Government Meetings & Events Make a Significant Contribution to the U.S. Economy
August 2nd, 2013 |
A recent study conducted by Rockport Analytics and commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association shows that government meetings and events support the effectiveness of government, greater productivity in the private sector, and the well-being of U.S. citizens. The research was conducted in three phases and included surveys of government workers and private sector executives, an economic impact study and two in-depth case studies focusing on events that have been recently impacted by the scrutiny over government travel expenditures for meetings and events. Some key findings from the research:
- Employees attending government meetings and conferences spent an average of $185 per day in 2011, significantly less than the $224 per day spent by private sector meeting attendees.
- Likewise, spending on government meetings and conference operations was significantly lower than that of the private sector – $173 per delegate, per day on average compared to $339 for the private sector.
- Among the private sector executives we surveyed, a majority (62%) report that spending on meetings and conferences where government employees were present had a positive return, while very few (12%) felt the return on investment was negative.
- Government travel for meetings and conferences had a total economic impact of $24.4 billion in 2011. Additionally, each government-meeting delegate generated roughly $174 in tax receipts, $78 of which went to state and local authorities.