A sia - P a c i f i c
The Asia-Pacific Magazine for Association Executives Supported by UIA, Union of International Associations
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HeadQuarters Magazines Pte Ltd Published 4 times a year September 2010 Edition
The immense potential of India
An Interview with Paul Archer
ALSO
2010 Meetings Trends UIA talks about strategy Associations in Malaysia
M A RC E L’ S PAG E
Namasté...
ICCA in India I didn’t have to look into a crystal ball to find out what the main theme of the 49th ICCA congress in Hyderabad would be. This will be the first ICCA congress in India, one of the BRIC countries. Growth, growth and even more unbelievable growth.
MARCEL A.M. VISSERS Editor in Chief
India is a country of contrast, and hopefully it will remain so for a long time to come. I say hopefully because I really adore the Indian culture. The current economic growth will have a big influence on the country though, and will of course affect the meetings industry there. For more info on that topic, I will refer you to the great interview we had with Paul Archer, General Manager-Delegate for hotels and convention centres in Andhra Pradesh region (page 12).
What is the world saying about the Indian growth? There is one big constant theme to be found in the economic literature: ‘India wants to catch up with its neighbor China’. American economist Nouriel ‘Doctor Doom’ Roubini, who became world famous when he predicted the financial crisis, warns I nd i a i s a c o untr y o f c o ntra s t, a nd ho pe f ul l y i t w i l l us not to underestimate this less hyped BRIC economy. Everything India needs re m a i n s o fo r a l o n g t i m e t o c o m e . I s a y h o p e f u l l y to do is to make more investment capital. And Roubini goes on: though the Indian b e c a u s e I re a l l y a d o re t h e I n d i a n c u l t u re . T h e economy looks to be in total chaos compared to China, it will support a c u r re n t e c o n o m i c g ro w t h w i l l h a v e a b i g i n f l u e n c e bigger growth than its neighbour in the o n the c o untr y tho ug h, a nd w i l l o f c o urs e a f fe c t long term. The best statement about India’s growth comes from the IPSOS research the m e e ti ng s i nd us tr y the re institute: ‘China looks like a hare and India like a tortoise, but the reality is that India’s economy is speeding up fast.’ And it is in this country that we Westerners (or at least a large part of the congress delegates) will arrive like spoiled children. We want everything right now without having to make any big efforts. What is the difference between the West and emerging economies like India? In India the masses are attending school, perfecting a craft, working hard, focusing on their future. Arrogance and conservatism have no place here. Now we realize we didn’t even take their very promising demographics into consideration. I’m curious about the feelings most congress friends will have when they leave Hyderabad.
Rea d more stories by M arcel on marcelsb log. t y pe pa d. com
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CO N T E N T S
Subscriptions Subscriptions amount to 85 euros (all incl.). The online version of the magazines is available at www.headquartersmagazine.com
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Contents
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GENERAL
CO LO PH O N
Headquarters Asia-Pacific or HAP is a niche publication for local, regional and international associations based in the Asia-Pacific region dealing with the organization of worldwide congresses. Published 4 times a year. Circulation: 2,500 copies in 14 different countries.
M a r ce l’ s pag e
Cover HAP3: Paul Archer, General Manager-Delegate for hotels and convention centres in Andhra Pradesh region, tells us more about his role and India as an association meeting destination.
News
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O ctav io B . Pe r a lta , o f AF D I AP
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U I A - S t r ate g y: Pat h s f o r wa r d
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COV E R F eat u re H y de r a b a d : An inte r v ie w w it h Pau l A r c h e r
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Editor in chief Marcel A.M. Vissers marcel@headquartersmagazine.com
M ee t i ng s Tren d s F eat u re
Managing Director Cécile Caiati-Koch cecile@headquartersmagazine.com
I nt r oduction
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An An a ly sis o f I CC A a nd U I A S tatistics
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S econd Annua l I N CO N S u r v e y
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T ec h no lo g y: H y b r id D i a lo g ue
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Managing Editor Rémi Dévé remi@headquartersmagazine.com Contributors Igor Hendrickx Judy Wickens Ruud Janssen Zulkefli Hj Sharif Mike Williams Jill Henry Peter Brokenshire Amos Wong Design & Print The Neu Print PTE Ltd - Singapore neuprint@singnet.com.sg Supported by UIA, Union of International Associations Address HeadQuarters Magazines Pte Ltd 1 Scotts Road #21-07 Shaw Centre Singapore 228208 Responsible Publisher HeadQuarters Magazines Pte Ltd - Singapore Marcel A.M. Vissers marcel@headquartersmagazine.com
De s t i nat i on s Associ ations in M a l ay si a
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K ua l a Lum p u r Con v ention C ent r e
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S y dne y
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De s t i nat i on s u p p lemen t
> So u t h A fr i ca
How to subscribe to HAP? One-year subscription to HAP costs €85 - for this price, you get 4 issues, as well as very special destination reports. To subscribe: Visit our website www.headquartersmagazine.com, go to the ‘Subscribe’ section and take it from there or Send a mail to subscribe@headquartersmagazine.com giving your full contact details and expressing your interest. Your call won’t stay unanswered - you will receive an email confirming your order as well as instructions on how to pay for your subscription.
