Almost a quarter of meetings are affected by disruption in some way, impacting meetings and incentive planning in sometimes significant ways. The Incentive Research Foundation’s (IRF) 2016 Event Disruption Study explores the frequency, causes, sources and impact of recent disruptions in meetings and incentive travel.

The IRF’s study found that almost 60 percent of planners have experienced some form of disruption at their events, ranging from terrorist attacks and the Zika virus to weather-related problems and business partners’ mistakes.

“Our research showed that disruptions have a significant impact on meetings and incentives–whether the disruptions make front page news or occur behind the scenes,” says IRF President Melissa Van Dyke. “The 2016 Event Disruption Study examines what caused these disruptions and how they impacted the events, budgets, and partnerships.”

The study found that disruptions caused financial losses for 43 percent of planners or their companies, and that 70 percent have changed a meeting destination at least once because of perceived risks or disruptions. Looking ahead, 39 percent of survey respondents expect the time and effort they spending planning for disruptions to increase over the next two years.

The 2016 Event Disruption Study included 18 interviews and 266 electronic responses. To download a copy of the article and the associated white paper, “Adjusting Perspectives Regarding Disruptions in Meetings and Incentives,” click here.