The Magazine of the GERMAN CONVENTION BUREAU
English Edition 1 / 2010
IMEX 2010
Welcome to Germany
Culture Capital 2010 Social Media and meetings Facebook, Twitter & Co.
www.germany-meetings.com
High culture and Ruhr mythology
The finest in European hospitality. Grand, comfortable and exclusive; the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof, with its more than 130 years of history, is one of the best addresses in the city. The heritage listed building is just a few steps from the financial district, the shopping areas and cultural attractions. The hotel is the elegant centre point of the social scene in the city.
www.frankfurter-hof.steigenberger.de
EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
W
ho would have believed it possible: the Ruhr valley is the European Capital of Culture 2010! Just twenty years ago, British bookmakers would surely have offered odds of a million to one against that happening. But clearly the region has made a quantum leap forward. For one whole year, an astonishing 53 towns and cities will highlight the potential of their region through more than 300 projects and
Ruhr valley into a shining cosmos for lovers of culture as well as for city and MICE planners. Yet this cultural initiative is by no means the only project to bear fruit as the region around Essen sheds its “black country” image of coal mines and steelworks. The style of public relations embraced by the hosts is also both pioneering and transformational – especially in its use of media.
#MICE@Social.Media: Enter the Crucible of Culture! 2,500 events – continuing a tradition that has included cultural centres such as Athens, Florence, Prague and Weimar. In Europe’s capital of culture “Ruhr.2010” everything selfevidently revolves around the theme of change. Not merely the structural metamorphosis of what was once Europe’s leading industrial centre of coal and steel into a model region that provides outstanding services. It is also reflected in the transformation of an industrial gasometer into one of the world’s most spectacular exhibition venues. Or the regeneration of a coal pit into a cult event location. In short, it is the flowering of the once grim
The result is what is now known as “360° communication”. The main website www.ruhr2010.de is a rich seam of information regarding the year of culture for visitors, organisers and the media alike. But there is much more. Other topics from the interesting to the humorous can be found at Youtube.com/ruhr2010khs, on Twitter the tweets fly back and forth at #ruhr2010 and the number of Facebook fans of Ruhr.2010 has already grown to more than 18,000 (!).
seminars at IMEX at the end of May (see p. 9).
“Enter the Crucible of Culture!” is now more than just a brash invitation to visit the Ruhr valley. It is also a call to the MICE sector to accept and welcome this melting pot of opportunities provided by the age of Web2.0 and social media for marketing, communication and advertising.You can discover more about the new possibilities presented by these media during our GCB
On this note, I hope to see you – in the Ruhr, at IMEX,YouTube, Twitter & Co.!
And I will be there myself to answer your questions as well. For it is not only my honour and pleasure to welcome you to our booth as the new managing director of the GCB German Convention Bureau. I am also looking forward to meeting you, our friends, members and partners in person. And that is something that technology can never replace!
Best regards
Matthias Schultze Managing Director GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.
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The Magazine of the GERMAN CONVENTION BUREAU
English Edition 1 / 2010
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GCB Editorial Portrait Matthias Schultze
NEWS - Technology NEWS - Destinations NEWS - Hotels NEWS - Green Meetings NEWS - Agencies NEWS - Transport
The technical side
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Culture Capital 2010
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Social Media
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Argumentation aids for meeting planners
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IMEX 2010 Overview IMEX Association Day GCB Seminar Days GCB seminar in English language
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Executive Board: Anke Pruust Printing: Druck- und Verlagshaus Zarbock GmbH & Co. KG V.i.S.d.P.: Birgit Pacher Publisher German Convention Bureau
GCB Branch Office North America
Münchener Str. 48 60329 Frankfurt/Main, Germany Tel. +49 69 242 930- 0 Fax +49 69 242 930- 26 E-Mail info@gcb.de www.gcb.de
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Editorial Staff: GCB German Convention Bureau e. V. Featured Writers in this issue: GCB, Anke Pedersen, projekt2508, Dr. Michael Behrendt Layout: Sven Steglich Title: GCB Pictures: p. 14: LTM-Andreas Schmidt; p. 14: photo: Stefan Müller, Copyright: HumboldtUniversität zu Berlin; p. 22: metafusion; p.26: Gahrens + Battermann; p. 28: Poster Metropole Ruhr, Zeichnung: Jamiri/UNICUM; p. 29: photo: Manfed Vollmer; p. 30: Gasometer Oberhausen: Jochen Schlutius, , Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, Krüger, Torsten, Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus e.V.; p. 31: Still-Leben Ruhrschnellweg Die Metropole feiert / Grafik: RUHR.2010 GmbH / TAS Emotional Marketing GmbH; p. 34: Twitterwall: Copyright BloggingDagger (Flickr); p. 38 Messe Erfurt Frequency: Biannual The GCB is supported by: Strategic Partners: German National Tourist Board, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Deutsche Bahn AG, IMEX - incorporating Meetings made in Germany; Preferred Partners: Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, Maritim Hotels and darmstadtium wissenschaft | kongresse
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IMEX 2010
IMEX: the world’s leading trade fair for planners and organisers of conventions, meetings, incentives and events n Many companies and associations are constantly scouting for new ideas and venues for their meetings, conventions
and events in Germany – or even for an international event abroad. IMEX trade fair is an ideal place to establish new contacts with hotels, convention centres, airlines, destination agencies etc. all in one day.
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rom 25 to 27 May 2010 around 3,500 exhibitors from 150 countries will meet at IMEX – incorporating Meetings made in Germany – The Worldwide Exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events in hall 8 of Messe Frankfurt.
n Germany stand is the largest stand
at the fair Alongside the international exhibitors at IMEX, the leading event and meetings fair, the German Convention Bureau (GCB) will be presenting German meeting venues. Germany stand (no. F100)
IMEX 2010
“For planners of association congresses, management conferences and national meetings the Germany stand is the ideal place to find essential information and collect offers in a brief space of time – thus saving time and money,” says Anke Pruust, the GCB’s Deputy Managing Director. will feature a total of 160 cities, convention centres, meeting hotels and further service providers of the German MICE industry (meetings, incentives, conventions & events). The largest stand at the fair, it is an ideal info point for national association meetings.
by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), IMEX will present case studies of previous winners of the IMEX Green Awards every hour. In addition you will find the latest information on updated
environmental directives and novel ecological practices there such as the GRI Report Initiative, Green Globe Certification, ISO and APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange). This year exhibitors can also apply for an eco-label for the first time and it will be attached to their exhibitor card. Criteria for wearing an IMEX 2010 “Green Team” label include an environmentally sound stand that produces little waste, saves energy and uses sustainable materials.
n German-speaking seminar programme on the hottest topics This year IMEX 2010 offers a range of 15 German-speaking seminars dealing with hot topics concerning the current situation on the German market. (see page 9)
n New sustainability programme IMEX is reacting to heightened demand for training measures for green events and providers by launching a new sustainability programme featuring dropin workshops at the Corporate Responsibility stand. Supported
n IMEX 2010 - Overview
n Travel and accommodation
Date: 25 - 27 May 2010
After registering, IMEX visitors can choose from over more than 40,000 hotel beds and over 200 hotels in Frankfurt. Registered IMEX visitors will benefit from special reduced rates for hotels, flight and rail tickets, and rental cars.
Location: Messe Frankfurt, hall 8 Opening hours: Tuesday, 25 May, 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, 26 May, 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Thursday, 27 May, 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Admission: free of charge (after prior registration) Online registration on: www.imex-frankfurt.de
Lufthansa, Star Alliance and SkyTeam offer all registered IMEX visitors reductions on international flights to Frankfurt. Deutsche Bahn offers IMEX visitors a special rate of only € 89 for 1st-class rail tickets to Frankfurt from any location in Germany and back. Return tickets from Amsterdam, Brussels and Zurich are available for € 129.
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IMEX Association Day on 24 May 2010: Inspire members and develop global planning strategies n For the IMEX Association Day on 24 May 2010 IMEX has organised a multi-faceted and up-to-date programme.
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he German Convention Bureau (GCB) - supported by the German Society for Association Management (DGVM) - invites event planners from associations and organisations to take part in the IMEX Association Day free of charge. In seminars and round-table talks attendees will benefit from the expertise of leading industry experts and can take advantage of tailormade opportunities for networking with other associations. An evening reception at the Association Day will give association representatives an opportunity to share opinions with over 700 guests. n Programme in detail IMEX Association Day 2010 is organised by IMEX and its partner
ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association). Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA, is the first speaker at the Association Day. He will examine which factors are crucial when it comes to choosing a venue for an international convention. In his lecture Sirk will explain how the selection process can be made more efficient and transparent and better adapted to strategic goals. Greta Kotler, CAE (Certified Association Executive) and Chief Knowledge and Strategy Officer of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), will present a round-table discussion with the participation of Chip Deale, Head of Global Society Relations of CFA Institute, an international non-profit professional association for financial
analysts and investment experts, and Helga Severeyns, Senior Director of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). They will talk about all the different kinds of global planning strategies that are available to associations. In addition, Pol Van De Perre, Association Director of the Brusselsbased event planner MCI, will explain how you can effectively boost meeting contents with online tools. The speaker will examine how data, ideas and even complete meetings can be recapped, communicated, designed and archived with long term benefits for association members. www.imex-frankfurt.com/ assc-day.html
IMEX 2010
GCB Meetings made in Germany Seminar Days – presented by IMEX & the German Convention Bureau n Legal and technical issues, pitfalls and stumbling blocks, social responsibility and sustainability and, of course,
social media: All this is on the agenda of the GCB Seminar Days during this year’s edition of IMEX.
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he seminar programme comprises a total of 15 free Germanspeaking seminars and a lecture in English. The German Convention Bureau (GCB) has gained a top-notch media representative for its seminar programme at the trade show IMEX - incorporating Meetings made in Germany: Christoph Teuner, chief anchor of n-tv news channel, is presenting the key note speech on the latest changes and developments in the media. Web 2.0 and social media are a focal topic under the heading “More visitors thanks to Facebook, Twitter, blogs and co.” With his lecture “From Pecha Kucha to Open Space: modern event types and their benefits for you” Thomas Pfeiffer will arouse his audience’s curiosity for alternative
concepts in the day of web 2.0 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on 25 May 2010. “Trends and challenges of online direct marketing” will be presented by Nico Zorn on 26 May 2010 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. “E-mail is one of the most efficient marketing tools. Simultaneously it is increasingly difficult to get the recipient’s
attention in view of overflowing mailboxes,” Zorn outlines a problem of e-mail marketing. “Additionally, the growing use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter poses challenges but also potentials for online direct marketing,” adds the speaker. Attendees will learn how they can
CONVENTION meets LIFESTYLE
DÜSSELDORF • top modern and multifunctional convention locations • a prominent German metropolis of business and science • third biggest airport in Germany, optimal traffic connections/infrastructure • more than 23.000 hotel beds • international flair meets typical Rhenish tradition • world-class shopping
Call us! +49 (0) 211/1 72 02-858 convention bureau
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use the latest online direct marketing trends to gain and keep customers. Apart from insight into new strategy approaches the event also provides specific optimisation potentials in online direct marketing as well as ideas on how to successfully team e-mail and social media marketing. On 27 May 2010 Nicole Simon will tell you all about “More visitors thanks to Twitter, blogs and co – optimising events through social media” from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Trend topics like CSR and Green Meetings will also be featured in the seminars. “CSR meets live communication - corporate events with added value” is the title of the seminar by Aimé Sans on 25 May 2010 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. In his presentation the speaker will show how to successful integrate the now trendy “social responsibility” in event and live communication measures. Among other things, Sans will present selected projects that highlight and prove the benefits for companies, staff, customers and recipients. On 25 May 2010 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Dirk Walterspacher and Stefanie Laschet will ask the question “Green Meetings - trend or
necessity?”. Their presentation starts with the observation that demand for climate-friendly meetings is constantly rising but that supply is limited and rarely clearly defined. The speakers offer advice on sustainable planning, implementation and communication of events and look into fields like mobility, catering and congress documentation. The English-speaking presentation of the GCB Seminar Days at IMEX 2010 on 27 May 2010 from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. deals with “Sustainability and aviation how Lufthansa manages its daily challenges.” Peter Schneckenleitner, spokesman of the airline, explains that Lufthansa has already placed great emphasis on developing the company in sustainable ways for many years: “Economy and ecology have always gone together for us,” says Schneckenleitner. “But only a profitable business can expand its green activities. We invest not only in state-of-the-art technology but also in people. For us this is also about securing our future.” Of course, event planning will also get the attention it deserves at the Seminar Days. “Caveat emptor - event buyer beware! Criteria for selecting
suppliers“ will be presented by Viktor Calabró on 25 May 2010 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Melanie von Graeve, owner of the Frankfurt-based event agency Der Konferenz- und TagungsService (DKTS) will familiarise her audience with the “Seven Deadly Event Sins” in her workshop on 27 May 2010 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. The seminar programme is completed by legal and technical aspects of event planning: In his brief lecture on “Escape routes, seating plans, security – thought of everything? – basic principles of the German Convention Venue Regulation and its consequences for largescale events“ Götz Berge will go into the challenges and dangers of implementing large-scale events on 26 May 2010 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Also on 26 May 2010 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. lawyer Martin Hortig will focus on fundamental aspects of event planning in his seminar “Who is responsible when things go wrong? Liability issues from event planning to settlement.” The speaker warns: “If you want to avoid nasty surprises, you should look into liabilities, DIN standards and workplace safety regulations beforehand.”
