ON JAN. 11 IN NEW ORLEANS, NEARLY 150 BUSINESS LEADERS IN THE SPECIAL EVENT INDUSTRY GATHERED AT HARRAH'S CASINO DURING THE SPECIAL EVENT 2001 TO DISCUSS IMPORTANT TRENDS. HERE'S WHAT WE ASKED AND WHAT THEY TOLD US AT THE FUTURE VISION LUNCHEON, SPONSORED BY NEW YORK-BASED BIZBASH.COM.
| Outsource to freelancers | 32% |
| Solicit interns from local schools | 22% |
| Increase pay rates | 16% |
| Offer flex time | 16% |
| Offer job sharing | 10% |
| Recruit employees from competitors | 4% |
| Offer “combat pay” bonuses | 39% |
| Offer comp time | 34% |
| Offer flex time | 27% |
| Yes, by a client | 39% |
| Yes, by a competitor | 35% |
| Yes, by a former employee | 22% |
| Never by anyone | 4% |
| Yes | 48% |
| No | 52% |
| If so, how do you establish their value? | |
| I charge based on our hourly rate | 36% |
| I use a set fee | 32% |
| I charge a percentage of the job's estimated value | 32% |
| Charge the client a separate creative fee | 50% |
| Itemize for the client the cost savings of using an event professional | 50% |
| It can't be done | 0% |
| Commissions are fair | 44% |
| Referral fees are fair | 35% |
| Kickbacks are fair | 10% |
| None of the above is fair | 10% |
| If so, how much is fair? | |
| 5% | 15% |
| 10% | 53% |
| 15% | 12% |
| 20% | 6% |
| 25% | 3% |
| None of the above is fair | 12% |
| They can offer personalized service | 48% |
| They can offer direct contact with company principals | 38% |
| They can offer lower prices | 14% |
| They cannot compete against larger companies | 0% |
| Yes, to a large extent | 18% |
| Yes, to a limited extent | 57% |
| No | 25% |
| If so, is it helping build your business, or is it bringing new competitors into your marketplace? | |
| It is helping build our business | 59% |
| It is not helping build our business | 17% |
| It is bringing new competitors to our marketplace | 17% |
| It is not bringing new competitors to our marketplace | 7% |
| It is making our business more efficient | 30% |
| It is giving us new capabilities to serve clients | 28% |
| It makes staff more productive | 23% |
| It saves money | 20% |
