally sound, it appears that budgetary pressures are the “new normal,” and results measurement will become increasingly important to help exhibitors make better investment decisions and justify their convention marketing programs. For more information visit www.hcea.org.
