MICE 2009

Global
EvEnts KEy to CrEating rElationships that DrivE salEs
insiDE:
Top Ten Facts ............................2
Methodology ..............................3
Macro-Level Trending ................5
Budget ......................................7
Return on Investment ..............12
Measurement ..........................15
Experience Marketing ..............18
Procurement ...........................20
Green ......................................21
Summary .................................22
Index of Figures and Tables .....23
All of this pressure on immediate value-creation has accelerated a process that
has been underway for some time in the marketing sector. Brands are increasingly
making a break with their ad-centric past by re-centering campaign strategy and
creative across a variety of mediums.
To drive sales by persuasively engaging marketing-resistant customers in a targeted
manner, business-to-business and consumer brands are now giving below-the-line
channels such as Web marketing and events an opportunity to originate campaign
strategy and creative as well as integrate with other mediums from the bottom up.
As a result, now is an unprecedented time for marketers to more deeply explore
their organization’s investment in the event marketing discipline and how it drives
integration with other marketing channels. 
For the seventh year in a row, the EventView report, co-sponsored by the MPI
Foundation, the Event Marketer Institute and George P. Johnson, provides the data
and insight to build a business case for the more central role of events in today’s
new marketing framework.
This year’s EventView report series has been taken to the next level – more relevant
questions, deeper insights and more extensive interviews with senior marketing
and sales leadership than ever before. The respondents are professionals with
responsibilities across the marketing mix, outside of the event marketing function,
and as such their answers are telling.
In this way, EventView is more than the broadest survey available of marketing and
sales leaders’ budget plans related to event marketing and a benchmarking model
for marketing professionals. It’s an orientation point for better decision-making
around the marketing mix as we head into an uncertain future.
2009
Confronted by a turbulent economic climate and the changing ways in which audiences consume and are influenced by media
to make purchase decisions, the C-suite and boardrooms of major brands are looking to senior marketing and sales executives
as a source for innovative new strategy. They are looking for measurable ROI on every investment.
experi ence marketi ng
GPJ
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 10. 32% of respondents say they will transition from event marketing to experience 
  marketing in the next 12 months; 28% already transitioned
 9. 61% of respondents plan on implementing or have already implemented green initiatives 
  within the event function; 47% are doing so as a result of a corporate responsibility 
  mandate and report that green accounts for 13% of their event budget
 8. 47% of respondents rank the influence of procurement in marketing decisions as low 
  with 25% of respondents indicating that the role of procurement/purchasing is
  increasing at their organizations
 7. 15% of the overall corporate budget is dedicated to marketing with 27% of the average 
  marketing budget spent on event marketing
 6. 43% of respondents indicate that event marketing is taken under consideration along 
  with other mediums and 32% characterize events as a vital component of the 
  marketing plan; 15% say events are a lead tactic
 5. Event marketing (40%) and Web marketing (31%) are the first marketing channels 
  to benefit from an increase in the overall marketing budget; Events (54%) and 
  print advertising (50%) are the channels first affected by a decrease in the 
  marketing budget
 4. 73% of respondents state that they engage in some form of post-event measurement 
  with 6% of the event marketing budget spent on measurement activities 
 3. Among Global respondents, companies that measure event performance are nearly 43% 
  more likely to expect increases in their marketing budget than those that do not measure
 2. 52% choose event marketing as the discipline that best accelerates and deepens  
  relationships followed by public relations at 21% 
 1. 30% of respondents choose event marketing as the marketing discipline that provides 
  the greatest ROI followed by Web marketing at 21%
top tEn FaCts
EventView 2009: Global
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Methodology
Between December 2008 and March 2009, more than 942 senior executives in sales
and marketing management positions from nine countries across North America, Europe
and Asia Pacific were interviewed via a telephone survey with the goal of illuminating
the value and role of events in the marketing mix as it compares to other elements in a
marketer’s arsenal.
Interviewed participants were selected in industries including (but not limited to)
automotive, technology, healthcare and finance with 45 percent representing companies
with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. The distribution among specific vertical
industries and geographic regions is shown in Table 1. The margin of error is ±3 percent.
U.S.-based market research firm Intellitrends LLC, of Clarkston, MI, provided assistance
on the development of the survey and selection of the research sample. In addition to
fielding the survey via telephone interviews, Intellitrends also managed the compilation 
of this data.
