Rountable between large Spanish agencies and automotive meeting planners

The key messages which came up were the following:
– This industry´s meetings budgets are under heavy pressure, due to massive drop in sales (-50%). Clients asked the agencies to adapt their budgets to this situation.
– Besides reducing fees, another solution requested by several clients was to switch to a partially variable payment mode, depending on the event results.
– ROI (return on investment) appeared, to all clients, as something essential, especially in difficult economic times when no euro can be spent wrongly. And this ROI, these days, is especially based on car sales, which have become the key priority far ahead of brand building.
– However, this exercise is difficult, and several clients stressed that long term objectives of brand-building and strategic communication should also be maintained.
– Another change asked from the clients is that agencies help them co-organise or co-brand their events, to maximise the event content and the brand values communicated.
– Trade shows, which have become very expensive “beauty contests”, are under pressure, as more and more car companies question their ROI in these actions.
– The agencies from the Club stressed their specifics: agencies expert in live communication, with strong production capacity and knowledge of the risks of live actions. Specialisation is one important value they bring, in an era in which communication groups are increasingly entering the event market.