meetings Archives - Page 2 of 3

30th October 201930th October 2019

Most competitive convention destination revealed by ICCA

Competitive Index 2019 for global cities hosting meetings and events ranks them by features such as infrastructure and costs.

Paris has retained the top spot in ICCA’s rankings of the most competitive destinations for international conventions.

Barcelona has moved up one place from its 2018 ranking to second place, while Singapore has jumped three places from sixth to third. Washington has gone the other direction, dropping from second to seventh place.

ICCA has worked with convention industry consulting firm GainingEdge on the second annual ‘Competitive Index’ of international convention destinations. This year’s edition extends the listing to the world’s top 103 cities – those which have hosted 82 or more international conventions over the past three years as reported by ICCA.

This year’s report also includes a ‘fair share’ analysis of a destination’s business levels.

“We think this analysis will help destinations to gain insights into where they are and whether they should be in market share building mode, or market share protection mode,” said GainingEdge CEO, Jon Sivertson.

“If you are below fair share there are probably reasons for that. For instance, if your competitors have better financed bureaus, it provides you with a business case for increased resources. If you are above fair share, the message should be that you need to avoid a downside risk. You are only there because you are taking some of your competitors’ share, and if they get it back, you lose.”

Most competitive global destinations for conventions

	City	Score
1	Paris	741.4
2	Barcelona	708.8
3	Singapore	706.8
4	Tokyo	694.1
5	New York	691.2
6	Beijing	672.2
7	Washington DC	668.2
8	San Francisco	664.6
9	Boston	661.3
10	Chicago	660.9
11	Hong Kong	653.4
12	Kuala Lumpur	647.7
13	Berlin	646.6
14	Toronto	642.8
15	Amsterdam	641.4
16	London	635.4
17	Istanbul	635
18	Bangkok	627.3
19	Milan	615.2
20	Seoul	604.3
21	Madrid	601.5
22	Frankfurt	600.4
23	Shanghai	600.2
24	Vienna	599.6
25	Chinese Taipei	596.1

(The full index covers 103 international cities)

The index compares the strength destinations by assessing features such as infrastructure (meeting venues, hotel stock and facility package, international accessibility and logistics), competitive factors (scientific community strengths, destination appeal and costs), as well as macro indicators (market size, economic strength, business environment, and social conditions).

You can download the full ICCA report here.

3rd September 201912th September 2023

Ideas to make sure attendees get the most out of your events

We all know that planning is the key to a successful conference, meeting or event. So how do you plan to make sure delegates get the best out of your events?

The German Convention Bureau has identified five elements to improve the delegate experience. We explore them, here.

Get the most out of your events:

1. Networking

Research has shown that networking is an important reason for attending an event. Event organisers should plan enough time for everyone to have the opportunity to meet and introduce themselves.

There are plenty of things organisers can do to facilitate networking. There are matchmaking systems to connect people before the event has begun. At the event, icebreakers can start communication and get people familiar with each other. Or interactive displays will create a reaction and get people talking.

2. Sharing Knowledge and Information

Another top reason for attending an event is to have access to new and exciting information. For many events, attendee satisfaction depends on the quality of content. The content must deliver new knowledge, improve understanding, and attendees need to be able to use it when they are back in the office. The information must have the power to motivate them or change their behaviour.

Speakers must be able to discuss a topic thoroughly and be engaging so the audience listen and take in what they say. They must also be able to answer questions, so, they should be very knowledgeable in their chosen topic. Think about the formats of sessions. Can some be interactive, or can a session be delivered by attendees working in small groups?

3. Disruption

Events that surprise and create change can positively impact both individuals and organisations. First-hand experience is important, and to introduce something different can create a lasting memory and sense of community.

Event organisers should consider building in an element that ties in with their organisation’s CSR policy, such as a meditation session, an inspiring speaker, creating artwork or a team-building exercise. This element needs to have a purpose but it can introduce attendees to something unusual and change their mindset.