20% – U.S.
11% – Canada
8% – Australia
11% – France
7% – China
11% – Japan
11% – Germany
11% – Spain
11% – UK
FIGURE 1 – Survey Demographics - Geography
TABLE 1 – Worldwide Sample Distribution
   North America Western Europe Asia Pacific
Industry Count Percentage  N=302 N=401 N=239
  of total sample
Finance N = 174 19% 15% 24% 16%
Automotive N = 87 17% 19% 17% 15%
Technology N = 83 15% 17% 10% 19%
Healthcare N = 68 20% 18% 17% 26%
Other N = 530 30% 31% 32% 25%
Total N = 942 100% 32% 43% 25%
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Screening Requirements for Participation
Respondents participating in the study were required to meet specific screening
qualifications, including the following:
Have the equivalent of more than $100 million in U.S. sales (more than $250 million
1.
for U.S. based companies) (Figure 2).
Currently include the use of event marketing as part of the overall marketing mix.
2.
Position of respondent includes responsibility for current or future decisions
3.
about marketing and face-to-face marketing (Figure 3).
Respondents’ Profiles
Of the sales and marketing professionals surveyed, 25 percent of respondents described
themselves as executive-level personnel with responsibility for marketing communications
(Figure 3). Respondents’ titles ranged from CEO/CFO and president to executive director,
line of business manager and sales and marketing management.
Marketing Communications Budget
The overall marketing budgets for the companies respondents in this survey represented
were distributed as follows (Figure 4):
 31% had marketing budgets between $1 and $9.9 million
•   
13% of the survey sample reported marketing budgets of $10 million to $49 million
•   
13% of respondents’ budgets ranged from $50 million to more than $500 million
•   
13% – >$250 million
14% – $10+ billion
4% – $5 - $9.9 billion
27% – $1 - $4.9 billion
18% – $250 to $499 million
24% – $500 to $999 million
FIGURE 2 – Survey Demographics – Revenue
13% – Director
6% – VP
6% – CXO
10% – Other
5% – Advertising
         Management
21% – LoB Manager
2% – Consultant
39% – Sales/Marketing Management
FIGURE 3 – Survey Demographics – Title
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Macro-Level Trending
Top Marketing Concerns
When asked about their primary marketing concerns today, apprehension about the
economy (16 percent) was not surprisingly top of mind (Figure 5).  “Reaching new
customers” (12 percent) and “keeping loyal, profitable customers” (10 percent) followed. 
Clearly, the anemic economy and the increasing difficulty of reaching and keeping
customers have taken a front seat in the minds of senior decision-makers. This is setting
up the marketing industry to experience some fundamental, and likely permanent
changes in the way companies market in both the short and long term.
Key Historical Trends
As expected, the percentage of global respondents expecting event marketing budget
increases in 2009 decreased by a significant degree, moving from 41 to 28 percent.
Despite the challenges of the current economic environment, event’s proportion of
the marketing budget has increased by five percent this year - a clear reflection of the
confidence in event marketing as a part of the overall mix.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Building brand awareness
Economy / Budget
Price / Cost
Maximizing sales in emerging markets
Growing market share profitably
Keeping loyal, profitable customers
Reaching new customers
Re-engineering the marketing mix
to improve performance
Measurement of return on
marketing investments
Other 25%
7%
3%
12%
10%
8%
4%
9%
16%
5%
2009
FIGURE 5 – Companies’ Primary Marketing Concern
FIGURE 4 – Distribution by Marketing Communications Budget
3% – $500+ million
12% – $500 to $1 million
42% – <$500 million
5% – $200 to $499 million
3% – $100 to $199 million
25% – $1 to $4.9 million
6% – $5 to $9.9 million
13% – $10 to $49 million
2% – $50 to $99 million
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Given the uptick in event’s proportion of the budget, it is interesting to note this year’s
change in respondents’ perception of the future importance of events. 
The percentage of marketers that rank the future importance of events as “remaining
constant” has been slowly increasing since 2005.  What has changed is that in 2008, the
percentage of those that ranked the future importance of events as “increasing” declined
from 51 to 35 percent, which is why the trend line in the chart below showing ‘maintaining
or increasing in importance” could be misleading (Figure 6).
