Survey of association conference planners indicates changing attitudes to bleisure

Bleisure visitors – people who add extra days to their conference or business trip for leisure activities such as sightseeing, sports, entertainment, or simply relaxation – have been growing fast in Europe and beyond, as growing numbers of people choose to prolong their business trips for leisure purposes. Because of the number of participants they attract, association conferences have the potential to add significantly to the Bleisure trend, boosting tourism in the destinations where these events are held. But is that potential being realised? A new report, Bleisure in Association Conferences, reveals the results of a survey of association conference planners worldwide that focuses specifically on their members’ attitudes towards spending extra days for leisure activities in conference destinations. The survey also explores current trends in the provision of pre- and post-conference tours as well as spouse programmes. One-third of respondents reported that the leisure attractions of cities are a very important factor for them when choosing destinations for their events. Fewer than one in five of the conference planners surveyed said that leisure attractions were completely unimportant to them. When asked to estimate the average percentage of their conference participants who usually stay longer in the destination for leisure purposes, over 20% of respondents admitted that they did not know because they did not measure it. But over one-third of respondents reported that 30% or more of their participants spend extra days in the conference destinations for leisure activities, before or after the actual event. In response to the question of whether Bleisure was a growing phenomenon for their conference participants, the two most common responses were that it was either ‘growing’ (approximately 30% of the respondents), or ‘staying the same’ (approximately 30%). However, almost 20% reported that Bleisure as an activity was declining among their conference participants, mainly due to financial challenges, increasing work pressure or family obligations. The findings revealed in Bleisure in Association Conferences are significant for all destination marketing organisations and also for conference planners regarding the current attitudes of association members towards adding Bleisure elements to the conferences they attend. The report from MICE Knowledge and Conferli may be downloaded free from here. MICE Knowledge is a London-based consultancy specialising in research, education and training for the international meetings industry. Dr Rob Davidson is the managing director and the author of seven books on the MICE industry. Visit www.miceknowledge.com Conferli is a conference match-making platform for organisers, venues and destinations. Visit: www.conferli.com