2013 Annual Meeting Survey Results

2013 Annual Meeting Survey Results

Last November, the AAR joined with SBL to host their 2013 Annual Meetings in Baltimore, Maryland. In attendance were 10,239 AAR and SBL members and exhibitors, making the Baltimore meeting the fourth largest Annual Meeting in history.

More than 1,260 AAR, SBL, and Additional Meetings sessions occurred during the five-day time period from Thursday, November 21, to Tuesday, November 25. AAR hosted 494 sessions.

Responses to the post-Annual Meeting survey reflect generally positive experiences by the members in attendance. Survey results are posted online (PDF). 94 percent of survey respondents thought the 2013 Annual Meeting was a satisfactory or very satisfactory experience. Satisfaction wtih sessions was high: 87 percent of survey respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality. The opportunity to network with other colleagues also received high marks: 92 percent reported satisfaction. Respondents rated the Baltimore Annual Meeting location favorably, giving positive feedback about its hotel facilities (80 percent) and meeting room space (84 percent).

The Annual Meeting attracted attendees from around the world: 80 nationalities were represented. Canadians made up the largest international group with 475 attendees, followed by the United Kingdom (339), Germany (151), Israel (92), Australia (73), Norway (69), the Netherlands (67), South Africa (48), and Sweden (40). California was the best-represented state in 2013 with 767 attendees, followed by New York (604), Pennsylvania (521), Massachusetts (484), Illinois (482), Texas (482), and Virginia (389). 

Satisfaction with the registration and housing process was high: 95 percent of respondents rated the process positively. The peak hotel night was Saturday, November 23, with almost 4700 hotel rooms in use. Overall more than 18,000 room nights were occupied during the meeting.

The most common complaint was the lack of Wifi access in the Convention Center. Although the Center provided two free Wifi hotspots, it was not sufficient to meet the growing demand for Wifi service. The AAR and SBL are negotiating with the San Diego Convention Center to provide free Wifi access to attendees throughout the whole center for the 2014 meeting. In addition, free Wifi will be provided for guests in half of the San Diego hotels in the AAR and SBL’s block.

The Annual Meeting Satisfaction Survey is sent via e-mail to all Annual Meeting attendees at the conclusion of each meeting and is offered online at the AAR website. The number of responses this year was 1,509, which represents about 31 percent of those AAR and dual members who were sent the survey. Respondents did not answer each question, so the values were measured from the number of respondents who did. The survey is voluntary and open to all attendees. The Executive Office staff would like to thank everyone who participated in the post-Annual Meeting survey. It continues to be valuable to the Annual Meeting process, for it provides the AAR’s Program Committee, Board of Directors, and Executive Office staff with an important measure of member satisfaction. We value this opportunity to hear your comments and suggestions on how we can continue to meet your needs and to offer an excellent meeting.