4. Technology

Everyone expects technology to be at the forefront of the event. While it’s nice to introduce some innovative elements, they must be meaningful. There are apps and software to facilitate interaction between attendees and speakers, and using technology to engage delegates will create more interaction. Elements such as live streaming, virtual reality, specialist apps, and so on can elevate an event to the next level.

Organisers should consider whether it would be possible to mix digital and real-life options for people to interact with each other, while remembering that different personality types (more or less introvert or extrovert) have different ways of communicating.

5. Satisfaction

The main overall aim is that the attendees are happy with the event. They will have had different reasons for being there, and if they leave having achieved their goal, they will be satisfied. If they have gone to learn something new, made new contacts, and met their goals, they will deem it a successful event and hopefully attend again.

There is many aspects to remember when organising an event which contribute to the overall success. However, the most important factor to consider is the clients’ and delegates’ satisfaction. If they are happy, it was a successful event!

Need help planning your next event? Try our very own Trinity Event Solutions

9th July 20199th July 2019

New Gastronomic Space in Madrid

La Quinta del Jarama, a unique venue located just 10 minutes from Madrid, has opened a new gastronomic space, The Living Room.

This space is ideal for presentations, meetings, show cooking activities or tastings. This is a friendly space designed by Natalia Casco de Kuboene that combines technology and latest trends in decoration, as well as a very creative gastronomic proposal.

La Quinta de Jarama is a space designed to accommodate singular events. it spreads out over 15.000m2, consisting of a 4,000m2 construction and gardens designed in a Spanish-Arabic style. The venue can accommodate meetings from 30 people to up to 1,000 seated guests.

28th June 201928th June 2019

Office workers dread all-day meetings, according to new study

A new study commissioned by Drayton Manor Park has found that out of 1,000 surveyed office workers, half of them dread-all day meetings.

The survey also identified that 59 per cent of respondents would rather concentrate on their work than have to attend a training session. A further 44 per cent attributed this feeling of dread with knowing that the meeting format would be the same as the last one they attended.

Other factors included too much being crammed into an agenda and the meeting not starting on time.

As a result of this dread of meetings, half of the survey respondents admitted to zoning out, while 12 per cent confirmed they had fallen asleep during meetings and 10 per cent said they had secretly listened to music during meetings.

“Our survey results show that businesses need to seriously think about the way it delivers meetings and training sessions. In a time where businesses are scrutinising all budgets, delivering effective meetings which people look forward to can ensure that no time is wasted when lots of talent is taken out of the office and invited to an all-day session,” said Melissa Penn, Drayton Manor Park conference and events manager.

An unsurprising result from the survey is that 82 per cent of meeting attendees agreed that productivity slumped after lunch, with only 22 per cent saying they joined in energising team activities, designed to help delegates break out of the post-lunch slump.

“It is clear that enthusiasm and motivation for meetings is flat at the moment and a change in format is required.

“We hope that our report will encourage event organisers to shake up their current meeting schedule and consider new methods to help re-energise attendees for the whole session,” Penn added.

One positive that was taken from the study if that 71 per cent of respondents said that would more receptive to all-day meetings if they were held off-site.

24th June 201924th June 2019

Global meetings and events industry set to converge at The Meetings Show

Meeting and event professionals from around the world will be coming together this week for two days of inspiration, education and networking at The Meetings Show, which is preparing for its biggest show to date.

Taking place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London, The Meetings Show will bring together more than 4,500 industry professionals, including over 700 exhibitors and more than 900 hosted buyers already signed up.

Following the hugely successful launch of a new two-day format in 2018, this year the show has seen significant growth in mid to long-haul destinations exhibiting, its education programme has been revamped with exciting new formats for sessions, and for the first time the show is offering dedicated initiatives to support young and up-and-coming talent in the industry.

To help you plan your visit, here are some of the highlights of The Meetings Show 2019.

