ISES debuts new site:The ISES website has been redesigned to be easier to navigate, provide better ways for members to update their information, and offer new collaboration tools. See it all here …
Free webinar on monetizing your event app: Our sister publications group, MeetingsNet, will offer a free one-hour webinar tomorrow, Nov. 14, titled “Monetize Mobile: Adding Value to Your Event App.” Panelists Jim Wurm, executive director, Exhibit and Event Marketers Association, and Melissa Nielsen, manager of print, online and new media communications for the Society of Critical Care Medicine, will share their experiences. Attendees can earn one clock-hour of continuing education credit toward the CMP application or recertification. Register now; just click here …
Female same-sex couples spend more on weddings, study says: Community Marketing and Insights, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender consumer research company, released the results of a survey yesterday titled “Same-Sex Couples: Weddings and Engagements.” Produced in partnership with The Gay Wedding Institute, the survey of 916 couples was gathered from across the U.S., with 57 percent of couples already married, 19 percent in domestic partnership, 18 percent engaged and 5 percent in a civil union.
Among the findings:
- The economic impact for states offering civil unions or domestic partnerships is considerably less than those offering marriage. Seventy-six percent of couples receiving a civil union or domestic partnership did not have a traditional wedding with ceremony and reception.
- This research calculated the economic impact of same-sex couples getting legally married is three times greater than those receiving a civil union or domestic partnership, because married couples are far more likely to have a reception with guests or their receptions have a greater number of guests.
- Comparing those already married vs. those just now engaged, the trend is for newly engaged couples to spend more on their ceremonies and have a larger number of guests at their ceremony than those couples already married.
- Consistently across all questions considered in this study, female same-sex couples spend more on their weddings than male same-sex couples. For those already married, female same-sex couples spent 15 percent more than the men.
- In every category tested, female same-sex couples were more likely to participate in “wedding ceremony traditions” than were the men. For example, 66 percent of women purchase engagement rings vs. 19 percent of men. Also, female same-sex couples are far more likely follow wedding traditions such as rehearsal dinners or first dances at the reception.
For complete information about the survey please contact Cathy Renna at [email protected].
