How's the (economic) weather out there?

Whew! 2009 is over! For many of us 2009 was a bit more challenging than we thought it was going to be. What's 2010 going to be like economically for our industry and our state? To take an educated guess at that we can look at some indicators.

I just returned from The Special Event, held in New Orleans. Both attendance and number of exhibitors were definitely down. My rough count on the show floor was that there were 60-some less exhibitors this year compared to last year. On a positive note, talking to attendees and exhibitors, both said there was still business being done at the show. As one exhibitor put it, "I've picked up some good business here. It sure doesn't hurt that my competitors decided not to show. Bad for them, good for me." I attended some quality classes, one of which gave me great ideas and resources that we will be employing as a Chapter to better communicate with our current and potential ISES members.

At a local level, I am very happy to note that we received close to 70 entry binders for the Minnesota STAR Awards. This high number of entries indicates that while the industry was having a tough time in 2009, a larger number than may have been expected of high quality, creative events were still being produced in our state. There didn't appear to be a drop off in the number of entries in the higher budget categories, either. A good sign.

But if we all really want to find out what 2010 holds in store for us, take a few minutes to complete the Economic Climate Survey that was emailed out to you last week. If you haven't yet filled it out, please do so. If you didn't receive the survey, let me know and we will email it to you. To get the best picture of what is happening in our industry in Minnesota we need as many of you to fill out the survey as possible. Many of you will remember this survey from last year, either because you took part in it or you listened to the results at the February program. We will again be presenting the results of the survey at this February program and will be comparing them to the results from last year. Are budgets in 2010 increasing? Are companies hiring? What advice do planners and supplies have for each other? All of this will be revealed on February 18 at Interlachen Country Club. Use this information to help your company or department plan for the year ahead or to help you in your career.

I look forward to hearing from all of you what you are experiencing and projecting for 2010.