Pre-Show Conference

Focus on this year being a sell out. A sell-out success in 2018, the Pre-Show Conference returns on Tuesday 25 June to offer exclusive educational opportunities to attendees of the three-day Hosted Buyer programme. Held this year at the Olympia Conference Centre, the conference will be opened with a keynote from one of the UK’s leading economists, Gerard Lyons, then followed with dedicated streams for agency, corporate and association buyers.

Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception

Hosted buyers will be getting into the swing of networking at the Tuesday evening Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception, taking place at hi-tech mini-golf venue Puttshack. Attendees will be able to vie for their place on the leaderboard for the night, while catching up with industry friends old and new ahead of the main show opening on Wednesday 26.

Inspiring exhibitors

With more than 700 hotels, venues, destinations and suppliers to the industry in attendance, visitors will be able to find all the inspiration they need for planning their next event. Walking the show floor, you’ll notice an increased international presence – 18% greater year-on-year – thanks to a whole host of new exhibitors, as well as many familiar faces from last year returning with bigger and better displays. You can see the full list of exhibitors here.

Engaging education

This year The Meetings Show is shaking up its education programme with sessions including expertise from outside of the industry and insight shared in a variety of unusual formats, including a courtroom trial, a dramatic performance and a live teambuilding pitch exercise. The Technology Tour will offer speed meetings with innovative suppliers and campfire sessions will provide the chance to participate in small-group discussions to get to the bottom of any burning issues.

Tomorrow’s Talent

The Meetings Show is celebrating and championing the rising stars of the industry with its Tomorrow’s Talent initiative. Launched in December 2018, Tomorrow’s Talent has sought out the 10 brightest under 30s from event agencies, associations, venues and suppliers to the industry to offer a platform for furthering their careers. The 10 winners will be in attendance at the show, and meeting with fellow event professionals at the MPI Foundation Cocktails for Charity event at 5pm on Wednesday 26.

The Future of Meetings

Once again, The Meetings Show in partnership with the Meeting Design Institute has selected the five most promising start-ups in the meetings technology sector to be shortlisted for The Future of Meetings Award. All five nominees will be exhibiting on the MDI stand and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 26 at 16:30.

The Meetings Show takes place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London. For more information and to register as a visitor, visit www.themeetingsshow.com/register. Join in the conversation and find out who else is attending by using the hashtag #MeetYouAtTheShow.

10th June 201910th June 2019

8 reasons why EDGE Venues wants to #MeetYouAtTheShow

EDGE Venues is planning to make a big impact at this year’s Meetings Show, on 26^th and 27^th June at Olympia London.

The Meetings Show marks six months since EDGEvenues.com, innovative meetings technology, launched. And the team behind it has loads to share with show visitors.

Whether you’re an agent, a corporate or a venue, here are eight reasons why you should meet us at the Show:

1. Our technology

During our years of experience in the meetings and events industry, we’ve listened. We’ve listened to bookers and venues on what they needed to improve the simplicity of venue-finding. And we spent the last 18 months developing a new meetings platform that allows fast searches, intelligent comparisons and easy bookings everyone involved in the booking process. Want to know more? Then we’ll #MeetYouAtTheShow and show you first-hand how easy EDGE is to use.

2. See venues on the big screen

We’re going big at The Meetings Show – so big we’ve got a 86 inch screen to show you how great venues look on EDGE. And if you’re from a venue, we’ll go through your page with easy steps to improve your profile to achieve a spot in our 100% Club – because improving your searchability helps bookers match your property with their needs!

3. Central hub of information

New features, articles, venue news, special offers, commission deals, fam trips – and much more – are uploaded to EDGE Venues on a daily basis. So, it’s easy to find out what your favourite venue is doing, or with what’s happening across the industry. You can access many of the updates and all of our members’ amazing special offers by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Not only that, these offers are shown by city and destination – so pick your location and see what offers we have available there.

4. Be part of our booker prize draw

The Meetings Show wouldn’t be doing its job if there wasn’t a prize draw thrown in for visitors. Our first prize draw is for bookers (don’t worry venues, we’ve a got a treat in store for you as well), and it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t draw on the influence of our MD, Jacqui’s, to offer something with a real Irish Experience.

