Three quarters of event planners will have the same or increased budget in 2012, according to a survey conducted by the Sundial Group.

Last month the company asked 4,000 event planners and bookers about what they expect to see in the industry next year as part of its Meetings Overview Survey. The results found that there was a focus on smaller events, with 75 per cent of meetings planned for 25 delegates or less. A preference for day meetings was also highlighted, with 65 per cent planning 10 or more against 40 per cent planning 10 or more residential meetings.

Looking at venues, 90 per cent of respondents agreed that using a dedicated events venue is ‘important’, ‘very important’ or ‘essential’ to them. More than 50 per cent said that a countryside location is preferable, with less than 10 per cent demanding city centres. Top priority when selecting a venue lies with ‘value for money’ (45 per cent) with around 30 per cent saying previous experience was their key consideration.

The survey results showed that training and team development will continue to be a major focal point for meetings and events next year, with 56 per cent of event bookers stating that training will be the most important influence when booking events.

Tim Chudley, Sundial Group’s managing director, said: “Sundial’s clients are amongst the most experienced and knowledgeable meeting planners in the UK and we invest a great deal of energy in understanding their point of view and priorities. We believe that these survey results represent a truly insightful snap shot of the UK conference centre sector trends as we go into 2012."

He continued: "The survey results back-up our belief that success for Sundial, in the current tough market conditions, will come from offering fair, transparent, all inclusive pricing and working hard to continue to earn the loyalty of our clients with every booking.”