Business View Magazine - March 2016

16 Business View Magazine - April 2016 Business View Magazine - April 2016 17 Opening Lines EXHIBITOR Magazine’s 2016 Economic Outlook Survey Reveals Concern and Optimism from Face-to-Face Marketers Exhibitor Media Group, the award-winning leader in trade show and corporate event marketing educa- tion, today announced the results of its 2016 Eco- nomic Outlook Survey, which gauged the opinions, expectations, and experiences of nearly 400 exhibit and event professionals. Results of the survey show that 2016 is likely to be similar to last year in terms of show schedules and budget allocations. After the remarkable optimism expressed by marketers in last January’s 2015 Eco- nomic Outlook Survey, when 53 percent felt “opti- mistic” about the effectiveness of trade shows as a marketing medium and 84 percent reported simi- lar feelings regarding the U.S. economy, the mood seems to have tempered. “Face-to-face marketers seem to be growing tired of the slow-yet-steady slog toward economic recov- ery, and it appears to be having a negative impact on their confidence in not only the U.S. economy, but also the value of exhibit and event marketing,” com- mented Travis Stanton, editor, EXHIBITOR magazine. “Just four out of 10 exhibit and event professionals are optimistic about the effectiveness of trade shows (a drop of roughly 10 percent), and only seven out of 10 describe their feelings about the economy as ‘op- timistic’ or ‘hopeful,’ marking a decline of nearly 15 percent compared to last year.” Still, there are indications of optimism this year. More than half of the respondents have at least ten- tative plans to purchase a new exhibit in 2016, with 25 percent reporting definite plans to pursue a new build. Plus, nearly nine out of 10 exhibiting compa- nies are confident that their trade show programs will achieve better results this year than last. Four of 10 Exhibit and Event Professionals Optimistic About Effectiveness of Trade Shows