What changes will 2010 bring to the events industry?

The above question has been asked by Robert Roan in a Who's Who in Events discussion - he also add "And how will those changes be evident in the way you put on events?". What is interesting is, so far, there is only one response from Mark Anderson, but his response was very interesting.

The biggest change I am seeing so far this year to next, and it seems to be a continuing trend is the move away from "shorter lead time / cheapest price" philosophy of contracting events. This was driven simply by a lot of uncertainty of public relations and the curent ecconomic times. With event budgets being adjusted closer to the event date, official commitments with contractors are being held off as long as possible thinking they could wheel and deal to get the cheapest price.

Now I am seeing "Smarter" companies that commit to their primary providers before the compitition does and securing services for a smaller event than is actually planned. They are realizing their contractors will gladly grow the event as the budget permits. This extra time gives all parties a chance to colaborate, team together, and build a relationship that grows the event "Together" and not just by a bottom line price.

This takes the bidding / decision process down a different path than the easy decision of "who has the lowest price during the 11th hour"
However it does insure the value of the dollar spent and allows a contractor to build in any extras at a reduced price.

A simple rule that I have learned in the event business - start with the minimums and grow from there. It's easier and more ecconomical to grow a show in the 11th hour than to shrink it.