The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) is extremely pleased by the decision of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) to research event marketing spend within their quarterly Bellwether survey of marketing budgets. The IPA has committed to look at the breakdown of the fluctuating ‘All Other’ part of the survey, which represented 23% of the budget in Bellwether Q1 2007 and over ten different activities.
EIA & IPA have been in correspondence on this issue since the beginning of the year resulting in a first meeting between the two parties this week. At that meeting IPA delighted EIA with the news that Bellwether Q4 2007 will research the approximate size of all the individual components that make up marketing activity, as an extension of the survey’s annual breakdown question. The EIA has welcomed the IPA’s move to shed greater light on exactly where the £43 billion spent on marketing in the UK each year is being allocated.
“Having worked to develop and promote the events industry over recent years, and seeing the increased popularity of live events marketing among brand owners keen to deliver a total brand experience, this is an important step forward for our sector. The move by the IPA will not only give their members a more complete picture of what’s hot and what’s not, but also raise the profile of this powerful and hugely effective medium. It’s great news!” comments EIA, group chief executive Trevor Foley.
Said IPA communications director Tessa Gooding: “With IPA membership open to anyone primarily concerned with the provision of branding services to clients we have been looking at how we can evolve the survey to show more of the budget. The initial research we are undertaking as part of the 4Q roundup is to see how and if we can break up the ‘all other’ category. The first logical step to achieving this is to research all the individual components to ensure that we are extracting and monitoring the largest components. Once we have updated this data, we’ll be in a position to make a decision on what the survey will track in the future.”
Increased use of live event marketing by big brands, witness the recent O2 Wireless Festivals and the multitude of big brand names involved in the Taste of London event (50% owned by Channel 4) now open, only confirm research results on the continued growth of the sector. A survey by JMA Research in March this year showed that 46% of those polled expected events to play a greater role in their communication strategies with 61% saying they will allocate more budget to events in the next 12 months.
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The EIA is supported by marketing partners Dubai World Trade Centre, IELA and getmemedia.com
---NOTES TO EDITORS---
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) is the industry body and professional institute for leading advertising, media and marketing communications agencies in the UK. Collectively, IPA members handle over 80% of media spend and a large proportion of the £43 billion spent on marketing in the UK each year.
Q1 Bellwether 2007 allocated 23% of the £43 billion UK marketing spend as ‘All Other’.
'All Other' marketing included tick boxes only for the following activities:
1. PR
2. Event sponsorship
3. Conferences
4. Exhibitions
5. Corporate Hospitality and Entertainment
6. Newsletters/other corporate literature
7. Product Sampling
8. Competitions
9. Mobile Phone (including SMS but excluding Mobile TV)
10. Anything else that is not classified elsewhere
About the EIA: www.eventsindustryalliance.com
The EIA seeks to communicate the huge opportunities for business growth via the medium of live event marketing, to place live events at the heart of modern marketing, and increase the medium's market share.
EIA will deliver its vision via:
1. Promotion - influencing key target groups (see below)
2. Measurement - conveying effectiveness of live events / improving industry evaluation
3. Participation - broadening EIA involvement among all live sectors and client companies
4. Expertise - promoting greater skills among users by sharing knowledge and best practice
EIA target groups:
a) Client organisations and their marketing/brand managers
b) Agencies
c) National and marketing media
d) Government lobbying and support
e) Academia
For more information, visit the website at www.eventsindustryalliance.com
---CONTACT---
Events Industry Alliance (EIA)
Declan Gane, EIA PR Manager
Email: declan.gane@eventsindustryalliance.com
Events Industry Alliance (EIA)
119 High Street
Berkhamsted
Hertfordshire
HP4 2DJ
Telephone: (01442) 873331
Facsimile: (01442) 875551