Dublin Weekend Experience for 2 to include:

Return Flights to Dublin from the UK. 2 nights bed and breakfast with a fabulous dinner each evening for 2 – with golf and lots of other treats at the wonderful 5 Star Carton House Hotel – sponsored by Visit Ireland and Carton House Hotel.

Visit our stand to enter and meet with our Irish friends to hear all about what Dublin and Carton House have to offer your event.

5. Understand how to compare and share venues in your searches

One our key features is venue comparison and share options. Let us take you through some simple searches to compare some of your favourite venues. Then save and share this comparison with your colleagues or clients with a personalisation and your own insights on the venues offered. Whether you’re in need of a specific meeting room layout, or a hotel with capacity for overnight accommodation, our search function lets you easily compare your options. What’s more, where a venue has a special offer or a ‘buy it now’, it will be visible in the search so that you can take immediate advantage.

6. Capture our destination knowledge

EDGE Venues is more than just a UK hub of venues, we’re global! We have profiles of more than 125 destinations over 45 countries. We’ll tell you the average flight time, the currency, whether Visas are required and how you can get value for money whilst you’re out there.

So why don’t you come and test our knowledge and let us show you how easy it is to find a venue in your chosen destination?

7. Venues opportunity to win a fantastic prize

We promised that venues would also have the chance to win one of our fabulous prizes… Fancy winning a 3-night stay in Glen Cottage including one dinner for two people at Michelin star pub restaurant – The Olive Branch wand why not drop into the office and meet the Trinity / EDGE team on route whilst enjoying the delights of the Historic town of Stamford.

8. Meet the team behind the magic

We’re a relatively small team here at EDGE Venues, but we’re a team who is passionate about making a difference to the meetings and events industry. We always want to put a face to a name, so stop by stand D500 and let us show just how passionate we are and how we can help you make a difference to your bookings.

Our final call out to Agents/Corporates – Find out why EDGE Venues should be your first point of call for all meeting and event bookings – come and see us on stand D500.

Our final call out to Venues – Find out why you can’t miss out on the opportunity to showcase your venue to its maximum potential which will increase number of enquiries into your property – come and see us on stand D500.

6th June 20196th June 2019

Networking is key to success in events, The Meetings Show reports

A survey of meeting and event planners carried out by The Meetings Show has found that the majority of event planners think networking is vital in their jobs, with millennials valuing it the most highly.

Overall, 59% of participants in the survey regarded networking events as an important part of their job, but this figure rose to 85% among 18-30-year-olds, who cited making new contacts (80%) and raising their profile in the industry (71%) as the key reasons for attending.

While the younger generation clearly see the value in networking, the majority – 85% – were averse to attending on their own, preferring to go with a colleague or group of colleagues.

More experienced event planners were happier to go it alone, with over a third (36.4%) of 31-45-year-olds preferring to attend by themselves.

Motivations for attending differed among the older generations too, with generating new business leads and meeting with existing industry contacts and friends being cited as key drivers by more than 50% of respondents over 30.

The survey also looked at the logistics which make the ‘perfect’ networking event and found that midweek events were most popular, with 69% preferring events held on Wednesdays, while more than half (52.2%) said they would be willing to travel no more than an hour to attend an event.

When it comes to the format of events, paired or group activities was the most popular option, chosen by 53% of respondents, although for the 31-45 age group appointment-based networking was preferred, while for planners aged 46 and over, seat rotation at a dinner was chosen by 70%.

David Chapple, group event director of The Meetings Show, said: “Networking is one of the core pillars of The Meetings Show, and so we are always reviewing the way we facilitate networking to make sure it’s of the most benefit to our exhibitors and visitors. The findings of the survey have reinforced just how important it is, especially for younger event professionals looking to grow their networks and raise their profile within the industry.

