Eric Allen of the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association writes about a survey of HCEA members regarding their trade show marketing spends for 2011.

Allen writes that:

While the healthcare convention marketing industry is still fundamentally sound, it appears that budgetary pressures are the “new normal,” and results measurement will become increasingly important to help exhibitors make better investment decisions and justify their convention marketing programs.

The survey was taken in December 2010 so it’s fresh data.  According to the survey:

37% of HCEA’s healthcare exhibitor members expect decreases in their convention marketing budgets in 2011, while 18% expect increases.

Other key results of the survey include:

• Roughly two-fifths (40%) of members plans to decrease the size of their exhibits by an average of 17%.

• Almost a third of members (33%) plan to decrease the total number of conventions they participate in for 2011, while 29% plan an increase.

• Two-fifths (40%) of members plan to increase their participation in regional and local events.

• About a third of convention marketing members plan to decrease certain sponsorships and promotions.

The survey also assessed the perceived importance of critical issues faced by healthcare exhibit marketers including:

• legal and regulatory compliance – 97% ranked this with high importance (as compared to 82% in 2010)

• cost containment – 82% ranked this high importance (as compared to 94% in 2010)

• booth traffic generation – 79% ranked this as highly important (as compared to 94% in 2010)

• ROI/ROO – 72% rated this as being highly important (as compared to 78% in 2010)

You can read Allen’s full article at the EIC blog here.