Seminar in English language: Sustainability and Aviation - how Lufthansa manages its daily challenges
L
ufthansa places great emphasis on developing the company in sustainable ways. This concern has been firmly anchored in the Group’s Principles of Strategy for many years. It comprises the numerous efforts aimed at improving climate and environmental protection, employee
satisfaction, training and continuing education at all Group levels, and sustainable development to increase the company’s value long-term. Lufthansa adopted a new strategy for environmental and climate protection until 2020. The programme, which comprises
15 guidelines, is guided by the internationally acclaimed FourPillar Strategy for air transport, which encompasses the entire range of practicable measures for climate protection in aviation. Additionally, Lufthansa supports the climate protection targets spelt out by
IATA (International Air Transport Association) at its Annual General Meeting in June 2009, which envisage carbon-neutral growth across the industry by 2020 as well as a 50 % reduction in absolute CO2
emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. The way to these reduction goals and the challenges are shown in the presentation. www.imex-frankfurt.com/ seminars.php
Copyright/Owner/Photographer: bopicture Björn Hänssler
First class destination service all over Germany
Date: Thursday, 27 May 2010 Time: 08:45 - 09:45 a.m. Room: Esprit Speaker: Peter Schneckenleitner, Lufthansa Target Group: Business Travel Manager Level: all Dr. Peter Schneckenleitner is Spokesman for all the issues regarding “Public Affairs and Environment” at Deutsche Lufthansa AG. In the year 2003 he joined the company as Spokesperson for Lufthansa Cargo. Before he was acting as Communications and PR Manager in different Austrian companies.
You love our work! - SI Meetings | Conferences Full service and destination management all over Germany for your successful meetings
- Hotel reservations
Gahrens + Battermann: Fit for the World Cup
Public Viewing for any location or budget: Gahrens + Battermann kicks off with attractive soccer packages to tie in with the World Cup. Brilliant games, brilliant images. G+B can broadcast virtually everything by satellite in HDTV for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The media house offers screens with a
size of up to a gigantic 103 inches, projections of all sizes, and LED walls for indoor and outdoor viewing as special World Cup packages - plus a refund for every German goal. “The World Cup is very important for our summer business and we are already happy to receive numerous inquiries.” says Jörg Hendrichs, Managing Director of Gahrens + Battermann. “For the World Cup packages there is no clear favourite, as requirements are too diverse. A large-format display may be ideal for a pub, a projection for a clubroom, and for public viewing on a large scale you need an outdoor LED wall,” says Hendrichs. Gahrens + Battermann offers advice and support on the technology packages and any desired add-on such as light, audio equipment and a stage. All the video equipment is available in HD quality www.gb-mediensysteme.de/ angebotewm.html
- Full trade fair service For group bookings, room allotments and last minute reservations contact our trade fair department fairs@scandi.de
- City sightseeing - Coach and limousine transfers - Aircraft chartering - Excursions - Cultural programs and tickets - Guide and interpreter services - Sport events - Motorsport: Formula 1
SCANDI INTERNATIONAL
Destination Management Germany GmbH Mönckebergstrasse 17 20095 Hamburg Phone +49-40-32 32 89 0 Fax +49-40-32 32 89 32 E-Mail: mice@scandi.de
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Anniversary year: Oktoberfest turns 200 – Munich stages big party “Volksfest“, ended on 17 October with a horse race on the fields just outside Munich’s city gates. In honour of the bride these fields were christened “Theresens-Wiese“ (Theresa’s fields). Hence the venue of the Oktoberfest is still known as “Theresienwiese“ today, although the locals have abbreviated it simply to “die Wiesn“. The decision to repeat the popular horse race at the same time in the following year gave birth to the tradition of the Oktoberfest, which has attracted guests from all over the world for 200 years.
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n 2010 the federal state capital Munich will be celebrating a special anniversary: the 200th anniversary of its Oktoberfest. From 18 September to 03 October joy of life and party time will reign at the 177th Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese. In addition, an event programme has been compiled that goes beyond the usual funfair amusements and pays tribute to the anniversary with highlights from the fields of art, culture and tradition.
Frankfurt wins “Best Large City in Europe” award The city of Frankfurt has garnered awards in several categories of the European Cities and Regions of the Future 2010/2011 competition in Cannes. Among other things, Frankfurt was awarded the title of best large city in Europe, the city with the best infrastructure, and the city with the greatest business potential. Frankfurt
n Short history of the Oktoberfest Four years after Bavaria had been declared a kingdom the royal marriage between Crown Prince Ludwig, the later Ludwig I, and Princess Therese von SachsenHildburghausen took place on 12 October 1810. The official wedding celebration lasted five days and was staged as a grand ovation to the ruling house of the young kingdom. The festivities in the city centre, which were already described as a
n 200th anniversary - but only 177th Oktoberfest? In 1810 - 200 years ago – the tradition of the Oktoberfest started with the wedding celebrations for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. As the Oktoberfest has been cancelled 24 times so far – during the war and post-war years, due to cholera epidemics in 1854 and 1873 – 2010 will see the 177th staging of the event. www.muenchen.de
also achieved an excellent ranking for the criteria quality of life and investor friendliness. A great result, which led a happy Dr. Hartmut Schwesinger, Managing Director of FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH, to comment: “Great that the strong points of the city and region have gained international claim.” The “City of the Future” title is awarded every year by trade journal Foreign Direct Investment at MIPIM, the world’s largest real estate fair.
At IMEX you will find Frankfurt at the Frankfurt Rhein-Main stand, no. G 180 of the Germany stand. Congress marketing department officially upgraded to “Frankfurt Convention Bureau” The Frankfurt Tourist+Congress Board “Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main” (TCF) has expanded its congress marketing
department and recruited new staff members. The newly established Frankfurt Convention Bureau boasts five expert colleagues who can offer competent advice and services to organisers of meetings, conventions, events and incentives in Frankfurt and the surrounding region. Frankfurt Convention Bureau is directed by Jutta Weisbrod, who has been promoting Frankfurt as an event destination for ten years in the TCF congress marketing department. Apart from new staff for congress services a new position was also created for customer acquisition. With this enlarged team Frankfurt Convention Bureau will be able to attend more trade fairs, plan more promotion campaigns and market Frankfurt more extensively as a meetings destination. Its declared objective is to gain large congresses and events for the Main metropolis.
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Münster – successful meetings since 1648
Director Jutta Weisbrod is optimistic: “Thanks to stronger financial support from the city of Frankfurt we can now expand our activities and develop and implement new strategies.” congress@infofrankfurt.de
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Münster is one of the most beautiful and traditional meeting locations in Germany. As a university and Hanseatic city, City of Westphalian Peace, and one of the member cities of Historic Highlights of Germany, Münster offers you everything that makes a convention successful: Every day national and international meetings, seminars and conventions take place in cosmopolitan and
© Universität Stuttgart
© Daimler AG
STUTTGART Where Quality is at home
Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH · Convention Bureau · Tel. +49 (0)711 / 22 28-268 · info@congress-stuttgart.de · www.stuttgart-tourist.de
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dynamic Münster. This is ensured by over 70 hotels and meeting venues large and small - but also unusual that offer space both for small groups and large events with up to 4,000 attendees. In 1648 Münster already made a name for itself in Europe as a
congress location. For four years 150 delegations from all over Europe stayed there with their entourage to negotiate the end of the Thirty Years’ War – and reached an agreement! The treaty for the Peace of Westphalia was signed at Münster town hall.
Today, Münster is a modern city with a population of 280,000, an innovative major business location, a city of science and savoir-vivre. Münster has remained true to its tradition. The open-minded and welcoming city still offers the best conditions to make your event a
Leipzig – The creative city
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or young creatives Leipzig is no longer an insider’s secret. Word has spread that it offers great living and working conditions and that its three art and culture colleges and university are a constant source of ideas and inspiration. Leipzig is well-known all over the world for its dynamic art, music and festival scene. This not only attracts artists and actors to the city but also makes creative Leipzig a trendy destination for individualists.
n Spinnerei creative centre The former factory in Plagwitz is well-known even beyond Leipzig’s borders and one of the most interesting production and exhibition sites for contemporary art and culture in Europe. 125 years ago Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei AG bought a premises in the west of Leipzig and built the largest cotton mill in Continental Europe there. This fascinating factory town with houses for workers, allotments and its own kindergarten is still preserved today. Since the production of cotton thread ended in 1992 the place has been subject to constant change. Especially artists, of whom over 100 now have studios in the cotton mill, were the pioneers of this revival.
n Neo Rauch and the “New Leipzig School“ Neo Rauch has close ties with Baumwollspinnerei and is the main protagonist of the New Leipzig School; he has gained huge international acclaim by combining old traditions with new ideas in painting. For Neo Rauch’s 50th birthday the exhibition Neo Rauch. Begleiter (Neo Rauch.Companion) offers a first major retrospective of Neo Rauch’s paintings from 1993 to 2010 in the Museum of Fine Arts from 18 April to 15 August 2010.