In light of event’s hold on the marketing budget, respondents’ change in perspective
suggests that event marketing has matured to the point that its importance is well
established in the minds of senior decision-makers. Brands may also invest more in Web
marketing while holding the line on event spending. Clearly a new balance is being struck
within the marketing mix.
Future Importance of Events
Though the percentage of respondents ranking event’s future importance as increasing
has declined, it is important to note that the future importance of event marketing is still
considered to be “remaining constant” by an increasing number of respondents and 
was ranked as such by 46 percent of respondents at the time of this survey (Figure 7).
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2005 2006 2007 2008
35%
46%
51%
45%
51%
42%
55%
39%
Increasing
Remaining Constant
FIGURE 7 – Future Importance of Event Marketing
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
2005 2006 2008
2007
P
e
rc
en
t
ch
an
g
e

in
 r
e
sp
on
se
s
Maintaining / Increasing Importance
Proportion of Overall Marketing Budget
Maintaining / Increasing Budget
FIGURE 6 – Key Global Trends in Event Marketing
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The Role of Events in the Marketing Mix
Adding weight to the idea that event marketing has reached a point of maturity within 
the marketing mix, the number of respondents who take events under consideration 
with other mediums when planning a marketing campaign increased this year (from 38
percent  to 43 percent).  This increase highlights the fact that brand marketers are coming
closer to realizing truly integrated marketing communications and are purposely assigning a
prominent role to events within that model based on their ability to deliver revenue (Figure 8).
Budget
Share of the Marketing Budget
As mentioned earlier, among global respondents, events have increased their hold on the
overall marketing budget (Figure 9).  Up five percent from 2007, the impact of events on
the bottom line is confirmed by its share of the marketing budget in comparison to other
channels (Figure 10).
Event marketing
Print advertising
Broadcast advertising
Public relations
Web marketing
Direct mail
Other 8%
8%
11%
13%
10%
23%
27%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
2008
FIGURE 10 – Marketing Budget Allocation by Discipline
15%
20%
25%
30%
2005 2006 2007 2008
27%
22%
24%
27%
FIGURE 9 – Event Marketing’s Share of the Marketing Budget
2008
2007
2006
2005
A lead tactic
A vital component of the plan
Taken under consideration
with other mediums
Usually an afterthought
14%
14%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
36%
35%
38%
33%
10%
9%
15%
15%
32%
40%
43%
39%
7%
8%
FIGURE 8 – The Role of Event Marketing
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Marketing Budget Allocation
Event marketing’s growing share of diminishing marketing budgets is especially
meaningful given that the number of respondents expecting budget increases 
across nearly every discipline has declined since last year (Figure 11).
Among those who expected their event marketing budgets to increase, the average
prediction was that it would do so by 13 percent. Those who expected a decrease in 
their event marketing budgets predicted a decrease of 25 percent (Figure 12).
Respondents who expected budget increases were understandably more cautious 
with their predictions than in 2007. Those who anticipated budget decreases anticipated
cuts 10 percent higher than their 2007 counterparts.
FIGURE 11– Marketing Budget Increases
2008
2007
2006
2005
Event marketing
Print advertising
Broadcast advertising
Direct mail
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
41%
41%
41%
19%
24%
30%
28%
28%
14%
24%
22%
27%
32%
36%
47%
50%
59%
60%
66%
63%
24%
22%
28%
33%
Public relations
Web marketing
FIGURE 12 – Event Marketing Budget Fluctuation
0% 6% 12% 18% 24% 30%
2008
2007
2006
2005
Decrease
Increase
13%
15%
18%
15%
25%
19%
13%
16%
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Budget Trends – Where Increased Funding Goes
When asked what marketing channels benefit from an increase in overall marketing
budget, respondents indicated that funding would first go towards events (40 percent) and
Web marketing (31 percent) followed by print advertising and public relations (Figure 13).
Budget Trends – Where Decreasing Budgets are Felt
When asked which marketing channels get reduced funding if there is a reduction in
overall marketing budget, respondents reported that events and print advertising would
be first affected followed by broadcast advertising and public relations (Figure 14).
