Technology has become an important planning tool for insurance and financial services meetings, according to a recent survey conducted by Insurance Conference Planner magazine and the Insurance Conference Planners Association.
Eighty percent of the 136 survey respondents say they search for meeting sites online, and 78 percent say that attendees can register online for meetings or will be able to within the next 12 months. And, taking the meeting Web site beyond registration, 64 percent say that potential incentive qualifiers can track their qualification progress online or will be able to within 12 months.
While the median incentive program budget of $1 million is down slightly from two years ago, the median training meeting budget of $300,000 is up slightly. Insurance and financial services meetings are generally holding steady, with 78 percent of respondents saying they will hold the same number of incentive programs in 2003 as in 2002, and 66 percent saying they will hold the same number of training meetings.
The e-mail study of ICPA planners was conducted in September and October 2002 by the Primedia Business Marketing Research Department and generated a 34.1 percent response rate.