n Games Convention Online Staged since 2009, Games Convention Online (GCO) is the first independent platform in Europe
for client, browser and mobile games. Tens of thousands of gamers come every July to get updated on news and trends of the online market and to test games. If you want to find out what important events for tourists are taking place in Leipzig, go to Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing (LTM) GmbH. On the Internet you can get information on www.ltm-leipzig.de/ veranstaltungen and obtain additional info and links. In its quarterly journal NÄHER dran LTM GmbH tells you all about the latest news from Leipzig. The 24th edition – Leipzig – the Creative City – offers a concise overview of the trendy metropolis. www.ltm-leipzig.de
success – with a lot of commitment and an activity package made up of history, culture, atmosphere, scenery and culinary specialities. www.tourismus.muenster.de Berlin – capital that generates knowledge Be it the construction of the world’s first computer or completion of the theory of relativity – Berlin is the place where major milestones were set for scientific progress. Worldfamous thinkers like Albert Einstein, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen or Konrad Zuse left their mark on the city, and around 30 Nobel laureates found perfect research conditions there. Nowadays, Berlin is Europe’s largest and most modern research hub. The metropolis is home to four universities, seven universities
NEWS - DESTINATIONS
of applied science and 70 nonuniversity educational and research institutions. This diversity, combined with excellent traffic connections, unusual venues and great value for money make Berlin an outstanding destination for scientific conventions. Establishments like the new Seminaris CampusHotel Berlin with its impressive Dahlem Cube conference venue are a good example of Berlin’s modern hotel sector. There you will find the right setting for every scientific event, and decisionmakers of the meetings industry use these optimum conditions for their events: No other metropolis serves as a location for as many specialised and medical events as Berlin. The German Congress of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the International Congress Centrum attracts 10,000 specialists a year. As the capital of science Berlin
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is in the public eye both on a national and international level in 2010. The State Library celebrates its 350th birthday, Charité and Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science their 300th anniversaries and Humboldt University the 200th year of its foundation. Together, they are hosting a joint anniversary year. It will be dedicated not only to the past but also to Berlin’s future as a “Capital of Science”. This will further boost its image as a hub for
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a de i n G e r ma ny M e e t i n gs m With a wide range of meeting space from 4 to 5,000 people, M Hotels offer excellent conference facilities and support throughout our 50 German and international Hotels. You can find M Hotels in: Berlin · Bonn · Braunlage · Bremen · Cologne · Darmstadt · Dresden · Dusseldorf · Frankfurt/Main · Fulda Gelsenkirchen · Halle · Hamburg · Hanover · Heringsdorf · Bad Homburg · Kiel · Koenigswinter · Magdeburg Mannheim · Munich · Nuremberg · Bad Salzuflen · Bad Sassendorf · Schmallenberg · Stuttgart Timmendorfer Strand · Titisee-Neustadt · Travemuende · Ulm · Bad Wildungen · Wuerzburg Egypt · Malta · Mauritius · Latvia · Spain · Turkey ! nd F650 all 8, Sta H 0 1 0 2 y Visit us at the IMEX in Frankfurt/Germany, 26 to 28 Ma M Hotels International Sales Office Kuelpstrasse 2 · D-64293 Darmstadt · Tel.: +49 6151 905-710 Fax +49 6151 905-717 · info.vki@maritim.com · www.maritim.com
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scientific events on an international scale and consolidate its leading position. Over 150 events are already on the anniversary agenda, which offers a special highlight on 5 June 2010: The 10th Long Night of Science with representatives of 70 Berlin institutions presenting an exciting programme of science and research. With experiments, musical performances and expert talks the “cleverest night of the year” will entertain its audience from 5 p.m. to 1.00 a.m. The central event of Berlin’s Year of Science 2010 is the “World Knowledge. 300 Years of Science in Berlin“ exhibition in the Martin Gropius Building. From 24 September 2010 to 9 January 2011 it will look into 300 years of science history in Berlin, a story of major scholars, Nobel laureates and groundbreaking inventions. Among others, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz lived and worked as a great polymath in Berlin. From 6 to 15 October 2010 all celebrating institutions will host a joint anniversary week including conferences and exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances and festivities. For further information on Berlin as “Capital of Science” visit the websites www.wissenschaftberlin2010.de and www.kulturprojekte-berlin.de. www.berlin-convention-office.com IMEX: Hamburg stand with new design and larger than ever On the face of it, the combination of understatement and size appears to be a contradiction. But the new fair stand of Hamburg Convention Bureau (HCB) at IMEX in Frankfurt shows that this can also be a concept. The metropolis on the Elbe presents itself as a meetings and event destination at the Germany stand in record-breaking style.
With around 90 square metres of exhibition space, the HCB fair stand is not only larger than ever but has also been completely redesigned. In this case the immodest dimensions are combined with Hanseatic understatement in its design. Lots of space for talks, new ideas and personal contacts with Hamburg’s meeting specialists, hoteliers and event agencies. The stand will become a real event venue when the HCB hosts its “Get-together in Hamburg” with attending partners on 25 May 2010. www.hamburg-convention.com DZT brings 400 US travel journalists to Germany
The 55th Annual Convention of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) with around 400 delegates will take place from 4 to 18 October 2010 in Germany. The SATW Convention will be hosted by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology due to a decision of the German Parliament, and Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH with its partners Dresden Marketing GmbH, Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, and Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH. Further
partners of the GNTB include Steigenberger Hotels AG, Lufthansa AG and Deutsche Bahn AG. The central congress will take place from 8 to 13 October in Saxony (Dresden/ Leipzig). It has the support of the federal state of Saxony’s 2010 tourism promotion plan. Before and after the congress the GNTB is organising a total of 20 pre- and post-convention tours through Germany for SATW members. www.satw.org Combined promotion of Messe München’s locations at IMEX Together with the City of Munich, the ICM – International Congress Centre Munich, M,O,C, Event Centre and the New Munich Trade Fair Centre are putting on their first joint trade-fair presentation to customers at this year´s IMEX in Frankfurt. Under the umbrella brand of Messe München International (MMI), these three attractive locations - ICM, M,O,C, and the New Munich Trade Fair Centre – have for many years hosted successful trade fairs, congresses and other events of all types and sizes. Together these venues provide a total of 240,000 square metres of highly modern hall space and innovative service structures. www.messe-muenchen.de Berlin, welcome to New York! Germany’s Number 1 Congress Destination is now represented in the USA. Berlin Tourismus Marketing (BTM) and the Berlin Convention Office are investing in the North American Market. Effective immediately, the Berlin Convention Office is represented in New York City, by John Cardona, CEO of
Ancar Marketing, Inc. Cardona comes with extensive sales and marketing experience in the meetings and congress industry, including luxury hotel brands. „The U.S. and Canadian markets are of immense importance to Berlin’s meetings industry“, said Burkhard Kieker, CEO of Berlin Tourismus Marketing. „Our new representation brings us closer to our clients in the meetings and congress industry, and will significantly increase our visibility in North America. John Cardona will provide our services to all our clients in the USA and Canada, and expand our network of corporate meeting planners and agencies. “ Working closely with the director of the Berlin Convention Office, Heike Mahmoud, the new representation is tasked to market the meeting destination
NEWS - DESTINATIONS / HOTELS
Berlin to congress, event, and incentive agencies, as well as to professional congress organizers. Associations continue to be serviced by “Marketing Challenges International“, also located in New York. John Cardona can be contacted at p/ 212 376 5222, f/ 212 376 4701, Cardona@bco-na.com Further information on congress destination Berlin is available at www.berlin-convention-office.com
industry association in the world with a 24,000-strong membership and its headquarters in Dallas/USA. Düsseldorf, the capital of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia, bid a few months ago as the venue for the 2011 MPI conference and has now emerged as the winner. The good news was officially announced at this year’s meeting in Malaga.
Düsseldorf wins bid for one of most important European events industry conferences The European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) will take place from February 13 to 15, 2011 in Düsseldorf – hosted by Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the biggest meetings and event
Held each year, the EMEC is the biggest gathering of the meetings and event industry in Europe. Around 500 event organisers and service providers take advantage of the conference to
Your Partner in Germany
www.mr-congress.com Alt Friedrichsfelde 11, D-10315 Berlin, info@mr-congress.com, Tel.: +49.30.44 35 06 - 0, Fax: +49.30.44 35 06 20
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catch up on the latest standards and trends in event planning, to forge new contacts and to discuss the latest developments, such as shifts in the industry landscape created by Social Media or Green Meetings. The yearly European MPI meeting was held for the first time in 1992, since when it has been staged in London, Copenhagen and Turin among others. www.duesseldorfcongress.de.
Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg: new interior of the finest grand hotel standard
have been thoroughly renovated for around 25 million euros.
As of October 2010 Hotel Atlantic Kempinski in Hamburg will present itself with completely revamped rooms and suites to its guests. Since the beginning of this year the traditional Hanseatic hotel has already been subjected to the most extensive general restoration in its 100–year history. For this purpose all rooms, suites and corridors on the four levels of the historical main building
A meeting hotel in Munich’s north: Dolce Munich Unterschleissheim
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n 1 April 2010 the seven-storey four-star-plus hotel officially opened its gates, just under one and a half years after the foundation ceremony on the 10,000 square metre site at Andreas-Danzer Weg 1. The building owner Striebel Projektmanagement GmbH (Augsburg) and operator Dolce Hotels and Resorts (Montvale/USA)
look forward to the grand opening event on 30 April 2010 with great excitement. Over 50 million euros have been invested and around 350 people worked on the building site during the peak construction period. Here are some technical details that outline the dimensions of the project: The seven-storey hotel building required a total of 1,750 tons of steel
and 12,000 cubic metres of concrete, 12,000 metres of cables, 5,300 square metres of parquet and 13,000 square metres of tiles. Together with the adjacent BallhausForum congress centre the destination wants to set clear standards in the MICE market: With over 4,700 square metres of multi-purpose event space it is the largest and most modern conference venue in the north of the Bavarian metropolis. The 1,300-square metre auditorium with a futuristic glass dome is even suitable for TV productions. In addition, guests of the future four-star-plus hotel can look forward to 255 elegant rooms and suites (with their own balcony and partly even own sauna), a spacious ballroom, several restaurants, a lobby bar with an open fireplace and a spa area. www.dolce.com
After completion the timehonoured grand hotel on the Outer Alster Lake will boast 221 completely refurbished rooms and 80 suites in Hanseatic period style with an average room size of 40 square metres. Technical facilities stand out with a Sat-TV flat screen, computer connections, broadband WLAN, an electronic room safe and individual air conditioning. Generous bathrooms with double sinks, a large tub, separate rain sensation shower and separate toilet round off the offerings of the “new” Atlantic. The 45 new Alster rooms are a true gem for Hamburg fans: with ceiling-high windows overlooking the Alster and city centre, they offer one of the most beautiful views of the city. The 80 new suites also promise absolute privacy and the most exquisite interiors. With their extraordinary size and special combination of traditional grand hotel
NEWS - HOTELS
elegance and modern design they also meet the demands of the most exacting travellers. To get a taster of the new rooms and suites the hotel has launched attractive opening packages as of October 2010. Atlantic Deluxe, for example, including two nights in one of the new rooms with breakfast and a private tour of the hotel followed by high afternoon tea in the lobby as well as a 3-course gourmet menu in the Atlantic Restaurant costs 655 euros for two people in a double room. For bookings and information call +49 (0)40 2888-817. www.kempinski.com Hotel expansion at Holiday Inn Berlin International Airport The south-east of Berlin has grown enormously in the last few years – a trend that is continued by Holiday
Inn Berlin International Airport. Due to the airport expansion the south-east of Berlin is expected to keep growing, which will also open new markets for Holiday Inn Berlin International Airport. Holiday Inn is being enlarged for the future until June 2010 with Berlin Brandenburg Airport as a growth driver. At this prime venue the guest can look forward to 299 rooms with state-of-the-art amenities and 3,400 sqm of function and conference space with 20 meeting rooms with cutting-edge facilities for fairs, exhibitions and family celebrations. On the culinary front guests can enjoy Mediterranean cuisine at SKY Restaurant and generous terrace designs with landscape and boxwood courtyards. A smokers’ lounge and the 16-metre long HANGAR BAR counter will contribute to the special
Knowing your event is in good hands Let’s meet at IMEX Frankfurt, look for us at the Germany Stand
Congrex provides specialist services tailored to our clients for meetings, events and conferences. Established since 1982, our experienced team is ready to help you deliver your next project.