“Walking into a room full of people you don’t know can be daunting, which is why this year we have introduced a new initiative specifically aimed at helping junior event planners. If they have a senior colleague who is attending the show as a hosted buyer, then on the second day of the show the junior colleague will be able to join them for all of their appointments, as well as having access to the hosted buyer lounge, for a less intimidating introduction to the industry.

“With networking at The Meetings Show being provided in a number of different formats, all either on the show floor or within easy reach of Olympia, we hope that all of our attendees will benefit from the opportunity to come together at the show.”

Throughout The Meetings Show, networking opportunities will take place in a variety of locations and formats, making it the ideal opportunity to meet new contacts as well as catch up with industry friends.

For hosted buyers, the networking will get off to a swinging start with the Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception on Tuesday 25 June. This year attendees will have the chance to tee off at one of London’s top alternative venues, Puttshack, where a friendly – or ever so slightly competitive – round of mini golf will help to break the ice.

When the doors open to the show on Wednesday 26, networking opportunities will be on offer throughout the show, including on-stand receptions hosted by exhibitors, a charity party hosted by MPI and dedicated networking for young event professionals.

Hosted buyers will also have exclusive chances to network in the Hosted Buyer Lounge at the show, and can apply to join post-show fam trips to the West Midlands, Aberdeen, Brighton, Bristol or Paris to discover all the destinations have to offer on a fully-hosted tour, departing when The Meetings Show closes on Thursday 27.

For more information about The Meetings Show’s hosted buyer programme, which offers one, two and three-day attendance options, visit https://www.themeetingsshow.com/visit/hosted-buyer-programme.

The Meetings Show takes place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London. To register, visit www.themeetingsshow.com/register.

3rd June 20194th June 2019

How to design an appropriate Code of Conduct for your event

We’ve all seen the rise of the #MeToo movement in the last few years, so how do you make sure your event or meeting is not the next news item?

The answer is to have a Code of Conduct. In the USA, a survey has found that 60% of respondents experienced harassment while attending a conference. Most of them did not report the problem to anyone. About one third of meeting planners have had to manage a situation where an attendee reported being sexually harassed.

This is an area that you need to get right, not only to address the behaviour and make sure it doesn’t happen again. But if you don’t, then there are legal implication, reputational harm and loss of staff morale. It’s important to have a Code of Conduct in place to set the tone of the event and behavioural expectations and make sure that everyone operates in an environment of respect. It will also help to avoid complaints.

Here are some pointers of how to write your Code of Conduct:

Incorporate your company’s values, principles and mission
Keep it simple, straightforward, and concise
Include a statement of values
The emphasis should be on respect
Set out expectations of appropriate behaviour
Explain what behaviour will not be tolerated
Make clear how to report inappropriate behaviour
Lay out the consequences or sanctions
Here’s an example that will help you draft your own policy

The Code is meaningless unless attendees know about it – think about putting it on your event website or app, or you could make it part of the registration process, put it in the conference materials or it could be mentioned in the introduction to the event.

If you have a meeting code of conduct, then you need to be prepared to enforce it. That means that you need to educate those tasked with receiving complaints and put sound investigation practices in place

Make sure someone has been nominated to receive complaints
Communication – ensure everyone knows who go to and how to report an issue
Appoint a neutral investigator – this could be someone internal or external as long as they are objective and knowledgeable, whilst being able to demonstrate that they want to find out the truth Have a full understanding of the code and the complaint process
Ensure that there is confidentiality and discretion. Other people within the business will need to know about it, but ensure it is as few as possible
Undertake any investigation immediately
Make the investigation thorough, from both sides and talk to any witnesses

Do you still investigate if the complainant changes their mind? Yes – if you want to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and you need to be seen to be taking this seriously.

And remember, this doesn’t just apply to attendees, but also speakers, sponsors, contractors and everyone involved in your event.

28th May 201928th May 2019

Radisson Hotel Group launches incentives offering for event industry

The hotel group’s five-year plan includes the ambition of becoming the market leaders in the meetings and events industry.