Event marketing
Print advertising
Broadcast advertising
Public relations
Web marketing
Direct mail
Other 33%
23%
25%
27%
32%
50%
54%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
2008
FIGURE 14 – Budget Decrease Allocation
FIGURE 13 – Budget Increase Allocation
Event marketing
Print advertising
Broadcast advertising
Public relations
Web marketing
Direct mail
Other 31%
16%
31%
21%
18%
28%
40%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
2008
10   gpj.com
External Event Budgets
Specifically geared to enable the brand conversations that directly lead to sales, external
events continue to represent the majority of respondents’ event budget (Figure 15). This
year’s findings also align with results over the past three years that show respondents
attributing most of their external event budget primarily to trade shows and conferences
followed by sports/entertainment sponsorships and road shows (Figure 16). 
FIGURE 16 – External Event Budget Distribution
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Mall marketing
Grassroots campaigns
College marketing
Nightlife campaigns
Guerrilla marketing
Sports or entertainment
sponsorships
Roadshows and mobile marketing
Trade shows
Conferences and seminars
59%
66%
64%
55%
48%
44%
37%
39%
16%
27%
22%
21%
17%
27%
23%
22%
3%
4%
4%
7%
4%
7%
4%
8%
8%
4%
5%
5%
2%
2%
2008
2007
2006
2005
2008
2007
2005
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Internal
External
28% 72%
30% 70%
25% 75%
FIGURE 15 – Internal vs. External Event Budgets
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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
2008
2007
2006
Analyst / investor relations
Employee events (social or business)
Sales or marketing meetings
Education / training
47%
22%
11%
49%
12%
41%
45%
41%
57%
47%
55%
53%
Objectives of External Events
Given respondents’ significant investment in external events, it’s interesting to note that
for nearly 43 percent of senior sales and marketing leaders, success lies in whether
or not the event investment resulted in enhancing customer relationships (Figure 17).
Generating brand awareness and qualified leads are considered important, but that
respondents site the customer relationship as paramount confirms their understanding
that it is this connection that will be the most profitable over time.  
Internal Event Budgets
Internal events are an essential means by which employees and other internal
stakeholders gain insight into the tools and programs that affect sales conversions. 
This year, respondents put education / training workshops on par with sales or
marketing meetings as the internal events that account for the majority of their 
internal event budget (Figure 18).
 Increasing awareness
for your brand
Generate qualified leads
Enhance customer
relationships
Motivate media/
press coverage
26%
26%
43%
5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
2008
FIGURE 17 –Measures of External Event Success
FIGURE 18 – Internal Event Budgets
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Return on Investment
Event Marketing’s Superior ROI
In a significant show of confidence in the discipline, respondents have ranked events as
providing the greatest ROI among marketing channels for four years running with event
marketing’s ranking benefiting from a six percent uptick this year (Figure 19).  Web
marketing continues to rank as second among senior sales and marketing professionals
and also benefitted from a slight uptick in ranking.  Respondent rankings also showed
upticks in the perception of print advertising and direct mail ROI likely as a result of
marketer’s resurgent use of these channels in light of strained marketing budgets.
Why Do Events Provide the Greatest ROI?
Face-to-face interaction continues to be the reason respondents attribute to event
marketing’s high ROI rating and overwhelmingly so this year.  In fact, the percentage of
respondents who rank face-to-face contact as the rationale behind event marketing ROI
increased by 25 percent (Figure 20). As suggested in Figure 17, this surge confirms
respondents’ awareness that face-to-face interactions are essential in forming customer
relationships as they provide the kind of in-depth customer insight, trust building and
immediacy about a brand that drives top-line performance.
To that end, the majority of  respondents also identified event marketing as the discipline
that best accelerates and deepens relationships (Figure 21) outpacing  the second
highest ranked discipline, Public Relations, by more than a factor of two. 
Together these data points confirm marketers’ recognition of direct engagement as critical
to driving sales – and events as the ideal marketing channel by which to facilitate those
connections. Respondents’ confidence in event marketing’s ability to create and nurture
the relationships that move business validates events’ migration to its more consistent
role in the marketing mix (see Figure 8 on page 7) and also illustrates the reason the
discipline is so uniquely relevant in today’s economy.