Congrex Deutschland GmbH • T +49 30 2589 4630 • berlin@congrex.com • www.congrex.com
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Jumeirah Frankfurt: new star of Frankfurt’s hotel scene
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n late 2010 the five-star city hotel Jumeirah Frankfurt will open in the heart of the Main metropolis at Thurn-und-Taxis-Platz. Jumeirah Frankfurt is the first German establishment of the international luxury hotel chain Jumeirah based in Dubai. The hotel’s extraordinary location in the midst of Frankfurt’s city centre offers guests an urban environment, just a few steps from the Zeil, one of Germany’s busiest shopping streets, Goethestraße and the financial quarter, the stock exchange and opera house. Jumeirah Frankfurt is part of the Palais Quarter complex, one of the currently most
important inner city projects in Europe. Together with the facing office tower, the modern glass hotel tower makes for an exciting contrast with its baroque neighbour, the period-style reconstruction of the Thurn and Taxis Palais. The new futuristic MyZeil shopping mall is also part of the complex and directly adjacent to the hotel. 218 rooms and suites with deluxe amenities are spread over the 25 floors of the hotel tower and offer spectacular views of Frankfurt’s skyline. With a minimum size of 35 square metres the Jumeirah Frankfurt has the largest rooms in the city.
ambience with an “airport feeling”. A spa is being built on the hotel’s rooftop as well as a 650-sqm SKY panorama terrace overlooking the airport as the preferred event venue. www.holidayinn-berlin.de
mygreenmeeting.de – Realise Green Meetings successfully Green Meetings, i.e. events which are dedicated to sustainability, are in great demand and very popular at present. But what exactly is a “Green
The Presidential Suite on the 24th floor has 220 square metres and two bedrooms. Broad windows, high ceilings and state-of-the-art equipment are the hallmarks of the conference rooms of Jumeirah Frankfurt. From the 364-square metre ballroom visitors can enjoy the view of the neighbouring Thurn und Taxis Palais. Where required, the ballroom can be divided into two smaller rooms. In addition, four meeting rooms of various sizes are available with space for 30 to 100 people. www.jumeirah.com
Meeting”? Which aspects should be taken into consideration? How and with whom are you able to realize a Green Meeting successfully? From the planning to the realisation of an event – the main goal is to act climate-friendly. At this, the competence network mygreenmeetings.de provides tips and advice for a professional event management. Besides, the network partner offers approved and qualified solutions for all relevant sub-sectors of environmental-friendly events, like mobility, catering, energy saving, CO2-balancing and furniture. Official support is also provided by the German Convention Bureau. www.mygreenmeeting.de
, t IMEX ’10 a y a M 7 2 25 – tand, GCB S y n a m r on the Ge
NEWS - HOTELS
MCI boosts sales in Germany by 80% in 2009 and aims for 100 staff members by 2013 MCI Germany GmbH has defied the crisis. In the field of live communication its sales grew from €11m in 2008 to €19.8m in 2009. Gross proceeds rose in the same period from €2.4m to €4.2m Gerrit Jessen, Managing Director and head of the Corporate Division, adds: “We plan to grow to 100 staff members by 2013 and will achieve this goal by organic growth and further acquisitions of select agencies.“ Jessen continues: “In 2010 we have already gained top accounts in the fields of renewable energies, IT and machine engineering, whose branding we will implement holistically. More and more well-known companies and associations from the fields of business
and science realise the added value of a long-term partnership. MCI can offer its customers a unique range of services. Be it the presentation of a brand product, a fair stand of 100 or 1,000 sqm, focused staff motivation or the organisation of a world congress with 20,000 delegates, our team consists of over 40 experts who know all about these worlds. We develop the optimum communication strategy for every target group and realise it LIVE!“ www.mci-group.com/deutschland
Meet in Germany’s French Capital
www.die-region-saarbruecken.de
www.ccsaar.de
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TECHNOLOGY
The technical side of things has to be just right! n Planning technical equipment – but how?
n There is a complicated answer
and a simple one Planning the technical equipment for a conference or an event is dependent on many factors: such as the number of participants, the characteristics of the venue and the planned programme. And of course it is the little things that cause problems: Is the ceiling high enough? Are there enough electrical outlets? Will it be necessary to rent additional equipment? Are there contingency plans for replacement equipment?
And - what tricks can be used to prevent third-party equipment from breaking down? Planning the technical equipment for an event including participant management, recording, documentation and subsequent multimedia utilisation – requires patience and circumspection. Directives issued by authorities and statutory regulations also have to be taken into consideration. This is definitely not an easy task...
That is more or less what the complicated answer to the question of what has to be taken into account with regard to meeting technology sounds like. The simple answer is: you should know how many people there will be and what goals you want to achieve with a meeting or an event – and then take advantage of the services of a professional. They focus on the essentials of the technical concept and keep even the tiniest details in mind when they are implementing it.
n The changing face of meeting technology PowerPoint and analogue sound, light shows, audio tapes, dry ice – that was yesterday. In just a few years the meeting and event world has changed dramatically. In the course of globalisation, cultural areas have been moving closer together, and as far as communications are concerned the requirements and expectations have increased tremendously. Digitalisation and the triumph of the World Wide Web in turn have led to technical options that were previously undreamt of. The following trends can be observed: n away from frontal communication and towards interaction n away from simple audio and lighting concepts and towards complex multimedia solutions n away from hard wiring and towards wireless communication
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n away from two-dimensionality and towards 3-D solutions n away from print documentation and towards distribution via multiple channels n away from planning “by hand” and towards software-supported event planning What options does meeting technology offer today? What are the latest trends? Four high-calibre companies, all of which are members of the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V., provide answers.
n Expanding the radius of operation with “streaming media” The core business of meta-fusion GmbH, which operates worldwide, is comprehensive documentation and live broadcasting for large conventions and conferences. The core team consisting of nine
members, which includes five media engineers and two media IT specialists, is supplemented by about 30 freelance webcast, camera and design specialists as well as a network of companies in the areas of video production IT and hosting. Not least in connection with webcast productions for the United Nations has meta-fusion demonstrated its technical and logistics competence. “Webcasts combine video, audio, slide presentations, text documents and print-outs with interactive elements to create one application,” says managing director Thomas Berghausen, explaining meta-fusion’s main field of activity. “Webcasts greatly expand the circle of participants for meetings, conventions or events and give the attendees on location the assurance that they are not missing anything.Valuable lectures are subsequently processed
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TECHNOLOGY
for the long term for areas such as knowledge management e-learning, marketing, PR or community building and made available for use all over the world with the aid of comprehensive search functions, abstracts and slide synchronisation.“ COP15, the climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, was in many respects the largest and most exciting project that meta-fusion has been involved in up to now. Above all the participation of roughly 140 heads of state at short notice increased the requirements placed on the performance of the streaming and web servers to an enormous degree. For example, the web server farm had to be enlarged by a factor of ten within just a few hours. In addition to the unexpectedly large audience numbers, multimedia and above all dynamically generated processing
of the live webcasts placed special requirements on the production and server system. “As a rule, metafusion travels to a location with preconfigured production units that have been tailored to the event,” relates Berghausen. “Whereas in the case of “standard” conferences two weeks of preparation time are enough for us from the technical point of view, we already had to start the concrete implementation for the climate change conference five months in advance.” An audience of nearly one million people from 210 countries constituted a number of viewers that was previously inconceivable for the UN Climate Change Secretariat. Another advantage of webcasts is the measurability of results. It is already possible to compile comprehensive statistics during a live broadcast as well as afterwards,
In Leipzig, tradition and innovation are closely intertwined. World-famous cultural institutions such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra and St. Thomas‘ Boys Choir are just as much a part of the city as the excellent meetings and event facilities that make Leipzig unforgettable. The environment is being considered too. Leipzig Trade Fair is the first of its kind in Germany to have received the international Green Globe sustainability certificate. Whether conference, large-scale event or corporate function, anyone wishing to organise it in Leipzig will find all the corresponding information at the website www.do-it-at-leipzig.de. This provides details on conference hotels, congress centres and event venues, together with the necessary service providers and transport options, all from a single source. Want to find out more? Plan your event in Leipzig online: www.do-it-at-leipzig.de Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH Augustusplatz 9, D-04109 Leipzig Telephone: +49 (0)341 7104-240, e-mail: kongress@ltm-leipzig.de
for example on viewer access rates. “Clients can generate concrete profits in conjunction with the production of knowledge and learning content,” adds Berghausen. “The fact that the presentations at conventions or conferences are already extremely well-structured and generally communicate content very effectively leads to production of learning content that is unbeatable with regard to cost effectiveness. So the cost per learning unit can be under 150 euros.” Webcast sales open up additional sources of revenue - in the form of subscriptions purchased separately, as a sponsor medium or as e-learning products. n Software-based process control Ungerboeck Systems International is the leading supplier of fully integrated software solutions for the
convention and event industry. Its clients worldwide include more than 750 convention and trade fair centres, event planners from associations, universities and research facilities, cultural and sports facilities as well as destinations. The Ungerboeck software provides support for event organisation, personalised invitations, planning of programme highlights, registration management and online participant registration, speaker and abstract management and also includes budgeting and follow-up activities after an event. Associations and companies can benefit from the versatile features of the software in the area of event and member management. For example, all seminars, conferences and conventions can be entered and planned by way of a central database. All information about an association’s events can be accessed
TECHNOLOGY
online via an event calendar. And once a member has made a decision, it can register online for the desired event directly. The association is also provided with support in the backoffice area in connection with the planning and organisation of seminars and conventions. Besides participant registration and preparation of participant materials, such as name tags, confirmations and invoices, this also includes professional management of speakers and paper handling (abstract management). Administration is simplified and the association’s own team is relieved of administrative tasks thanks to the possibility of submitting and evaluating abstracts and documents online via the convention website. Web 2.0, interactive applications and social networks like Xing, Facebook and Blogs are current trends that are being exploited.
As an event planner, for example it is possible to create one’s own group for a convention and allow participants to register directly from the Xing or Facebook website. The advantage of this type of network is: “The participants already establish contacts with one another beforehand, and they also keep in touch after the event,” says Thorsten Kolbinger, Ungerboeck General Manager EMEA. The knowledge that is gained is then incorporated into further development of the software. For example, there are plans for a social media marketing module. Involving the audience during a lecture is already possible. Participants attending on location or those who are hooked up via the internet can actively communicate with the speaker, with the moderator or with other participants by way of an online user interface. Session
Glass Hall, Leipziger Messe
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blogging is also possible: for example, this allows the moderator to focus on questions from individual participants in a targeted manner, even at a later point in time. Furthermore, it is possible to conduct live voting at any time via a questionnaire feature, for example as session feedback at the end of the lecture. n Event technology for the most exacting demands Brähler ICS Konferenztechnik International Congress Service AG develops, produces, sells and rents professional event technology: wireless or hard-wired discussion and simultaneous interpreting systems with up to 32 channels, plus electronic evaluation and ballot systems, audio, video and lighting technology. The company, which was founded more than 50 years ago, is certified according to ISO 9001:2000 and – together with its subsidiary and partner companies – it has a global network in more than 100 cities and countries. “In the beginning, the discussion system consisted of a mixing console with a maximum of 30 microphones. Then Brähler introduced one-cable technology,” says product manager Gerhard M. Bauer, explaining the changes in meeting technology. “That made it possible to offer large systems with more than 100 microphones. The step towards digital technology
was implemented at the beginning of 2000” – and with it the shift towards interaction. Brähler has reacted in this area as well. “We perceive this development in a very positive light”, continues Bauer, “because huge learning effects can be achieved for participants through interaction during a conference. It is possible to maintain a high level of attention by means of visualisation measures, such as beamers and multimedia presentations, or by involving the participants with the aid of electronic surveys and ballots.“ The company has demonstrated its concentrated know-how at various climate conferences, G7 and G8 summits, as well as at security and EU conferences. Its numerous wellknown clients include the German association of the automotive industry (VDA), the German national athletics federation (Deutscher Leichtathletikverband), the German association of the chemical industry (Verband der chemischen Industrie), the federation of German industries (Verband deutscher Unternehmer) and the World Bank USA. In 2005 the EU Summit with heads of state and government in attendance, which was held at the historic Hampton Court Palace near London, was a special challenge: 23 languages and remote interpreting for 22 booths that had to be set up in a tent in the courtyard of the palace – because of the special
challenges involved the interpreters were divided into two teams (for the morning and the afternoon sessions). In addition, there was sophisticated video broadcasting, whereby the timing of the audio signal from the conference hall had to be digitally delayed using CDSVAN in order to achieve lip synchronisation with the slightly delayed video signal. “That was a world record,” remarks the responsible technician Stefan Heß with considerable satisfaction. “The largest conference with remote interpreting that had ever been held up to then.” n New multimedia dimensions
Gahrens + Battermann (G+B) has been a full-service specialist for technical media equipment for trade fairs, annual shareholders’ meetings, conventions, concerts, sports events and TV shows for more than 25 years. The G+B rental pool, one of Europe’s largest, includes video, audio, lighting and IT equipment for every volume of project. Eight branch offices throughout Germany at the most important trade fair locations and a team of over 30 project consultants offer the entire range of professional presentation and production technology: Display technology, projection systems, split screen systems, LED walls for indoor use, cameras and directing control technology, public address systems, lighting design, multimedia terminals, IT solutions, interactive media, media design and much more – and always state-of-the-art. “The purpose of media technology is always to underscore the message of an event, to create the perfect setting and to reach the target group,” says G+B managing director Jörg Hendrichs. And how can an association make profitable use of G+B’s media technology?
