LateMeetings.info Selected user information for LateMeetings.com

Summary

(Note: Marketing the LateMeetings.com service to conference buyers began in January 2006)

Contents:
1. Search Page View Report
2. Search by country
3. Enquiries by Region
4. Search by location
5. Style of Venue
6. Branded v independent venues
7. Sources of demand
8. Approx. value of events
9. Typical lead time of enquiries
10. Analysis of search information during the year
11. List of venues where bookings placed in 2008 (and list of venues contacted for direct bookings)
12. A review.

1. Page View Report

The site attracted 1,971,000 searches during 2008 and routinely attracts 5000 or more page views during each working date. The growth in online and offline bookings continues. The LateMeetingsDirectory now features aound 7000 venues and contributes significantly to the growing demand.

The trend for enquiries to be closer to the date of arrival continues as more organisations make decisions to meet later and later due to the current economic climate.

Note:  in April 2007 the site was closed for seven days for development work and again for two days in February 2008.

Search Statistics comparison 2007 - 2008. Note: These results are for unique visits to venue pages.

2. Search by Country - UK / Europe

3. UK Regional Statistics

4. Searches by Region/County/Locations

Derbyshire	Leicestershire
Lincolnshire	Northamptonshire
Nottinghamshire	Rutland
Bedfordshire	Cambridgeshire
Essex	Hertfordshire
Norfolk	Suffolk
Herefordshire	Shropshire
Isle of Man North	Isle of Man South
London Gatwick	London Heathrow
Outer London	London Stansted
	Notes: i. Some venues are listed in multiple locations on LateMeetings.com - e.g. Slough/Windsor/Heathrow which sometimes cross county boundaries. This causes slight distortion of the location results. ii. Venues are allocated to London Boroughs by Post Code in order to meet the mapping requirements of the site. Some Post Codes do not exactly match the official Borough. iii. London Airport venues are also in multiple locations e.g. Stansted venues can be listed in Essex, Cambridgeshire and London Stansted.
Central London (Locations too numerous for individual display)
County Durham	Northumberland
Tees Valley	Tyne and Wear
Northern Ireland - Antrim	Northern Ireland - Armargh
Northern Ireland - County Down	Northern Ireland - Fermanagh
Northern Ireland - Londonderry	Northern Ireland - Tyrone
Geurnsey	Jersey
Aberdeen & Grampian	Argyll & Bute
Edinburgh & Lothian	Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley
Perthshire, Angus, Dundee & Fife	The Outer Islands
The South of Scotland	The West Highlands
Berkshire	Buckinghamshire
East Sussex	West Sussex
Hampshire	Isle of Wight
Kent	Middlesex
Oxfordshire	Surrey
Corwall	Devon
Dorset	Gloucestershire
Somerset	Wiltshire
East Riding of Yorkshire	North Yorkshire
South Yorkshire	West Yorkshire

5. Style of venue/hotel requested (combined email and call centre enquiries)

6. Branded v Independent venues

Proportion of enquiries received:

During 2007

Branded (including consortia) 42%
Non-branded 58%

During 2008:

Branded (including consortia) 38%
Non-branded 62%

7. Source of demand (proportion of all enquiries received 2008)

Agencies/intermediaries 11%
Corporate buyers 67%
Associations/unions/groupings etc. 10%
Private individuals 7%
Overseas (all) 5%

2007

(Note: To date approximately 45% of enquiries are for residential events)

9. Typical lead time of enquiries.
(Note: approximate figures. Extremes included requests for venues for up to approx. 1300 @ 2 days’ notice; and for 6 @ 40 minutes notice!) Lead times generally have fallen in the last two years.

Size Lead time

10. Analysis of Search Information during the year

Style of Meeting Room requested (% of enquiries)

Number of Delegates

11. Bookings Placed. The list below is of venues that have received bookings either online or via the LateMeetings.com call centre (Venues in the left and right columns of his page are examples of the buyer telephoning the LateMeetings.com call centre and requested details of how to contact the venue direct.)

12. Review

i. LateMeetings.com has experienced unprecedented increase in search results, enquiries and bookings placed. Increasingly, customers are returning to make more bookings and there has been significant interest in series bookings for training courses, sales planning meetings and networking events. Many of the returning clients have larger events to organise for their subsequent enquiries. The South East, London and the South West continued to be the highest demand regions with Scotland, East of England, Heart of England and Yorkshire not far behind.

ii. There has been a major increase in association and social bookings including weddings, due mainly we believe, to our sister site www.FunctionRoom.net which is powered by LateMeetings.com - many of these enquiries are forwarded directly to venues after initial contact.

iii. Lead times have continued to shorten. Typically, smaller meetings are within the next three weeks and meetings for 50+ for the following week quite common. Another trend is the number of changes to original dates made by buyers. This is often due to delegates non-availability at short notice for original dates requested - but also due to better prices on alternative dates displayed on the site (see iv. below).

iv. Prices are under scrutiny - with 3 out 5 buyers asking for better deals and turning to LateMeetings.com for help. Venues displaying 20% or more discount offers received more attention with increased search results. More flexibility by venues over prices is a significant factor in the decision-making process. Lower prices on alternative dates are also persuading buyers to change arrangements when the date is less important. The importance of the 'dynamic pricing' model will come under more scrutiny during this uncertain economic climate.

v. Bedroom bookings via our link with partner LateRooms.com has grown. The combination of both online booking of meeting space and bedrooms in one place is contributing to the popularity of the LateMeetings.com service. Non-residential venues can take advantage of this arrangement as all locations now display the LateRooms.com link.

Looking ahead to 2009 - Online bookings gain momentum:

i. Direct-connect solutions to venue inventory management systems is now available. LateMeetings.com is now an official certified channel for Newmarket International's 'MeetingBroker' and Delphi systems allowing venues to receive bookings directly into their property managemement system. LateMeetings.com has also introduced its own universal connector -'MeetLink' - for other property management systems. Please see the link to 'XML Integration' on this website's menu above for more information.

ii. LateMeetings.com venues are now included free of charge in our affilliate website www.functionroom.net

iii. Venue updating of LateMeetings.com has been made easier - all venues can now update their standard rates at any time. Venues can also update offer prices by either a % amount or by an exact amount and other dynamic content can be amended by logging into the venue updating zone. The development of 'dynamic pricing' for meetings is an essential tool for 21st century venue marketers and yield managers. See the 'Help Centre' on this website's menu above for more information.

iv. LateMeetings ezine (www.meetingsnews.co.uk) includes advertising opportunities linked to advertisers own websites.

v. A new service - 'LateMeetingsXtraSavers' - launched in February provides venues with a new opportunity to promote added-value packages for buyers. Hosted at www.latemeetingsdeals.com the new service is an additional option to complement the main LateMeetings.com site. Packages can include room upgrades; timed-based offers; equipment inclusive rates; additional food and beverage options; bedroom inclusives and other complimentary services such as Wi-Fi and syndicate rooms.

John Gallery and Chris Martins

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PS Thank you for your continued interest and support ....

Note: LateMeetings.com will update its statistical information quarterly.