2008
2007
2006
2005
Event marketing
Print advertising
Broadcast advertising
Web marketing
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Public relations
Direct mail
13%
30%
24%
25%
26%
7%
10%
11%
7%
9%
8%
16%
14%
21%
13%
17%
21%
17%
14%
12%
8%
9%
14%
7%
FIGURE 19 – The Greatest ROI in Marketing
13   gpj.com
ROI of External Events
Although respondents continue to rank tradeshows as providing the highest ROI
among external events, its rank has slipped slightly and given way to a small increase
in the ROI ranking of conferences and seminars (Figure 22). This could be because
it has become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between a trade show with
conference content and a conference with a trade show component.
Regardless, at a time when securing and retaining customers and brand community
are critical to survival, it’s clear that respondents are looking at education and
networking events such as third-party or proprietary conferences and seminars as an
important means of accomplishing those goals.
Print advertising
Event marketing
Broadcast advertising
Public relations
Web marketing
Direct mail
52%
4%
3%
21%
10%
10%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
2008
FIGURE 21 – The Marketing Discipline that Best Accelerates and Deepens Relationships
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Reaches a targeted audience
In-person contact (face-to-face)
Number of people reached
Builds new contacts
Primary source of information
Minimal investment for highest exposure
It can be measured
Wide exposure
16%
17%
11%
14%
14% 21%
23%
21%
27%
28%
25% 30%
31%
32%35%
42%45%
43% 54%
53% 78%
23%
5%
11%
2008
2007
2006
FIGURE 20 – Why Events Provide the Greatest ROI
ROI of Internal Events
Respondents’ ranking of education and training event ROI confirms that these events
continue to be considered essential to preparing employees to best engage and
manage customers (Figure 23). To that end, an uptick in the ROI ranking of employee
events suggests that companies are recognizing the need to focus on employee
development to most effectively address the challenges of the economic downturn.
14   gpj.com
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
2008
2007
2006
Analyst / investor relations
Employee events
(social or business)
Sales or marketing meetings
Education / training
27%
8%
3%
31%
4%
14%
15% 22%
31%
39%
41%
47%
FIGURE 23 – ROI of Internal Events
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Mall marketing
Grassroots campaigns
College marketing
Nightlife campaigns
Guerrilla marketing
Sports or entertainment
sponsorships
Roadshows and mobile marketing
Trade shows
Conferences and seminars
39%
41%
42%
37%
30%
24%
25%
23%
8%
10%
11%
10%
8%
13%
11%
7%
.1%
.4%
1%
2%
2%
3%
2%
2%
3%
1%
.4%
2%
1%
1%
2008
2007
2006
2005
FIGURE 22 – ROI of External Events
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Measurement
Measurement in Event Marketing
With budgets more strained and under intense scrutiny, it is no surprise to find an
increase in respondents who measure (Figure 24). Up 4 percent from 2007, 73 percent
of respondents report post event measurement activity. The primary reason respondents’
site for the practice: to justify the expenditure (Figure 25).
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
To protect or increase budget
To demonstrate marketing ROI
To improve attendee experience
To justify expenditure
Marketing best practice
Procurement influence
20%
29%
9%
36%
20%
10%
2008
FIGURE 25 – Why Marketers Measure
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2005 2006 2007 2008
69% 73%
74%
78%
2008
2007
2006
2005
FIGURE 24 – Measurement in Event Marketing
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Measurement Budget
Despite a greater interest in measuring at the event level, funding to continue doing
so is at its lowest in the history of the study.  Typically one of the first activities affected
by budget constraints, it is not unusual that respondents report limited spend on
measurement given the state of the economy (Figure 26). Although more people are
measuring, each may be capturing a less robust set of metrics given the economic
pressures to get more done with less money.
Measurement Topics and Tools
The state of the economy and reduced marketing budgets have oriented marketers to
again focus on events’ role in driving sales.  In 2008, the number of qualified leads and
sales increases were the primary performance indicators respondents used to gauge
event success (Figure 27).
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
2005 2006 2007 2008
10%
8%
12%
11%
2008
2007
2006
2005
FIGURE 26 – Budget Allocation for Measurement
Quality of Leads Provided
Overall Communication Effectiveness
Sales Increases
Number of Qualified Leads
Traffic at event
Overall Experience / Satisfaction
Media Impressions
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
38%
33%
21%
22%
23%
24%
11%
11%
6%
Change in Brand Perception / Preference
Learning Impact
2008
FIGURE 27 – Measurement Topics
17   gpj.com
As a result, sales reports remain a mainstay of assessing event activity (Table 2). This
year’s findings also show that marketers also place a premium on measurement tools
that incorporate audience feedback.  Onsite (23 percent) and post show surveys (30
percent) are used by over 50 percent of respondents with 11 percent of respondents
incorporating audiences’ online activity into their approach to measurement. 