“By developing a consistent live marketing concept for the next two to three years so that visitors at events, conventions and trade fairs will immediately recognise the association because of its innovative appearance.” Regardless of whether an event is large or small – creative video concepts are in great demand today. “One clear trend is playing around with huge pictures in the form of oversized projections, which offer almost limitless visual possibilities,” adds Hendrichs. “Similarly, there is no stopping in the area of creative LED effects – used like a kind of curtain that creates a 3-D effect on floors, walls and ceilings. In turn the trend in the area of lighting design is shifting away from conventional floodlights and towards innovative LED spotlights that do not generate any heat.“
TECHNOLOGY
In any case, Gahrens + Battermann works on innovations constantly. Just recently it unveiled a completely new type of technology for the convention and event sector: G+B i-nteraktiv®. This is essentially a comprehensive electronic event guide, coupled with a high-quality design product, the iPod touch. “G+B i-nteraktiv® ensures the vitalisation of event culture by turning a passive audience into active participants,” promises Hendrichs. The software of the product is particularly innovative: it was developed in close co-operation with a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Society. Hendrichs: “With immediate effect it is possible to conduct ballots and opinion polls simply by touching the screen of the iPod touch. The moderator can then display the results in real time. Furthermore, G+B i-nteraktiv® offers participants
access to the agenda, speaker profiles, product information, topic-related video clips and much more at any time whatsoever. Participants can even send questions to the moderator using the iPod touch.” n Links n
BRÄHLER ICS Konferenztechnik, International Congress Service AG www.braehler.com n elakustik GmbH Beschallungs-, Konferenztechnik, Audio-Service www.elakustik.de n Gahrens + Battermann GmbH www.gb-mediensysteme.de n Media & Communication System (MCS) www.mcs-sachsen-anhalt.de n meta-fusion GmbH www.meta-fusion.com n Ungerboeck Systems International GmbH www.ungerboeck.com
Tegel Airport: 9 km . Kurfürstendamm: 100 m . Gedächtniskirche 50 m · KaDeWe 300 m · Messe/ICC: 4 km
PA L AC E CO N V E N T I O N. FEATURING YOU. An executive seminar, a conference with 1,000 participants or the grand finale in our ballroom? Whatever you are planning, the 25,800 square feet function room area of our privately run, five-star hotel offers your guests everything they need. Your clients will be enchated, your competitors envious. Meet at the Palace.
www.convention.palace.de
Budapester Str. 45 · 10787 Berlin · Tel. +49 (0)30 25 02-0 · Fax -11 19 · www.palace.de
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CULTURE CAPITAL 2010
Culture Capital 2010 n High culture and Ruhr mythology
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he kick-off event was as extraordinary as Culture Capital Ruhr.2010 itself: Out in the open, at temperatures near freezing point and blanketed in snow the Ruhr Area staged the opening ceremony for its spectacular year. Storm Daisy, which would have made other organisers call everything off, lent a perfect finishing touch to Zollverein Coal Mine World Heritage site in Essen. In the snowy setting of the coking plant the freezing but amazed guests of honour such as José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, got to see some authentic Ruhr culture - a winter fairytale complete with scrubbing and salt spreading. Even German president Horst Köhler was fascinated and declared after the opening that he couldn’t have imagined a better kick-off. And Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: “There’s no doubt about it – the Ruhr Area is on its way and won’t be stopped even by wind or weather – as the Culture Capital kick-off goes to show.”
Herbert Grönemeyer also braved the inclement weather to promote the Ruhr Area in the snow with a hymn that was specially composed for this event “Komm zur Ruhr” (Come to the Ruhr). Culture lovers should definitely follow his invitation this year. Often underrated but unique in Europe, the Ruhr Area will be a flourishing culture landscape in the next few months.
Top-notch exhibitions, international music and theatre festivals, extraordinary celebrations and experiences will bring the motto of Ruhr.2010 “Transformation through Culture - Culture through Transformation“ to life. The six Culture Capital topics range from “The Ruhr Mythology” to “Discovering Images”. The venues: 120 theatres, 100 concert halls, 200 museums and over 1,000 industrial monuments, many of which are now attractive culture sites and unusual venues. It goes without saying that they will also enrich Germany’s meeting and incentive sector even after the Culture Capital year, but in the next few months Ruhr.2010 will be a unique occasion for all kinds of events in the Ruhr Area. 300 projects and 2,500 events in 53 cities – it’s unlikely that anybody will be able to visit them all. So which events are a must for culture lovers? Well, firstly the Culture Capital beacon projects such as the first major special exhibition for Ruhr.2010. “The World’s Most Beautiful Museum“ will be on display in the just opened new building of Essen’s Folkwang Museum until 25 June. For the first time in over 70 years the stunning Folkwang collection has been restored. Once seized by the Nazis and sold all over the world, the museum’s master pieces have been reunited - at least temporarily. They include masters of Modern Art like Kandinsky, Matisse, Kirchner and Marc plus sculptures and objects from Greece, China, Egypt and Oceania. The exhibition owes its name to Paul J. Sachs, co-founder of MoMA in New York. On a visit to Essen in 1932 he stated that the Folkwang Museum was “the most beautiful museum in the world”. Gasometer Oberhausen is definitely one of the world’s most unusual exhibition venues. In the imposing cylinder that stands over 100 metres tall visitors can reach for the stars until the end of this year. The “Sternstunden” (Out of this World) exhibition takes visitors on a journey into space. It features spectacular models of the planetary system, extraordinary images of the sun, planets and their moons, precious historical instruments and state-of-theart aerospace technology and finally the “largest moon on earth” with a diameter of 25 metres.
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Be it music, theatre or dance - Ruhr.2010 will also be a big stage for artists from all over the world. For example, from 30 June to 17 July, when the curtain rises in Mülheim an der Ruhr and Essen for the most important international festival of performing arts in Germany, “Theater der Welt“ (Theatre of the World). And “Extraschicht“ (Extra Shift) on 19 June is the Culture Capital’s all-night summer party featuring 200 events in 50 industrial culture sites.
The “Schachtzeichen” (Shaft Signs) project also offers striking images. From 22 to 30 May around 400 gigantic yellow balloons will mark the former mineshafts – the roots of the Ruhr Area - like enormous pins as a testimonial to its past. If you want to explore the history of the Ruhr Area in all its facets – from the early industrial pioneers through work in the mines, war and reconstruction to the blue skies over the Ruhr, you can do so in the newly opened Ruhr Museum in Essen, and a more spectacular building for a museum would be hard to find: the former coal-washing plant of the Zollverein colliery with its gigantic halls and gargantuan machinery, in enormous, windowless concrete bunkers and extensive galleries almost a hundred metres long.
But the Culture Capital not only has spectacular projects to offer.Visitors can also embark on little discovery trips and find out about many unknown facets of the Ruhr Area. For example, the Emscher Landscape Park invites visitors to re-discover its 30 selected industrial nature sites and artfully staged former spoil tips and landmarks through numerous events. Amid the impressive industrial scenery of Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park you will find idyllic gardens next to former ore bunkers. Halde Hoheward in Herte/Recklinghausen lures visitors with panoramic views of Europe’s largest spoil tip landscape and unusual installations, while the Westpark near Bochum’s Jahrhunderthalle presents its “Water World” and atmospheric light art productions. Light plays a major role in the programme of Ruhr.2010. The Ruhr Area has long been well-known for its spectacular light installations – e.g. the illuminations of the Zollverein coking plant in Essen, Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park and the Centre for International Light Art in Unna, the world’s first museum for light art. For Ruhr.2010 even more events will put the Ruhr Area in the spotlight. As part of the 1st Biennale for International Light Art until 27 May in and around Unna
60 private dwellings will become unusual exhibition sites. And in September light art productions for the international Ruhrlights Twilight Zone light art festival will show the Ruhr river as a very special recreation area and natural habitat.
cultures, generations and nations at the “world’s longest banquet” with 20,000 tables on the motorway that is normally one of the routes with the highest traffic volume in Germany, or they can take this unique opportunity to ride the motorway on anything that has wheels but no engine.
One of the most unusual projects of Ruhr.2010 is “Still-Leben Ruhrschnellweg“ (Still Life A40/ B1) for which the motorway between Duisburg and Dortmund will be blocked for traffic for six hours: On 18 July visitors will then be able to celebrate a party of
room Dreams. Goals. The future. Ideas and innovations. Visions need to be communicated. They need to be convincing.
for visions KölnKongress offers you the know-how and services that produce success.
n Further info
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Tickets can be booked online on www.ruhr2010.de/tickets or by telephone on the RUHR.2010 ticket hotline 0180 515 2010.
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online on www.ruhr2010.de
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in the five Visitors’ Centres at the central hubs in Duisburg, Oberhausen, Essen, Bochum and Dortmund
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The Programme of Events of RUHR.2010 is available free of charge from the municipal tourist offices of the Ruhr metropolis or you can phone 0180 545 2010 to order a copy. And the 200-page Programme Book is available at book shops for 4.95 euros.
Travel packages for the European Culture Capital RUHR.2010 and many other cultural heritage sites in North Rhine Westphalia are available from 49 euros (www.grand-tour-2010.de).
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The RUHR.2010Ticket NRW is a ticket for two that is valid for 48 hours in all of North Rhine Westphalia and costs 48 euros.
KölnKongress | fon +49 2 21 . 8 21 - 21 21 | www.koelnkongress.de
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SOCIAL MEDIA
‘Social Media’: From myth, to mass phenomenon, to marketing instrument Twitter, blogs, Facebook & Co. - are only a lot of hype? They won’t last long? No way - these days nobody can afford to ignore social media as an additional communications channel. Not even the MICE industry. Only if you would like to appear to be living in the past like the former German Kaiser William II who mounted his horse and prophesied that ‘The motor car is only a temporary phenomenon’.
