Cvent

Meetings are having a tough time right now, that's for sure. We've blogged about a number of studies that show declines in the number of meetings planners intend to host and the number of people planning to attend. There is, however, one segment of the market that seems almost immune to the slump: SMERF.

Short for Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal Organizations, this segment isn't necessarily facing the same budget constraints as corporations. Plus, meetings that revolve around training and education are often a requirement for their members.

In a recent webinar offered by Successful Meetings and MeetingNews, the hosts surveyed the SMERF planners in attendance. They asked, "Have you seen a reduction in the number of meetings you're planning?" Here are the results:

• 39.2 percent said no reduction, it's about the same.
• About 32 percent said there's been a small drop.
• Almost 18 percent said there's been a large drop.
• Nearly 11 percent said the number of meetings has actually increased.

The potential for SMERF meetings is clearly strong. If you're an independent planner, are you tapping into this market?