The Link Between Measurement and Event Marketing Budgets
With budget granted to programs proven to drive sales, quantifying the correlation
between marketing investment and conversion has never been more important or
of more value to the C-suite.  Among Global respondents, those who justify their
event spend are nearly 43 percent more likely to expect an increase in their event
marketing budget than those who do not measure (Figure 28).
This link between budget and measurement and the tools and topics respondents
are leveraging to gain insight into how well their event marketing efforts guide
prospects and customers through the sales cycle shows that beyond simply
measuring against tactical criteria, marketers are developing methodologies
recognized as demonstrating events’ strategic value.
By correlating marketing investment to its business impact instead of narrowly
focusing on the success of the marketing tactic alone, marketers not only more
easily secure investment for their programs but are able to create more targeted and
effective programs in the process. 
TABLE 2 – Measurement Tools
 
 Sales reports Audits Traffic counts Post-event surveys On-site surveys Online Activity
2005 40.0% 14.0% 26.0% 23.0% 28.0%
2006 27.0% 8.0% 16.0% 24.0% 32.0%
2007 46.0% 19.0% 40.0% 30.0% 34.0%
2008 26.0% 6.0% 18.0% 30.0% 23.0%  11.0%
FIGURE 28 – Measurement Impacts Event Marketing Budgets
Companies that don't
measure and expect
a budget increase
Companies that
measure and expect
a budget increase
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
30%
21%
2008
18   gpj.com
Experience Marketing
What is Experience Marketing?
Considered an evolved form of event marketing, experience marketing is a 
discipline that seeks to evolve from the simple “features and benefits” sales dynamic
that characterizes most event marketing into more comprehensive and compelling
interactions that physically, intellectually and emotionally involve audiences in the
demonstration of the brand promise.  The result is a powerful increase in the depth
and volume of brand differentiation, conversion and loyalty.
Objectives of Experience Marketing
With 82 percent of respondents adopting some form of experience marketing, it’s
clear that marketers recognize the positive impact this customer-centric approach
has on conversion and are looking to the discipline to create more lasting and thereby
more profitable connections with their audiences. 
It follows then that when respondents were asked to rank the reasons they use
experience marketing, motivating purchase behavior, increasing awareness and
inspiring loyalty were the three primary objectives marketers employed an experience
marketing model (Figure 29).  Loyalty was also highly ranked among experience
marketing’s secondary uses followed by increasing awareness.
These findings, coupled with the high rankings events received among respondents in
terms of ROI and their role in accelerating and deepening relationships (see Figures
19 and 21), suggest that brands will soon be increasing their reliance on experience
marketing events in their efforts to quickly and cost effectively build brand community.
FIGURE 29 – Experience Marketing at Work
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Preference
Purchase
Consideration
Loyalty
Awareness 16% 17%
10% 10%
13% 15%
20% 15%
15% 18%
Rank1, 2008
Rank2, 2008
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The Transition to Experience Marketing
Asked how quickly they plan to transition more fully to experience marketing,
twenty-eight percent of respondents reported that they’ve already transitioned
(Figure 19). Thirty-two percent expect to transition to experience marketing within
the next 12 months.
The Importance of Transitioning to Experience Marketing
The most common reason respondents gave for the importance of their transition
to experience marketing was that it cut through the clutter of traditional advertising
and increased audience engagement (Figure 31). This was followed by the desire to
transition to experience marketing as a means to better differentiate themselves from
the competition.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
2008 28% 8% 10% 14% 18% 20%
Already transitioned
In the next three months
In the next six months
In the next 12 months
Not at all
Do not know
FIGURE 30 – The Transition to Experience Marketing
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
2008
2007
2006
 To better convey the persuasive difference
between our brand and the competition's brand
To leverage the spend across all of our marketing
disciplines into more powerful capability
To cut through the clutter of traditional
advertising and increase audience engagement
To invest in marketing with more
meaningful metrics and accountability
Our competition is already doing it
10%
22%
18% 30%
19% 29%
10% 20%
7%
19% 41%
18%
13%
42%
40%
FIGURE 31 – The Importance of Transitioning to Experience Marketing
20   gpj.com
Procurement
The Role of Procurement
Despite procurement’s increasing importance and influence at the corporate budgeting
level and involvement in the development of policies and models for choosing partners
and processing payments, the majority of respondents continue to rank its influence
in the selection of an event marketing partner as low (Figure 32). In addition, most
respondents also expect procurement’s role in this decision going forward to remain
constant at that level (Figure 33).
