AIPC

INDUSTRY VIEWS

Events 2.0

PATRICK HOFFNUNG is the CEO of the European Convention Center Luxembourg (ECCL).

SVEN BOSSU is the CEO of AIPC.

Recreating organised events

Organised events are making a comeback – but will we ever see capacities return to the same levels? Sven Bossu and Patrick Hoffnung debate this.

Let’s start with the good news: organised events are taking place again throughout Europe and the smiles on the faces of the participants are a clear indicator that the need for meeting face to face is very high. At the same time, both organisers and convention centres need to work harder to convince participants to join the events physically. One way of doing so is by offering a new type of experience by making full use of all the assets of a destination.

Following 18 months of digital interaction, organised events are back, albeit very often much smaller in size. There are several reasons for this decrease in participation: there are still travel restrictions in place – both on a country and company level; budgets have suffered; and, most importantly, people must be offered compelling and convincing reasons to make the journey, as most events now offer the possibility to join digitally. Why would you take the trouble of going to a venue if you can attend from the comfort of your home office?

WHY GO?

The key reasons for attending any event are always linked with the content of the conference, the business benefits, the opportunities for sharing knowledge and networking, etc. All these elements are under the control of the event organiser. However, we believe convention centres can make a marked difference when it comes to making the case for the participants to join physically by offering experiences that complement or reinforce the core value proposition of the organiser.

To do so successfully, there must be a thorough and joint understanding of the profile and the needs of the participants. A radiotherapist going to a medical conference is likely to have different needs and expectations than a senior banker attending a fintech exhibition or a young entrepreneur involved in a hackathon during an event for start-ups. The better the understanding by the convention centre, the more tailor-made solutions can be defined.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

At the ECCL, its leadership fully understood this need and, with local partners, developed a full suite of offerings for event organisers and participants. The location of the convention centre gave it a clear advantage to do so: close to the heart of the historical city, surrounded by a concert hall, a museum for modern art, a shopping centre, and a wide range of hotels, bars and restaurants. All these stakeholders were convinced that, by working together, a win-win situation could be created for both the individual companies and Luxembourg as a destination.

As a result, the ECCL and its partners can offer both organisers and participants unique experiences. Thanks to its ‘privileges pass’, it can combine participation at a conference with attending a classical concert, upgrades in hotels, stunning social events in the modern art museum, discounts in restaurants or shops, etc. And all of this in walking distance of the convention centre, turning the entire area into an event plaza.

It is also important to note that the offering will be under continuous construction. By closely monitoring and sharing the results – for example, the percentage of the participants taking up one or more elements of the offering – the ECCL and its partners can finetune and improve the offer, based on data points collected (while of course respecting all privacy rules).

With this offer, the ECCL wants to provide organisers with the opportunity to present something unique to their communities and make the case for making the journey even more compelling. Other convention centres and destinations worldwide are taking similar steps and we truly believe that these efforts will make a difference in bringing back conference and exhibition participants, to the benefit of all involved.