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en love football! German men love the ‘Sportschau’ on Saturday evenings at 6pm – they have had a steady date with their television sets at this time for years on end; and interruptions are by no means welcome. Whoever cannot follow the games on television follows them
on radio. The results are discussed at work, in their local pub or at the tennis club. The good old times… But these times are over! Nowadays each and every goal and chance at goal is twittered, results are discussed in forums and in blogs: Poldi’s penalty shot, the controversial
decision by Schalke trainer Magath after the half-time break, and the consequences of the team group draw for the FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa? First in the virtual sphere, then at work, in their local and at the tennis club: for days on end.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Otto, the barman in ‘Freistoß’, recently launched his own Football Forum on Facebook. Have you already signed-up for this? The next football evening will definitely take place on his premises. He has Sky and a brand new, large, flat-screen. Football fans go there because they are among their own there! Even the next business trip to Quakenbrück has already been rescued: the barman in the ‘Goldener Ochse’ is one of us, says football colleague Heini. You can have a good beer there and a superb Jägerschnitzel (key-word: recommendation marketing). What has all of this got to do with the events industry? A industry which is eagerly discussing the hype about ‘social media’ in the local pub and changes in general and their effects on the MICE branch especially – via Facebook, XING and LinkedIn, via Twitter, blogs and forums? A whole
lot, for the good old times in the MICE branch have been over since 2009. Mobile internet has become a mass phenomenon since the drop in mobile data price rates and as a result of increasing sales of internetcapable mobile phones (smart phones) such as the Apple iPhone. At the same time, and parallel to these developments, ‘Social Media’ are enjoying unprecedented publicity and popularity. The MICE industry is still not the only industry reacting to Web 2.0 media with considerable reserve. Without consequent and effective use and employment of such media, they may pack their bags and depart the scene. Nothing more will happen without targeted exchanges with members of one’s own industry and beyond: i.e. without targeted communication with your market group – new and potential clients,
participants at conferences, fairs and events. Admittedly: ideas such as these could engender fear of the growing dimensions of new channels of communication and telecommunication technologies. Fear, however, is unfounded as long as one keeps in touch with what is happening and knows what it is all about and what one hopes to achieve in and from these interactive new worlds: Exchange? Information? Networking? Self-promotion? Marketing? Take football for example: up to now football fans were quite happy to satisfy their desire to discuss a game by chatting to their friends in their local pubs, in the stadium or with colleagues at work. Naturally they will continue to do so: but no longer only ‘offline’, because as a member of a network such as
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SOCIAL MEDIA
n 10 Social Media Tips
from Kodak’s Chief Blogger
1. Know what you are talking about. If you are going to work with social media, be involved in social media. Start your own Twitter account, Facebook page, read blogs and get engaged. That is the best way to understand the culture, tone, best practices, and protocol. 2. Always be transparent. When you are communicating in social media say who you are and who you work for. Don’t try to be sneaky and plant comments, don’t hire people to go out and say nice things about you and stay away from ghost writing. Be genuine and be real. 3. Be yourself. Readers can see through marketing talk. Be passionate about what you do and let that show through your personality. Let people see you as a person, not a mouthpiece.
Twitterwall during an event Copyright BloggingDagger found at Flickr
Facebook, LinkedIn and/or XING they will also have access to likeminded people in virtual forums. 131 such groups existed in April 2010 – from ‘Football passion’ to ‘Master tipper’ to ‘FIFA World Cup 2010™’ – in which football fans exchange views, keep up-to-date with what is happening or arrange to meet for the next game. The MICE industry has sought nothing more in recent times – if only a little bit later – than additional discussion and exchange of ideas and experiences via (social) networks and forums; discussing current themes and burning industry issues – such as acquiring new clients in times after the economic crisis; exchanging suggestions and tips for
4. Post frequently. It’s a lot of work but don’t post to your blog then leave it for two weeks. Readers won’t have a reason to follow you on Twitter or check your blog if they can’t expect new content regularly.
5. Add value. Share tips, tricks, and insights. People’s time is precious and they need to get something out of the time they spend with you. Make listening to you worth their time. 6. Respond. Answer questions, thank people even if it’s just a few words. Make it a two way conversation. 7. Listen to what others have to say. Appreciate suggestions and feedback, it will make what you do even better. 8. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t be afraid to say you were wrong and be quick to make changes when you are. 9. Be external. You don’t have to be 100% internally focused. Link to other blogs, videos, and news articles. Re-tweet what others have to say. 10. Have fun. If you don’t like what you are doing, others will notice it and won’t enjoy interacting with you.
Source: Social media Tipps, Kodak, www.kodak.com/go/followus
marketing, advertising or current software solutions; establishing subgroups for specific or regional happenings and events – while at the same time expanding personal networks. And there is more: thanks to internet capable smart phones these exchanges are no longer tied to either the workplace or the homeoffice PC. Planners and suppliers can now communicate with ‘like-minded’ colleagues while they are underway – during a long rail journey or during the course of an event. And not only in a reactive fashion: everyone can get involved in discussions or establish their own group in times of social media, thereby determining the direction, themes, membership etc. all by
themselves. Gabriele Schulze has, for example, taken this course of action: the Managing Director of MICE AG and ‘stb marketplace’ established a forum called ‘Trends and News in the Meetings Market’ where the events industry can exchange news and views. At the same time, Gabriele Schulze uses the forum to promote and organise participation at her ‘stb Marketplace’ events: potential visitors can find out about exhibitors, participants, speakers and contents etc. Even the ‘Association of German Events Organisers e.V.’ uses XING as a platform to inform about parallel-running get-togethers and events – or about their own XING ‘Veranstaltungsplaner.de’ (events planners) forum.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Developing your own blog is a sure way to distinguish yourself as an expert; contact person and opinionleader among one’s peers. Karl Born for example, ex-TUI boss, did exactly this. He holds his growing fan base in thrall with his weekly ‘biting comments’ on current developments in the travel industry either via his own website, Facebook, E-MailNewsletter or RSS-Feed. The ‘Fairs, congress and event management blog’ of students from the Karlshochschule may be found at www.micespace.de, the News Blog of the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. under http://blog.germany-meetings.com. The industry magazine FVW, Intergerma, IMEX and the MICE AG communicate with their respective audiences or so-called ‘Followers’ via blogs but also via Twitter – and in both directions. Themes, news, links or commentaries
on ongoing events may be twittered in real time - placed online on Twitter and called-up by Followers according to relevance and importance, commented upon and passed-on via internet, E-mail or text-messages. Word–of-mouth propaganda via Twitter: whoever hits the nerve of a group secures a growing number of followers. They key-word here is opinion-leader. And this is exactly where the secret, but also the danger, of using social media lies: the fundamental rules of communication – relevance and target group – are just as valid here. Who is my target audience? Which information is relevant to them? Persons who do not follow these basic rules - using social media only because it is new and a must to be seen to be doing so – and who act without any particular strategy or well thought-out concept will
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drown in the daily flood of data and information in their struggle for attention – whether as a user or as an organizer. It is far easier to win-over football fans with a fresh cool beer in their local than with a ‘Tweet’!
25 Years of Global Event Solutions
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n 10 Ways Social Media Will Transform Events in 2010
Samuel J. Smith It used to be that you watched the news and that was it. Today, CNN.com allows you to watch the news, read the news, comment on the news and create the news. More than 400,000 “citizen” journalists are uploading videos called iReports to CNN’s website. Many of these are included in news stories. It used to be that you made duplicate copies of photos for family and friends. Today, you take digital pictures and upload them to Facebook or Flickr. Your family and friends comment on those photos online. Then you create a photo-book for your grandma that is automatically printed and shipped directly to her. Those are just two examples of the transformation that is taking place in the way that we communicate, collaborate and share. As attendees become more comfortable with these new two-way communication experiences, they are going to start demanding similar experiences from their face-to-face events. “With Social Media, the feedback can be instant and shared with everyone. You should be prepared to adapt your onsite operations to this new reality.” Here are 10 ways that social media will transform events in the future: 1. Attendees will not wait for microphones to ask questions. They will text or tweet those questions as they think of them. Attendees will not wait until the end of a session to ask questions that came up in the first five minutes of the presentation. This does not mean that the speaker has to stop his presentation to answer the questions. Rather, there should be a mechanism to send questions to the speaker in real time. 2. Attendees will answer questions for the speaker - while she is talking. If the questions for the speaker are streamed through the backchannel, these questions
will be available to all attendees. E-learning research tells us that it is every likely that attendees will start answering each other’s questions, while the speaker (instructor) is still talking. 3. Attendees will tell you that the speaker stinks, the ice sculpture is melting and the croissants are stale—in real time. With Social Media, the feedback can be instant and shared with everyone. You should be prepared to adapt your onsite operations to this new reality. 4. Attendees will expect to connect with other delegates before, during and after the event. Time is precious. Rather than nametag surf through the crowd, attendees will setup meetings with like-minded delegates before the event. After the event they will want to keep the conversation going. It will be important that events help them stay connected and translate their face-to-face contacts back into the digital world. 5. Virtual attendees will start using social media to engage with your content and the onsite face-to-face attendees. Social Media and other digital technologies will help virtual attendees join the onsite discussion. They will do this from 3,000 miles away. It will be important to make the experience inclusive and collaborative for all attendees. 6. Attendees will want a voice in the discussion, learning and decision making process. The gap between the experts that are speaking on stage and the amateurs in the audience has never been smaller. Attendees are well educated, informed and have information at their fingertips. As this gap continues to shrink, attendees will expect to be part of the discussion, learning and decision making processes. No more speakers talking and attendees listening! 7. New events will emerge from online communities. It is easier than ever to create
Source: http://www.mpiweb.org/Events/EMEC2010/Articles/SocialMedia.aspx
an online group, build an audience and start discussions. However, there is still a strong desire for members to meet face-to-face. In 2009, we saw many new events created around Twitter. In the coming years, we will see many more events emerge out of online communities. Equally important, events that do not embrace online communities will be hurt and maybe even close. 8. Attendees will register for your event if their contacts are attending. In the future, knowing if friends or business associates are attending an event will become part of the attendee’s decision process. Social media tools that check to see if my Linkedin connections, Twitter followers or Facebook friends are attending an event already exist. Over time, I think that we will see more of these tools implemented in events. 9. Events will become communities that last for weeks and months rather than a few short days. Event specific social networks, create a social hub where we can start conversations before events and continue them long after the event finished. Creating a social space where attendees can network and discuss trends, hot topics, industry (or business) challenges and best practices will extend the life of your event. 10. Sharable content will be the way that your event is discovered by new attendees. Your webcasts, webinars, blog posts and whitepapers will need to be interesting, relevant and easy to share. Then, your participants and raving fans will start forwarding, tweeting and facebooking this content to their like minded friends. This will introduce new people to your event and the type of education and thought leadership that you provide. Also, this will make it easier to search and find your event.
SOCIAL MEDIA
n Selected Twitter-Accounts from the Meetings Industry
http://twitter.com/MICE_AG_DE http://twitter.com/GS_at_MICEAG_DE http://twitter.com/DasEventblog http://twitter.com/intergerma http://twitter.com/PREGASlive http://twitter.com/fvwde http://twitter.com/platzpirsch http://twitter.com/enjoyGermany http://twitter.com/talkabout http://twitter.com/eveos http://twitter.com/eventtrendblog http://twitter.com/IMEXDeutschland http://twitter.com/twitt_consult http://twitter.com/Tourismusblog http://mashable.com/ http://twitter.com/DocS http://twitter.com/schwindtpr http://www.t4bp.com
English: http://twitter.com/MEETINGSreview http://twitter.com/EventNewsBlog http://twitter.com/lizkingevents http://eventprofs.pbworks.com/ http://interactivemeetingtechnology.com/ or http://twitter.com/samueljsmith Follow the #eventprofs on Twitter! Tips: Social-Media-Tips from Kodak: http://www.kodak.com/go/followus
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ARGUMENTATION AIDS FOR MEETING PLANNERS
Argumentation aids for meeting planners n Ten reasons why real meetings and events are indispensable in the marketing mix of associations
H
ardly any industry in the world is not affected by the economic and financial crisis. Hence, the meeting and event industry has also suffered considerable losses after many boom years. Be it convention centres or conference hotels, tour operators or event agencies, many providers HAVE suffered losses, sometimes in the order of 5 to 15 per cent. Companies and organisations either want to save on technical equipment for an event, or on the programme, either cut down on travel and hotel comfort levels, or on the number of attendees. And sometimes they even set new
priorities, as Stephanie Hellstedt has observed. The Managing Director of Congrex Deutschland GmbH sees a trend for larger meetings of parent organisations especially in the field of medical congresses co-inciding with a concentration on specialised topics in focus meetings. “The attendance rate is growing for these specialised meetings.� n Cancellations are often too hasty Other meetings and events are being axed completely. Of course, this is the most drastic way to cut
costs. And unfortunately it happens too often in times of crisis. The advantages are seemingly obvious: no organising effort, no tying up of human resources, and, above all, substantial cost savings. If a bit of external communication and publicity is required, cheaper alternatives are available: telephone and web conferences, video presentations, online fairs. Nonetheless, there’s a positive side to it: People are thinking more intensively about the sense and purpose of meetings and marketing events again. And many companies, many organisations have to admit that
not every meeting or every road show was really necessary in the past. Back then it didn’t matter, as expense was no object in the boom years. So the pressure on planners is growing to justify their actions. Those who are thinking of staging a meeting or marketing event now, need to prove precisely that the whole thing will be worthwhile. Surprisingly for many: “Furnishing proof ” is not that difficult. For the experts agree that looking for fast ways to save costs is simply too hasty. There are at least ten good reasons why meetings and events are essential in the marketing mix of associations and companies. n Reason 1: Meetings and events are a key economic factor “Last year business travel generated sales worth 64.7bn euros in Germany,” concludes a survey performed on behalf of the German National Tourist Board and the German Convention Bureau (GCB) : “This is clear evidence of the sector’s importance as an independent industry and economic heavyweight.“ Great, many planners or budget decision-makers may think, but what has that got to do with my meetings and events? Quite a lot in the long to medium term: Companies and associations that secure jobs with their events in Germany and boost business, strengthen purchasing power and ensure stable economic conditions. And benefit from this in return.