Anecdotally, our observation of the ways in which procurement is applying its influence
to marketing operations leads us to assume that vendor consolidation models that
eliminate cost redundancies will be increasing in occurrence in the near future.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
1
High
Low
3
2
4
5
47%
38%
23%
20%
12%
11%
5%
35%
16%
11%
12%
19%
26%
11%
13%
2008
2007
2005
FIGURE 32 – Procurement’s Influence Today
2008
2007
2005
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Increasing strongly
Increasing
Constant
Decreasing
5% 20% 64% 11%
6% 27% 60% 8%
4% 22% 64% 10%
FIGURE 33 – Procurement’s Influence Tomorrow
Green
The Question of Green
EventView 2009: Global findings show that despite budget cuts elsewhere in
the marketing budget, brands’ investment in environmentally sensitive business
practices has kept pace with the public’s continued interest in sustainability. 
Fifteen percent of respondents plan on implementing green event initiatives in the
next 12 months with 46 percent already doing so (Figure 34). Respondents also
report having 13 percent of the event marketing budget to dedicate to their green
event efforts. 
While following a corporate responsibility mandate continues to be the main 
motivator for pursuing green, the high rate of those reporting green event activities
suggests that marketers recognize the adoption of green initiatives as a means to
connecting with audiences more likely to advocate for brands that demonstrate 
values similar to their own (Figure 35).  
21   gpj.com
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
2008 14%
22%
5%
5%
5%
46%
Already transitioned
In the next three months
In the next six months
In the next 12 months
Not at all
Do not know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
2008
2007
Win or maintain customer loyalty
Other
Gain a competitive advantage
Cost savings
Corporate responsibility mandate
5%
21%
3%
21%
25%
16%
33%
12%
47%
59%
FIGURE 34 – Green Implementation
FIGURE 35 – Motivations for Green
22   gpj.com
Summary
Today’s business leaders have charged marketers to invest in areas that both drive revenue
and build the brand – a challenging mandate as consumers and business buyers stretch
out the purchase cycle, demand personalization and reject mass marketing.
In light of these realities, what is most important in this pressure-filled environment are
relationships. Based on trust and intimacy, personal affiliations with brands, products,
services and fundamentally between the individuals behind them are catalysts to
business growth.
EventView 2009: Global  indisputably confirms the live experience as the marketing
channel that best accelerates and deepens relationships. Respondents also recognize
face-to-face interaction as key to events’ advantage in creating these relationships over
other marketing disciplines.
But while EventView confirms event marketing’s inherent ability to create top-line results,
the data also reveals that the strategic value of events is not yet as fully understood or
realized in the executive ranks at many organizations.
Senior executives clearly believe that events provide sound ROI but it’s up to event
marketers to improve on this perception even further by ensuring executives’ agreement
on ROI methodology and communicating those measures in language that more
effectively articulates the validity and impact of the metrics.
Developing more efficient communication and measurement systems are thus the
twin imperatives of today’s marketer. Those who do so successfully will achieve greater
success for themselves and their organization by becoming a force of profitable change.
