Pro Sky today announced publication of the PRO SKY Destination Report for 2017 for Europe, the sixth annual report in the series. It is based on a survey of 308 MICE planners located throughout Europe and provides the latest snapshot of industry thinking about best practices in event destinations, size, and duration.
What is on the agenda of event professionals in 2017? The survey revealed a mix of changes and constants in preferred European destinations for MICE travel:
- Germany is the survey participants preferred national destination, followed by Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France.
- Berlin, Barcelona, and Lisbon are the top three European cities chosen by survey respondents. Paris and London were tied for fourth choice, followed by Rome.
When choosing destinations, security is the fastest-rising concern, although ease of accessibility (particularly availability of nonstop flights) remains the top priority.
When it comes to the trendiest destinations for 2018 and beyond, MICE experts highlighted hot spots like Cuba, Russia, Japan, South Africa and the U.S.A. In accordance with the participants’ comments, Pro Sky included in the report brief overviews of activities suited to group activities. The Balearic Islands Mallorca and Ibiza rounded out the list of destination overviews, all chosen from locations that MICE professionals expect to be popular in 2018 and beyond.
Outlook for event parameters
Planners named incentive travel their number one priority, followed by conventions, which replaced team-buildings in the number two spot this year.
- Small group events remain popular, with events planned for 50 to 100 people ranked first, followed by events for 50 or fewer attendees.
- Weekend events that include a two-night stay remain most popular, but events that involve a three-night stay rose to second place in preference, driven by a 6% increase in votes. Events with just an overnight stay held third place, and events with no overnight stay fell to 7% and were the only category to experience a decline in popularity.