IACC External Meetings Demand Report 2022

companies that specialise in many industries. Finally, websites such as the PCMA and the ICCA, are organisations specialised in the business events industry. Out of the analysis of these sources, a brainstorming session was held where all topics were visualised in a mind map. Nine study areas were identified. Further literature research was conducted to obtain a deeper grasp of these topics. Due to this exploratory research, the project began with a stronger foundation of knowledge. The nine topics were the following: trends in the industry, the changing customer expectations, organisational change, the need to feel safe, millennials, transformation post-pandemic, organisational culture, the rising importance of technology, and the Decentralisation in the work environment. The complete mind map can be found in Appendix 1: Mind Map of Ideas . The search for publications was narrowed down by doing several things. In order to get relevant information, the publication date had to be between the years 2018 and 2021 (Groningen, 2021). The meeting industry is constantly being revolutionised and information from 10 years ago might not be relevant anymore today. For one source from 1993 and some sources, published between 2005 and 2017, an expectation was made as they still presented general relevant information. Additionally, the sources had to be published by a reputable author or institution to minimise the possibility of inaccurate or false information. Checking for any bias in the article and whether the author has the necessary qualifications in the field of research are necessary when checking for relevant information (Mandalios, 2013). Any citations made in the sources used were also checked to make sure the claims made by the source are backed up with relevant and correct sources. The information gathered during the initial literature research was then used to ask informed and relevant questions to the client during the exploration phase of the project. Asking smart questions can lead to the client providing some guidance or direction, revealing their preferences, or assisting you in getting to the root of their problem (Bostic, 2020). The data collected during the initial exploration phase will be used to identify the topics for the interviews and surveys. During the data collection, new ideas that might arise will consequently also be researched. Additionally, the literature research done is essential to make a comparison with the primary research acquired from the survey with the large companies and the interviews with the clients of IACC’s venues. At the end of the data collection phase, the data collected from the three different research methods will be compared and contrasted to formulate well-supported advice. 3.2.2 Validity and Reliability of the Desk Research When evaluating the validity of data from a secondary source, it is necessary to check if the data collected from that source is relevant to the topic which is being discussed. A reliable source is one that offers a well- thought-out, well-supported idea, argument, or discussion based on solid facts (Burnham, 2008). To check the reliability and validity of the sources, the CRAAP test was used. CRAAP is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. In short, this test helps check who published the source, the purpose of the source, when it was created/updated, and it is content (Benedictine University, 2021). A full explanation of the CRAAP test can be found in Appendix 2: CRAAP Test.

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