About the same time that Meeting Professionals International was querying corporate, association, and government planners; intermediaries; and other members for its major annual survey (see story, right), our sister publication Financial & Insurance Meetings was doing what it does best: taking a niche approach. FIM's fall 2005 survey of meeting professionals who belong to the Financial & Insurance Conference Planners association revealed interesting data on this unique segment of the meeting market.

With a 41 percent response rate from FICP's 430 planner members, the survey found that respondents' companies held an average of 3.6 incentive travel programs in 2005 and used an average 2,359 room nights. Eighty-four percent of respondents expect to plan more or the same number of incentive meetings in 2006. The average yearly incentive budget increased to $3.2 million from just over $3 million in 2004.

Eighty-nine percent of respondents hold international incentive trips; nearly half are planning one in the first nine months of 2006.

For more, visit meetingsnet.com and click on FIM.