Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  November 26, 2013

Meeting Budgets Down for 2014

Heads up:  2014 meetings will be the year of the squeeze.  Two years of promising budget increases in meetings are gone, according to American Express Meetings and Events.  Translation:  less money to go around for more meetings and more attendees per meeting.

Is the party over?  Not quite…it just won’t be as lavish.  Why do you care about the overall budgets?  Because hotel and airfare expenses will continue to rise.  This will put pressure on both the implementers and the powers that be.  And guess where they will cut first?  You guessed it — speakers.  At 30,000 feet, it’s our fault — too many “free experts” make us an easy target.

What won’t change — branded thought leaders will get their high speaking fee if the “big dawgs” want them bad enough.  (Sponsors will make sure of this.)  Watch the divide between free experts and the “celebrities” widen.  And decide where you want to be.

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