SUMMARY: THE 1997 SURVEY OF ACTE MEMBERS

The Research Network interviewed two hundred members of ACTE from the United States and Canada and forty members of ACTE from the United Kingdom between July 23, 1996 and July 31, 1996. The purpose of this survey was to determine the views of ACTE members on a wide variety of topics including their reasons for joining ACTE, their overall satisfaction with ACTE membership, their views on specific aspects of ACTE, conference and meeting attendance, and their views on ACTE publications.

• The two leading reasons for joining ACTE are networking opportunities and the quality and composition of the membership.

• Sixty percent of the members surveyed agree they have sufficient access to ACTE officers and board members. Fifty-nine percent agree that ACTE officers and board members are responsive to the needs of the members. Sixty-four percent of the members surveyed agree that the ACTE staff is responsive to the needs of the members.

• Ninety-two percent of those surveyed are generally satisfied with their ACTE membership. Implementing more regional meetings may be a way to improve the association's overall image with its members.

• More than two-thirds of the ACTE members surveyed are also members of other travel associations. More than eighty percent of the members of IBTA, MPI, and NBTA say that their membership in these associations is important to them.

• Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed say they have attended at least one annual membership conference in North America. Forty-six percent of those surveyed attended the 1996 conference in Seattle.

• The dominant reasons for not attending annual membership conferences include schedule conflicts and a lack of time and being a new member. Future attendance is heavily influenced by the availability of time and the educational value and the topic of the conference.

• Eighty percent of those surveyed say the quality of the educational seminars, at the last annual membership conference they attended, was excellent or very good. Over two-thirds say the quality of the keynote presentations was excellent or very good. Threequarters say the size and composition were excellent or very good. Seventy-six percent say the social and networking opportunities were excellent or very good. Eighty percent of those surveyed gave excellent or very good overall grades to the last annual conference they attended.

• About the same amount of members surveyed said that they would or would not attend a conference if a trade show was part of the conference. Approximately one-half of those surveyed said that a trade show would make no difference in their attendance. More than one-half of the suppliers surveyed say they would have an exhibit at an ACTE trade show.

• Only fifteen percent of those surveyed have attended an ACTE Global Conference. Fifty-one percent of those who have attended a Global Conference attended the 1995 Global Conference in Budapest. Sixty percent of those who have attended a Global Conference, went to at least one Global Conference other than the 1995 Global Conference in Budapest.

• Three-quarters of those who attended say the quality of the educational seminars at ACTE's Global Conferences was excellent or very good. Sixty-three percent say the quality of the keynote presentations was excellent or very good. Slightly over one-half say the size and composition were excellent or very good. Sixty-six percent say the social and networking opportunities were excellent or very good. Seventy-two percent of those surveyed give excellent or very good overall grades to the last ACTE Global Conference they attended.

• The dominant reasons for not attending an ACTE Global Conference are being a new member, schedule conflict/lack of time, and cost factors. Future attendance is heavily predicated by availability of time, meeting location and cost considerations. One-fifth of those surveyed say they have no reason to attend or are not sure what would cause them to attend.

• Twenty-eight percent of the members surveyed said they plan to attend the 1996 Global Conference in Madrid. Almost two-thirds of the members surveyed said they envision ACTE becoming more of an international organization. Almost one-half of the respondents who envision ACTE becoming more of an international organization believe ACTE has the greatest potential for growth in Europe. Over one-quarter of these respondents named Asia as a region were ACTE has the greatest potential for growth.

• Almost one-half of those surveyed have attended a regional Forum. One-quarter of those who have participated in a regional forum attended a forum in London. Slightly under one-fifth attended a forum in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

• Sixty-four percent of those who attended a regional forum said the quality of the educational seminars was excellent or very good. Fifty-four percent say the quality of the keynote presentations was excellent or very good. Forty-five percent say the size and composition were excellent or very good. Forty-three percent say the social and networking opportunities were excellent or very good. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed give excellent or very good overall grades to the last regional forum they attended.

• Seventy-four percent of those who attended a regional forum rate ACTE a four or better (on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest rating) in meeting the needs of senior-level executives with its conferences and seminars. Slightly over one-half of these respondents say that ACTE should not expand its educational programs to include less experienced professionals.

• Ninety percent of those respondents who have never attended a regional forum say they would attend a forum if it were held in their area.

• One-fifth of the respondents have participated in a Special Events Day. Thirty-eight percent of those who have never attended a Special Events Day say they would attend a golf outing if it were held in their area. Forty percent of those interviewed say they would attend a Special Events Day outside their area.

• Forty-eight percent of the respondents rate the ACTE Quarterly as excellent or very good. Twenty-seven percent rate the ACTE Annual Report as excellent or very good. Fifty-nine percent rate the ACTE Membership Directory as excellent or very good. Thirty-five percent rate the ACTE Update Newsletter as excellent or very good.

• Eighteen percent of the members surveyed say they have accessed the ACTE Web site. Twenty-eight percent of those who have accessed the Web site rate it as excellent or very good, and fifty-one percent rate the Web site as good. Seventy-nine percent of these respondents say they would use an employment listing bulletin board and ACTE's Web site as a resource. Sixty-four percent of the respondents who have never accessed ACTE's Web site say they have access to the Internet.

• Almost one-half of the members surveyed say they would be interested in ACTE sponsored courses in travel management.

• Thirty-four percent of the members surveyed have been members of ACTE for less than one year, and forty percent have been members for one to three years.

• The majority of the respondents are between the ages of 35 and 54. Seventy-six percent have a college degree, while twenty-one percent have done graduate work.

• Forty-one percent of the respondents are corporate purchasers of travel products and services. Eighty-five percent of these members handle travel, forty-seven percent handle purchasing, fifty-six percent handle administration and planning, and forty-nine percent handle meeting planning. More than one-third of these respondents say their companies spend between 1 and 10 million dollars on air, hotels, and car rentals. Slightly over one-fifth say their companies spend between 1 and 10 million on travel and entertainment. Forty-one percent of these respondents say they report to finance, thirteen percent report to purchasing, nineteen percent report to administration, and twenty percent report to human services.