GainingEdge Analysis & Research
GainingEdge CEO, Jon Sivertson, said the vision for GEAR is to fill a research gap in relation to both the convention industry and the association community.
“Our industry has never really had a dedicated research unit,” Sivertson said. “We were struck by the lack of real quantitative analysis available to support quality decision-making processes. We want GEAR to make a real difference for both the meetings industry and associations. We want GEAR to be the go-to when people are focused on fact-based decision making.”

Long-time GainingEdge consultant, Milos Milovanovic, has been tapped to head-up GEAR. He said GEAR came out of a journey that began in 2018 with the publishing of the first annual International Convention Destination Competitive Index, the 3rd edition of which was released in December 2020. He said GEAR’s next contribution will be “cutting edge” research into the “intellectual capital” of convention destinations around the world.
Milovanovic said the upcoming report would help cities understand how well they are leveraging their influencers to secure conventions.
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