Since the pandemic ended, in-person meetings, such as trade shows and company visits, have gradually returned. The big shows haven't returned to pre-pandemic numbers yet, but they seem to be improving each year.
With this in mind, Coatings World and Ink World conducted a joint survey to find out what attitudes are towards business travel this year. Most companies expect business travel to continue to increase, but not at historical levels.
People who answered the survey
First, it's important to note who responded to the survey. Approximately one-third of respondents were coatings manufacturers, and a further 20% were ink manufacturers. Suppliers of raw materials and equipment made up his largest group at 42%, distributors 15% and others the remaining 7%. (See Figure 1)
So, are you going on a trip?
In general, more people are expected to travel this year. When asked, “How much travel do you expect your company to do in 2024?”, 53% said they expected to do more this year. A further 21% expected it to be the same in 2024, and 15.5% expected travel to decrease this year. The last 10% were unknown. (See Figure 2)
Figure 2: How much business travel will your company be doing in 2024?
When it came to exhibiting at trade shows, profits slowed even further. A third of respondents expect to exhibit at more trade shows, while 29% expect to exhibit at the same level as in 2024 and 15% expect to exhibit less. It was found that 22% had no plans to exhibit at all. (See Figure 3)
Figure 3: How many exhibitors does your company plan to exhibit in 2024?
The results regarding booth space were interesting. The number of respondents who said they would take more booth space and the number of respondents who chose less booth space were both just under 20%, with the remaining 60.8% taking the same level of booth space compared to 2023. We expect space to be secured. (See Figure 4)
Figure 4: How much booth space is expected to be needed?
Similar results are seen in the category of travel to small technology conferences. We found that 32.2% of those we surveyed expected to go to smaller shows, and 25.4% expected to go fewer. Most respondents (42.4%) expect to attend the same number of small technology conferences this year. (See Figure 5)
Figure 5: Would you like to attend a technology conference?
The last question was about personal business travel. Our survey found that almost half (46.67%) expect to take more business trips this year, while 41.67% expect he will travel as much as in 2023. We found that 11.67% expect to travel less this year. (See Figure 6)
Figure 6: Do you think you will travel more in 2024?
Overall, more people seem to be expecting their companies and themselves to be more active this year. I look forward to meeting you all.