n Reason 2: Event marketing is indispensable in the globalised media world Not only the economy is changing but there are also new communication channels that have led to a different media and consumer behaviour. Due to this companies and organisations are turning their backs on traditional
advertising-focused strategies and advertisements. What we need are innovative marketing techniques in a wide range of media. “EventView 2009“, a survey of around 1,000 distribution and marketing officers in North America, Western Europe and the Asia Pacific region underlines that below-the-line strategies such as events have been on the rise for some years. 49 per cent of informants in western Europe claim that events would be the first instrument to benefit from an increase of their total marketing budget. 33 per cent already see events as a key component of their marketing plan. This means that events have long established a high status in the marketing mix.
100% & r e g i o ns. e h u r s l r cces Ka . emotions . su e xper iences
n Reason 3: Meetings and events
can be easily combined with other media and strategies An Event, a congress for which you can register online; a meeting or road show that is broadcast on the Internet; meetings and event news that are disseminated by podcast, Twitter or Facebook; plus contests, competitions, multimedia presentations. Gerrit Jessen, Managing Director of the congress organiser MCI Germany, has not only observed “that when people meet virtually, they often feel the desire to meet in person, as well.” He also believes it is “wrong with some reservations that live and face-to-face communication is sometimes seen as a contrast to virtual communication.” “Virtual communication,“ Jessen adds, “is also live communication. Be it Twitter or Skype, they both have their justification. Since they both serve the goal of disseminating what an association has to say, be it at a press conference, an AGM or a congress.” Oliver Bransch, MICE product manager of DERTOUR agency DERCONGRESS, is of a similar opinion. Bransch sees “virtual
Convention Bureau Karlsruhe & reGion ion
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ARGUMENTATION AIDS FOR MEETING PLANNERS
meetings, online trade fairs and congresses, plus social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Co., as one of the megatrends at the start of the decade “Time will show how affinely and fast the relevant customers – or user groups –accept these new technologies and what event formats, perhaps also what combined types of real and virtual concepts will arise from this.” n Reason 4: Live experiences counterbalance sensory overload by the media It’s obvious: People today spend a lot more time in front of their computer and TV screens than only a few years ago. Online news and e-mail streams, round-the-clock business TV and annoying mobile phones lead to a sensory overload that needs to be counterbalanced. Real-time meetings in real physical surroundings provide such a counterbalance. They generate direct emotions in decisionmakers and employees and can hence restore their inner balance. “Despite tight travel budgets and ever tighter schedules we are posting rising attendance and exhibitor figures at many of our conventions,” says Carola Schröder, partner and programme director of Intercongress GmbH in Wiesbaden. “I believe that even technophiles need a counterbalance to the media overkill.”
n Reason 5: Meetings and events are
tools that boost staff loyalty From inner balance it’s not very far to staff motivation. Attending external meetings and events not only offers employees some variety and inspiration, but also integration and participation – they will feel they are being taken seriously. “To be really creative, you cannot just stare into a computer screen 12 hours
a day,” says business psychologist Prof. Steven Rogelberg of North Carolina University. “Depriving staff of networking and teambuilding possibilities they look forward to will lower their motivation. Especially in the recession it is important to strengthen the bond between staff members and organisation.” Travel incentives play a major role in this context. Why? “Because travel produces memories,” says Dr. Scott Jeffrey of the Management Sciences department of Waterloo University in Ontario/Canada: “These memories are connected with the respective company or organisation.” The close connection between travel and staff loyalty, staff performance and staff motivation is confirmed by a survey of the economic research institute Oxford Economics USA. And the more staff members identify with their employer, the more successful the company. Companies that are listed in rankings like “The 100 best employers” generate much higher turnover figures than their competitors. n Reason 6: Meetings and events are effective tools for customer bonding and generate business opportunities Customers are best addressed personally. By inviting them in person to meetings or organising events in their environment, one avoids scatter losses and can establish a direct contact. This also has an effect on the results. The managers interviewed for the Oxford Economics study say that they lose 25 to 28 per cent of turnover if they do not regularly meet their customers in person. When Forbes/Insights interviewed 760 managers on the topic last year, 75 per cent claimed that a personal encounter was a particularly effective customer bonding tool. And of the 2300 subscribers asked to share their
opinion by the Harvard Business Review, 79 per cent claimed that face-to-face meetings were the most effective way to meet and sell something to new customers. Even 89 per cent agreed that face-to-face meetings were essential for concluding deals. Contacts and dynamic effects that emerge beyond the official programme play a particularly important role. “We specialise in scientific further training events and observe that opportunities for informal communication during the breaks and at evening events is at least just as important as the actual transfer of knowledge,” reports Carola Schröder of Intercongress. Chief and Senior Executives from all over the world confirm: Casual get-togethers, talks over dinner or in the coffee break are the secret business drivers – and not watching each other on a computer screen. n Reason 7: Meetings and events
boost your reputation and support branding Especially in hard economic times organisers and companies use meetings and events to stand out favourably from their rivals. Oliver Bransch of DERCONGRESS quotes two examples from his clientele. The first is about one of the leading exhibitors of BAUMA fair in Munich. Despite a difficult market situation the crisis he decided to go on exhibiting at the fair, as it is still the group’s most important marketing activity. “The reason: We have been one of the industry’s leading companies for decades and owe it to our tradition to be there for our customers as usual.“ As a second example Bransch cites a company in the dental industry that realised a company meeting plus tie-in congress. 2,500 to 3,000 guests were expected, a real cost factor.
“Others in the recent past would have probably saved their own budget and cancelled the event. So, to stand out favourably from one’s rivals one must stick to one’s event concepts so as not to disappoint certain customer expectations.“ n Reason 8: Meetings and events enable a sustainable transfer of information and knowledge “Annual meetings of medical associations are still an excellent forum for sharing information and for presenting new research and teaching findings. This is also indicated by the unbroken interest of the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.” Stephanie Hellstedt knows what she is talking about. With Congrex Germany she looks after large-scale events like
ARGUMENTATION AIDS FOR MEETING PLANNERS
the annual congress of the German Neurological Society with over 5,000 attendees and 250 to 300 instructors and speakers. “Training”, says Hellstedt, “is an important part of the congress. Courses and seminars - be they frontal or interactive - require personal attendance. Telephone, video or web conferences are complementary training components, as the attendance figures are not limited there.” But the immediate on-site experience plays a major role. Carola Schröder of Intercongress: “A live experience in the group has a much longer-term impact than alone at the computer screen (e-learning), in front of the camera (video conferences) or on the telephone (telephone conferences)!”Virtual events have a great scatter risk. Because attendees frequently plan their agendas, write e-mails or surf the web at the same
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time, one can hardly establish a bond or trust. Face-to-face meetings strengthen the concentration and are a better environment for making important decisions. The advantages of virtual meetings are mainly time and cost savings and a greater flexibility as regards time and place. n Reason 9: Face-to-face encounters are the most effective tool to establish, deepen and maintain relationships All this can be pooled into one of the most important arguments for staging real meetings and events. We are speaking of the impact of face-toface encounter for which there is no substitute. The more communication shifts to the Internet, the stronger the need for “face to face“ encounters. Live events, be they meetings or
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ARGUMENTATION AIDS FOR MEETING PLANNERS
n RECOMMENDED READING Proving the Value of Meetings and Events: How and Why to Measure ROI, by Jack J. Phillips, Monica Myhill and James B. McDonough, published by ROI Institute and MPI in 2007
n LINKS www.gcb.de www.event-institut.de www.roi-institut.com
special events, appeal to all the senses. “Their strength is their direct impact,” as the journalist Sara Goofwinns observes. Attendees can see and touch products, discuss with colleagues, customers or invited experts and experience the gestures, body language and facial expressions of the people they are talking to directly. “Without personal interaction encounters cool off,” says Gerrit Jessen of MCI Germany. “Who wants impersonal encounters with customers, attendees, staff or managers?” And even Oliver Golz, Managing Director of the east end communications event agency, confirms: “The main reason for staging meetings/events is face-to-face communication. Sharing opinions at an event strengthens trust and closeness to the brand. At meetings or events people work and experience things together. These are the main reasons for the high ROI rate of event marketing. Several studies indicate that the event segment is one of the subdisciplines of the marketing mix that establishes relationships fast and strengthens them.” n Reason 10: Meetings and events have a measurable ROI Those who still had doubts about the arguments above, probably started
listening up as soon as they heard the word ROI. Since it takes both work and money to organise meetings and events, those with budget responsibility want to know especially in hard times what benefits or better what profits they can generate out of such events. The good news: Contrary to the still widespread notion that the benefits of meetings and events can only be “felt”, their ROI can actually be measured. In the past few years the methods for this have been increasingly fine-tuned, so that the results are ever more reliable. The Oxford Economics Study on business travel in the USA, for example, showed that companies generate gross returns of 11.50 dollars and net profits of 3.80 dollars for every dollar they spend on business travel.Vice versa it became clear that reductions of the business travel budget can lower profits. In the first year after slashing business travel the average American company lost 17 per cent of sales. After that they needed more than three years to make up for this loss again. There are various methods to measure the ROI of meetings and marketing events. In Germany, for example, the Institute for Event Management focuses on a scientifically sound controlling approach: “The crucial factors of successful event controlling are a professional event concept with operationalised goals and event controlling measures adapted to them, the integration of event controlling in the planning process and a systematic monitoring of all event activities,” says Prof. Dr. Jens Müller of the Institute for Event Management. Statistics on attendance and/or exhibitor figures are one of the applied techniques as well as a costbenefit analysis, on-site interviews on quality assurance and improvement, and a media response analysis. These are also techniques applied
successfully by Carola Schröder and her company Intercongress. For example, a cost-benefit analysis led to a combination of the annual meetings of the Professional Association of Orthopaedic Specialists and Surgeons (BVOU), the German Society for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery (DGOOC) and the German Trauma Society (DGU) in the Joint German Congress of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surge of the MICE industry cost – which made the event much more effective and cut costs considerably. Further methods to monitor the success of events include the balanced scorecard, benchmarking, point value analysis, event response analysis, activity-based costing and portfolio analysis. The ROI method developed by Jack Phillips over the last twenty years is at least just as popular. After its adoption in 2004 by Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the world’s leading association of the event industry, it became something like a standard of the MICE industry. The east end communications event agency also uses the ROI method, outlined by Managing Director Oliver Golz as follows: “This scientifically sound and long-standing practice-tested method analyses meetings/events according to a five-step model including success parameters like content, hospitality, communication and use of information and finally impacts on one’s own business processes. This data is collected in different ways depending on the type of meeting or event. If these experiences are already used at the planning stage, the target specifications of the client can be achieved at the lowest possible cost.” Books and seminars are available on the ROI method, which is both a planning tool and method used to measure results. This could be an investment with a high ROI...
