Tag: MICE

Posted on

Convention Bureau Italia showcase Italy as a meetings destination

Italy at Hand, an international meetings event organised by Convention Bureau Italia to showcase Italy as a meetings destination, has reported a successful event.

The event, which was held at Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome between 7 and 9 November, welcomed more than 180 participants.

These delegates included those from the public sector as well as special guests such as Ray Bloom, president and founder of IMEX Group and Patrick Delaney, managing partner of Sool Nua, who are both leading figures in international meetings and events industry.

A total of 1,165 business meetings were held during the three-day event between 45 international buyers from both events agencies and in-house corporate event teams and 35 Italian exhibitors which aimed to showcase Italy as an events destination.

“Project quality, love of one’s country and a strong innovative drive in the international MICE sector: these are the ingredients that gave birth to Italy at Hand, The Event, the second edition of which has just ended with resounding public success,” said Carlotta Ferrari, president of Convention Bureau Italia.

“We take pride in the enthusiasm of the participants and the satisfaction of the Buyers and Exhibitors. They are a clear demonstration of the validity of our idea: to show the best of Italian know-how to the whole world, without neglecting creativity and enjoyment. I would like to thank the whole CBItalia team as well as our partners, who together have allowed Italy at Hand – The Event 2019 to achieve such excellent results.”

Italy at Hand also incorporated interactive activities to break up the monotony of back-to-back meetings. The activities were based on four themes, art, love, rituality and innovation, which, according to the event organisers, are Italian characteristics that only “hands can express”.

Next year, the Italy at Hand event will be held in Matera, a city on the rocky outskirts of the Basilicata region, in southern Italy.

Posted on

Research shows companies fail to carry out meetings risk assessments

New research reveals that many companies are failing to carry out proper risk assessments for every meeting despite the fact that 62 per cent of travel buyers say this is a growing priority.

A survey conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) in partnership with WorldAware found that a quarter of organisations never or rarely conduct a formal risk assessment of specific venues.

Furthermore, 24 per cent never or rarely assess the risk of meeting locations, such as a particular city or neighbourhood.

While most travel programmes have a risk management solution in place, less than half (49 per cent) have one that includes MICE data. The GBTA says this lack of itinerary data makes it difficult for companies to track their travellers and, in turn, ensure their safety, with a third of travel buyers saying it is more difficult to track employees when they travel for meetings than for transient travel such as a sales trip.

In the event of an emergency, 80 per cent of respondents say they sometimes have a crisis communication plan for meetings, but only 36 per cent say they always have plans in place.

Some of the travel buyers responding to the survey admit they don’t have a risk solution that includes MICE data, but 28 per cent plan to adopt one within the next year.

Michael W McCormick, GBTA executive director and COO, commented: “Organisations are certainly making strides in the meetings risk management field, but current efforts leave something to be desired. Proper risk management can be the difference between a successful event and a catastrophic disaster. Although it’s encouraging to see more organisations do assess the risk of meeting locations, the research shows that many companies have some catching up to do.”

Theresa Thomas, senior VP of strategic partnerships at WorldAware, added: “Successful risk management for meetings and events requires organisations to clearly assign risk management responsibilities to an individual or team of individuals, and that responsibility must be comprehensive. In other words, those responsible for risk management must be empowered to assess risks related to location at a city and neighbourhood level, the venue itself and ground transportation, including public transit as well as private transportation.”

Posted on

VisitBritain’s flagship business event MeetGB returns in 2019

VisitBritain has announced its flagship business event MeetGB will return this year to show 120 international buyers why the UK is the destination of choice for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

MeetGB will welcome 80 suppliers from venues, hotels and local attractions across the UK to do business with global buyers from France, Germany and North America at the De Vere Beaumont Estate in Windsor from Thursday 11 to Friday 12 April 2019.

The programme will see the buyers and suppliers engage in one-to-one business meetings, networking events and workshops.

VisitBritain chief executive Sally Balcombe said: “We are proud to bring MeetGB to Windsor in 2019 after the success of our inaugural event in 2018.

“MeetGB has been designed with global buyers in mind to demonstrate the breadth and quality of the UK’s meetings and events industry, highlighting VisitBritain’s commitment to growing the business events sector.

“MeetGB gives UK suppliers a platform to promote their products on an international scale, creating valuable business connections that will ultimately drive more international MICE events across the country.”

Ahead of the business programme, buyers will be introduced to some of the best of the UK’s conference and events offering as they take part in three days of educational visits across the country.

MeetGB is hosted by VisitBritain in partnership with VisitEngland, Visit Wales, VisitScotland and Tourism Northern Ireland.

VisitBritain promotes business events worldwide under the Events are GREAT brand, part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign.

The brand drives awareness of Britain’s destinations and products, highlighting its history of research, innovation and high-quality infrastructure, positioning it as a leading destination for business events.