23   gpj.com
Index of Figures and Tables
FIGURE 1 - Survey Demographics - Geography ...........................................3
FIGURE 2 - Survey Demographics – Revenue .............................................4
FIGURE 3 - Survey Demographics – Title .....................................................4
FIGURE 4 - Distribution by Marketing Communications Budget ...................5
FIGURE 5 - Companies’ Primary Marketing Concern ...................................5
FIGURE 6 - Key Global Trends in Event Marketing  ......................................6
FIGURE 7 - Future Importance of Event Marketing ......................................6
FIGURE 8 - The Role of Event Marketing .....................................................7
FIGURE 9 - Event Marketing’s Share of the Marketing Budget .....................7
FIGURE 10 - Marketing Budget Allocation by Discipline  .............................7
FIGURE 11 - Marketing Budget Increases ...................................................8
FIGURE 12 - Event Marketing Budget Fluctuation .......................................8
FIGURE 13 - Budget Increase Allocation .....................................................9
FIGURE 14 - Budget Decrease Allocation ....................................................9
FIGURE 15 - Internal vs. External Event Budgets .......................................10
FIGURE 16 - External Event Budget Distribution ........................................10
FIGURE 17 - Measures of External Event Success .....................................11
FIGURE 18 - Internal Event Budgets ..........................................................11
FIGURE 19 - The Greatest ROI in Marketing ..............................................12
FIGURE 20 - Why Events Provide the Greatest ROI ....................................13
FIGURE 21 - The Marketing Discipline that Best Accelerates and 
                     Deepens Relationships  ........................................................13
FIGURE 22 - ROI of External Events ..........................................................14
FIGURE 23 - ROI of Internal Events ...........................................................14
FIGURE 24 - Measurement in Event Marketing .........................................15
FIGURE 25 - Why Marketers Measure .......................................................15
FIGURE 26 - Budget Allocation for Measurement ......................................16
FIGURE 27 -  Measurement Topics ...........................................................16
FIGURE 28 - Measurement Impacts Event Marketing Budgets ..................17
FIGURE 29 - Experience Marketing at Work ..............................................18
FIGURE 30 - The Transition to Experience Marketing .................................19
FIGURE 31 – The Importance of Transitioning to Experience Marketing .....19
FIGURE 32 – Procurement’s Influence Today  ...........................................20
FIGURE 33 - Procurement’s Influence Tomorrow .......................................20
FIGURE 34 - Green Implementation ..........................................................21
FIGURE 35 - Motivations for Green ............................................................21
Table 1 - Worldwide Sample Distribution ......................................................3
Table 2 - Measurement Tools .....................................................................17
Contact Information:
experi ence marketi ng
GPJ
Event Marketing Institute
10 Norden Place, Norwalk, Connecticut 06855
Kerry Smith, President/Executive Director
www.eventmarketing.com

The Event Marketing Institute (EMI) is the leading research organization serving
the event marketing industry, dedicated to developing insights and business
intelligence for individuals and companies using live marketing as a strategic
marketing initiative. Through comprehensive research and education, EMI
empowers members to overcome the challenges posed by today’s fragmented
media environment and equips them with a research-based foundation upon
which to build more effective, performance-driven event marketing programs.
George P. Johnson
3600 Giddings Road, Auburn Hills, Michigan 48326
David Rich, Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing/Worldwide
Phone: 617.535.9522
David.Rich@gpj.com
www.gpj.com

GPJ is the premier worldwide experience marketing agency specializing in
using branded live experiences and environments to help clients cut through
marketplace noise, differentiate from the competition and create lasting
relationships that directly impact the bottom line.
Through an integrated service offering that combines Program Strategy, Creative,
Technology and Delivery capabilities, GPJ provides a full suite of relationship-
building event, exhibit, live and digital experience solutions that organizations
use to drive deep brand engagement, preference and loyalty though customer-
centric experience marketing campaigns. GPJ clients won 37 awards in
2008 alone, including five Ex Awards, an unprecedented achievement in the
marketing industry.
Frequently cited for its thought leadership, GPJ is known for its annual EventView
report, white papers and standards- setting collaborations with leading event 
and marketing trade associations. Consistently ranked one of Advertising Age’s
“Top 25 Marketing Agencies”, GPJ provides its services through 26 offices
around the world.
Meeting Professionals International
3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700, Dallas, Texas 75234-2759
Katie Callahan-Giobbi, Executive VP MPI Foundation 
& Chief Business Architect
Phone: 972.702.3000
www.mpifoundation.org
The MPI Foundation powers the vision of Meeting Professionals International
(MPI), the meetings and events industry’s largest and most vibrant global
community comprised of more than 24,000 members belonging 70 chapters
and clubs worldwide. Contributions from MPI members, chapters, and
organizations are invested in high-impact programs to support a rich, global
meetings and events industry and shape the future of the meetings and events
profession.  For more information, visit mpifoundation.org.