ARGUMENTATION AIDS FOR MEETING PLANNERS
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n Professional congress organisers and event agencies PCOs Professional Congress Organizers: n Congrex Deutschland GmbH www.congrex.de n CPO HANSER SERVICE www.cpo-hanser.de n CTW Congress Organisation Thomas Wiese GmbH www.ctw-congress.de n Ellis Events GmbH www.ellis-events.com n Intercongress GmbH www.intercongress.de n INTERPLAN Congress, Meeting & Event Management AG www.interplan.de n K.I.T. GROUP GmbH www.kit-group.org n Kongress und Kulturmanagement GmbH www.kukm.de n m:con Mannheim www.mcon-mannheim.de n MCI Deutschland GmbH www.mci-group.com
n Porstmann Kongresse GmbH www.porstmann-kongresse.de n Thieme Congress www.thieme.de/pco n Ventibus GmbH www.ventibus.de
pcma professional congress & marketing agency GmbH www.pcma.de n plan-j GmbH architecturevents www.plan-j.de n PROSKE | group GmbH www.proskegroup.com n SAXONIA M.I.C.E. & More LeipzigDresden-Berlin www.saxonia-touristik.de n SCANDI INTERNATIONAL Destination Management Germany GmbH www.scandi.de n smart and more Veranstaltungen und mehr! www.smartandmore.de n Team Seefried Agentur f端r Incentives und Event-Marketing GmbH & Co. KG www.teamseefried.de n TEST Berlin GmbH www.hotelreservation.de n Welcome Destination Travel Management GmbH www.welcomemuc.com n
Event agencies: n Avantel Hotel Reservierung GmbH www.avantel.de n be frank - eventsupport GmbH www.be-frank.de n C.E.S. Congress & Event GmbH www.ces-berlin.com n CONFERENCE & TOURING www.dmcgermany.de n DERCONGRESS www.dercongress.com n east end communications GmbH www.east-end-dmc.de n Faupel Communication GmbH www.faupel-communication.de n MR Congress & Incentive GmbH www.mr-congress.com
Visit us a
t www.h amburg-c onvention .com
Hamburg Convention Bureau Your official Service Partner in Hamburg Hamburg offers abundant opportunities for international meeting planners. With a great variety of hotels, unique locations and restaurants, a colourful cultural scene, short inner-city distances and a splendidly constructed infrastructure Hamburg is the top destination to make your major event successful and unforgettable. Phone +49 (0)40 / 300 51 610 | info@hamburg-convention.com | www.hamburg-convention.com
Hamburg Convention Bureau
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ADVERORIAL - AIR PARTNER
Air Partner – the journey is the reward
n Why is a charter flight in your ‘own’ aircraft so
special? Time saving, total flexibility, comfort and security are key elements of Air Partner flights. n The highest degree of flexibility. Clients choose their own flight schedules and routing. n Clients have a captive in-flight audience and guests can relax in an undisturbed atmosphere. n The type of aircraft and level of comfort is determined by the client. n Every flight is individually tailored with numerous opportunities for company branding. n It is often cheaper for groups to travel on chartered aircraft than it is to fly on scheduled services.
n Create a lasting impression with unusual flights As one of the largest suppliers of charter flights worldwide, Air Partner offers clients a wide range of services that go beyond the mere logistics of finding the right aircraft for the task in hand. Its ServicePLUS team supports and advises agencies, corporations and exhibition organisers on all aspects related to creating tailored flights that transform an event into an experience to be remembered. Almost any request can be met from personalised airport check-in, gate buffets, and bespoke in-flight menus to customised headrest covers and internal and external aircraft branding. A live concert, a sales meeting, or a film screening at 35,000 feet? Anything is possible.
stresses and strains associated with scheduled flying. Comprehensive flight briefs are created to ensure all flights operate as smoothly as possible and, if a client requires it, Air Partner provides representatives in-flight and on-the-ground support on departure and arrival. With Air Partner’s global spread of strategically located offices operating 24 hours a day, guests can be flown to or from an event in Germany from just about anywhere. Air Partner International GmbH Tel.: +49 (0)2204-95050 E-Mail: pr@airpartner.com www.airpartner.com
n Air Partner n From private jets to jumbo jets - Air Partner makes everything possible From business jets to Boeing 747s, Air Partner has access to every type of aircraft and only works with reliable aircraft operators who meet its strict inhouse requirements. Clients are presented with several alternative aircraft options enabling them to make considered choices. Air Partner has established good relationships with its supplier carriers and works with them to ensure that every flight meets or exceeds expectations. The aim is to make every flight unforgettable and to protect passengers from all the
Air Partner was formed nearly 50 years ago and provides private aviation services to industry, commerce, governments and individuals worldwide. The worldwide Group has more than 20 offices and a 250-strong team of aviation professionals. The company is fully listed on the London Stock Exchange and had sales of 215 million Euros in the financial year to July 2009. Its core business is the ad hoc charter of private jets and commercial airliners for business and leisure use with comprehensive logistical support provided to the meetings and incentive industry. The Group also has its own JetCard membership programme, a ‘go now’ freight division and offers an emergency planning service.
PORTRAIT MATTHIAS SCHULTZE
Think Tank for Germany n When things change, they can change extremely quickly. For nearly ten years Lutz P. Vogt guided the fortunes of the
German Convention Bureau. Matthias Schultze is now the new man at the helm of the GCB with immediate effect. The hotelier who is also a graduate in business administration was most recently responsible for the management and marketing of the World Conference Center in Bonn and completed his move from the Rhine to the Main on 1st May 2010. Here is a brief portrait of a Franconian visionary in “the world’s most beautiful industry”.
F
irst impressions count! Few know this better than the tall young man who took the first crucial steps of his career in some of the world’s top luxury hotels: in Brenner’s Parkhotel in Baden-Baden, Le Bristol Paris and the Bayerischer Hof in Munich. He looks unexpectedly young and indeed there are many who have misjudged his age. Standing opposite him, it is almost impossible to believe that this pleasant, youthful face actually belongs to a man approaching 40. And moreover, a father of three children with some twenty years of experience in the business. Doubtless it is the mischievous smile in his eyes that makes Matthias Schultze appear younger. It is unmistakeably present on his face even when in earnest conversation or deep concentration. “Humour is very important to me – it is a way of dealing with people,” he says explaining the laughter lines to the right and left of his eyes. Mr Schultze has been the new managing director of the German Convention Bureau since May – the new face of the event destination Germany in the world. His experience in the business has been an outstanding preparation for this new role. Matthias Schulze explains that the GCB was seeking someone from the convention and congress sector who also had experience in the hotel industry and of working in associations. And that matched his profile precisely. Obviously so in the case of the hotel business. As well as his vocational training in the hotel industry he also studied hotel and tourism management and subsequently took on various roles in national and international congress management – among others for Hilton International. In 2003, he switched from the hotel sector to manage what is now the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB), which is built around the former Plenary Chamber of the German parliament. He notes that recently he has been attracted by opportunities to develop and implement projects spanning a number of sectors. Consequently, he has developed countless events and projects run by the
WCCB itself in order to ensure the optimum positioning of both the conference centre and the city of Bonn. One example was the trade conference “Green Meetings & Events”. “In 2009, 400 representatives of the event industry gathered to discuss the future of sustainably designed congresses and events,” explains Schultze. “That was our initiative!” And, as he points out, it was an initiative that not only helped to add a reputation as the “conference venue for sustainability” to the list of the UN-city of Bonn’s many other attractions. As the chairman for “sustainable event management” at the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN), he is currently working to secure the future position of Germany and its convention centres as pioneers in the area of green meetings. In fact, marketing conferences and locations seems to be far more than just a job to Matthias Schultze. Whether it is as the founder of the marketing alliance Bonn Conference Partners, as a member of the marketing committee of the GCB or vice president of the European
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PORTRAIT MATTHIAS SCHULTZE / NEWS - TRANSPORT
Association of Event Centres (EVVC) – commitment characterises Schultzes image of himself. “I always wanted to work in an international environment, in the service sector and with people,” he explains. So for him, the MICE business is the “world’s most beautiful industry”. The new managing director has ambitious plans for the GCB. He is not simply interested in marketing hotel and convention centre capacity but in the joint development and presentation of themes and content “which Germany can successfully use to position itself abroad”. He emphasises this repeatedly. Schultzes’ creed is simple: “Germany is a leader in areas such as research and development. We must build themes more clearly around these strengths and use them more actively. I believe there is much we can do in this respect.” After all, as he says, Germany is one of the leading MICE destinations. But he questions whether event planners only organise events in Germany because of
the outstanding infrastructure, state-of-the-art hotels and congress centres and the excellent value for money the country offers? Yes Germany is attractive for all those reasons – but they are certainly not the only ones! He believes that today the country stands – among other things – for ecology and green meetings. It is a unique selling proposition and the result of the targeted development of existing strengths in science and research. Schultzes’ goal is to develop ideas and strategies for the unique selling proposition of tomorrow. In this regard, he sees his team at the GCB as a kind of “Think Tank”. “We must observe the market, identify themes and create our own trends – that is the job and that is my role.” Matthias Schultze will take up this mantle for the first time publicly during IMEX in Frankfurt. “A tailor-made first day in my new job,” he says delightedly and the playful glint in his eyes again lights up his whole face.
A true benefit for the environment: The Umwelt-Plus (Environment-Plus) ticket will take you to your next event carbon-free
G
reen meetings and sustainable events are becoming ever more important. The success of an event will also be measured by sustainability and environmentfriendly behaviour standards in future. So why not start with travel to and from the destination? Deutsche Bahn is one of the leaders on the climate projection front and with the new Umwelt-Plus event ticket all attendees of large events can now even travel completely carbon-free. The requirement for carbon-free travel is that you book the Deutsche Bahn event ticket. This enables event
attendees to travel to their destination fast and in comfort at a fixed rate. Depending on the occasion they can benefit from tailor-made and individual solutions. And this is how Umwelt-Plus works: Deutsche Bahn calculates the attendees’ probable energy requirements of attendees for travelling to and from the respective event. DB Energie buys this amount of energy in advance from 100% renewable sources of energy in Germany and feeds it into the rail power grid. This guarantees carbon-free travel to and from the respective event! Unlike carbon offset measures this avoids carbon emissions right from the start. The low extra cost is a worthwhile contribution to improving the carbon footprint and can sustainably improve the image of the event. TÜV-audited: The energy source and the physical feed-in process into the rail power grid are certified by TÜV SÜD. After the end of the event the organiser will receive a certificate on the carbon saved by the respective event from Deutsche Bahn with the TÜV SÜD test seal. veranstaltungen@deutschebahn.com. www.bahn.de/regional/view/regionen/aktion/ veranstaltungsticket.shtml
Pulsating, fascinating, inspiring!
BERLINSPIRATION
Ein echter Berliner, mitten in Berlin! A real hotel much like the capital – full of personality, charm and possibilities! Your conference will be a neat Berlin experience at all times – with a perfect blend of classic and modern, constancy and dynamism, tradition and future: n in the Conference & Event venue, with 22 superbly equipped conference rooms from 20 to 540 m² for events with up to 500 people n in 701 rooms and suites in six categories – with a comfortable interior and a complete cutting edge Inroom-Entertainment-System with HDTV and High Speed Internet n in the creative centres for fitness, wellness and business n in the high class restaurants and in the huge bar with its casual lounge n in the versatile outdoor area
Ideally located in city centre, business and government districts.
Lützowplatz 17, 10785 Berlin, Germany Phone: +49 (0) 30 2605-2801 • Fax: +49 (0) 30 2605-39 2614 conference@hotel-berlin.de • www.hotel-berlin-berlin.com
www.germany.travel www.gcb.de
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