An important components is Radisson Rewards for Business, the group’s loyalty program for event planners. Members can earn points toward rewards for all bookings at all Radisson Hotel Group brands.

Eric De Neef, Radisson Hotel Group’s executive vice president and global chief commercial officer stated that the offering was in response to changing market trends and expectations.

“We are investing in our meeting venues at our 1,100+ hotels worldwide, in training of our teams, and in technology. A state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and distribution platform are core elements helping us to deliver our brand promise. Finally, all Radisson Meetings are carbon neutral – we are the only hotel group worldwide to automatically offset any carbon footprint at no cost to our customers.”

Excellent customer service is one of the factors that matters most to event planners when selecting a venue.

To this end, the hotel group to making a multi-million investment across its portfolio in new audio-visual technology and improved facilities. Implementation has already been completed in 55 properties across 11 countries in EMEA and will be progressively rolled out globally across the group’s portfolio by the end of the five-year operating plan in 2021.

Sustainability is also a key area, and Radisson Hotel Group has teamed up with FirstClimate, one of the largest carbon offsetting organisations in the world.

For each meeting, the carbon footprint is calculated and then offset through First Climate by supporting projects that combat climate change and have a positive sustainable development contribution in Peru, Kenya, and India or invest in wind energy in Turkey and the USA.

Radisson currently has 500 hotels in their portfolio, across 80 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Half of the portfolio is in emerging markets such as Africa, the Middle East and Russia, whilst the other half is in mature markets such as the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia.

17th May 2019

Scottish cities account for 24% of all major association meetings in the UK

Scotland is bucking the trend with the number of major association events held in 2018 up 5% from 2017, despite the UK dropping two places in the latest ICCA Country and City Statistics report for total number of international association meetings.

The report, released early this week, revealed that the number of major association meetings that took place in the UK dropped by 3% in 2018. However, Scotland celebrated an increase in the number of meetings during the same period.

In 2018, the country hosted 137 events, up from 114 in 2017, and contributed 24% towards the UK’s total for the year. Scottish cities moved up the rankings in 2018 with Edinburgh taking position 27 and Glasgow taking position 47 in the world rankings, with only London coming above them in the entire UK.

Last June, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre hosted the European Orthodontics Society Congress, which welcomed more than 2,500 delegates from across mainland Europe. The congress, the society’s largest annual gathering, also utilised the entire Surgeons Quarter campus for its President’s Reception.

Amanda Ferguson, head of business tourism, Convention Edinburgh said: “I’m delighted to see Edinburgh position in the top 30 of the ICCA World Rankings again. The ability to continuously attract international association meetings in a very competitive marketplace is underpinned by our vibrant knowledge economy and sectoral strengths.”

Climbing 25 positions in the ICCA rankings, Glasgow was the host city for a number of major association congresses in 2018 including the World Haemophilia Congress and the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) Congress.

Both held at the SEC, The World Haemophilia Congress attracted more than 5,000 delegates from 137 countries to its four-day event and the ESSKA Congress welcomed more than 4,000 delegates across its three day programme.

Last year, VisitScotland Business Events won the ICCA Best Marketing Award for its first-ever digital campaign “Scotland. Where ideas become legend”. The campaign, which launched in November 2017, highlights the reasons why event organisers should view Scotland as the perfect partner for international conferences – its globally renowned academic credentials, historic pioneering spirit and world changing innovation.

Rory Archibald, association & sectors, VisitScotland said: “We’re thrilled that Glasgow and Edinburgh have made huge leaps in the 2018 ICCA rankings. Over the past two years we have been showcasing Scotland to the world through our award-winning Legends campaign, INNOVATETHENATION ambassador network and most recently our inaugural Association Reception Series in Brussels. Business Events are a crucial tool for economic and social change in Scotland, so we will continue to work tirelessly with our partners, our knowledge centres and the Scottish Government to attract more ground-breaking events across the country.”