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headquarters A S I A - P A C I F I C news
IT&CMA and CTW 2010 To Welcome Stellar Cohort Of International Delegates
More than 900 registrations from interested participants around the world have been received so far. This year’s Doublebill MICE and Corporate Travel event is slated to boast one of the most diverse and soughtafter target audience profiles which exhibitors and sponsors are looking to meet and network with. This year’s programme will welcome a variety of top association executives from International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and the Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (AACVB) who are co-locating their meetings in conjunction with IT&CMA and CTW 2010. www.itcma.com
Newly Launched Suntec International Bags First Contract
Suntec International has signed its first contract with Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC). Under the agreement, Suntec International has been appointed the exclusive sales and marketing representative to spearhead efforts in drawing more events from Asia to Vancouver. The partnership provides a platform for a comprehensive portfolio of services that includes indepth research, feasibility studies, recommendations and formulated sales and marketing strategies. Additionally, Suntec International, serving as the representative for Vancouver Convention Centre, will meet potential clients and pitch Vancouver as a destination and the convention centre as a premier venue to meet in North America. www.suntecinternational.com
Perth to Mount Event Industry Trade Show
The business tourism industry in Western Australia had matured to the point where it could sustain an annual trade show to showcase what’s on offer to meeting and event planners, according to Perth Convention Bureau Managing Director Christine McLean. Announcing the launch of the inaugural Perth Event Show from May 6 to 7 next year, Ms McLean said the time was now ripe for Perth to have a trade show for local, national and international buyers. The event will be managed by long established and well known exhibition company CMS Events, whose principal Richard Campbell is a life member of the PCB. www.cmsevents.com.au
Business Events Sydney Expands Presence In China
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) is expanding its sales and marketing reach in China with the opening of a new office in Shu Ping Chen Shanghai. Ms Shu Ping Chen has been appointed as Business Development Manager to be based in Shanghai. ‘Asia is a key growth area for us especially China, where we have seen strong interest in Sydney for outbound corporate incentive groups. We are delighted that Shu Ping has joined us.’ BESydney Chief Executive Officer, Jon Hutchison, said. www.businesseventssydney.com.au
Dusit Launches Green Meetings
ITB Asia Announces Association Day
ITB Asia 2010 will hold an Association Day 20-21 October. This very first specialist day-and-a-half association event has been designed for destinations and travel professionals who want to attract, and better service, association congresses and forums. Association Day will showcase best practices and analyse the latest trends in what is increasingly seen as a lucrative segment of the travel industry. ITB Asia Association Day is a collaboration between Messe Berlin, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), The Center for Association Leadership, Ace:Daytons Direct, and Suntec Singapore. The event is supported by ICCA and the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. www.itb-asia.com/associationsday
Dusit International enhances its environmental commitment by introducing the ‘Green Credentials for Meeting Planners’ which provides sustainable facilities and meeting package services to reduce the carbon footprint for its clients. ‘Concerns for the environment have adapted lifestyles, the way we do business and the way our clients do business. As such, expectations and choices of business destinations and experiences have also evolved. Meeting Planners have altered their behaviour by choosing or partnering with hotels that share the same environmental values to reduce their carbon footprint.’ said Mr. Simon Burgess, Global Director of Sales, Dusit International. www.dusit.com
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ass o cia t i o n p o r t rai t
ass o cia t i o n p o r t rai t History of ADFIAP Annual Meetings
Annual Meeting 2010 Vancouver
Annual Meeting 2010 Vancouver Awards
Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) W h en w e r ecei v ed a v e ry p ositi v e f eedb ack on HAP f r om O ctav io B . Pe r a lta , A D F I AP S ec r eta r y Gene r a l , w e w e r e t h r i l l ed , es p eci a l ly w h en h e s a id : ‘ T h a n k y o u f o r s e n d i n g m e t h e s e co n d e d i t i o n o f HA P w h i c h I r e a d w i t h k e e n i n t e r e s t. I co n g r at u l at e y o u f o r co m i n g to A s i a a n d f o r h av i n g a p u b l i c at i o n f o r a s s o c i at i o n s l i k e u s a n d f o r A s s o c i at i o n E x e c u t i v e s l i k e m e . Y o u a r e r i g h t i n m e n t i o n i n g t h at m a n y co u n t r i e s i n t h e A s i a - Pac i f i c r e g i o n h av e a t h r i v i n g a s s o c i at i o n s e c to r a n d t h at t h e s e a s s o c i at i o n s co n t r i b u t e to e co n o m i c g r o w t h . ’ S o w e took t h e o p p o r tunit y to inte r v ie w h im a bout h is a ssoci ation - a nd w e w e r e not dis a p p ointed in h is a ns w e r s !
HQ: Could you briefly present ADFIAP?
Octavio B. Peralta: A non-stock, notfor-profit international organization based in Manila, Philippines, ADFIAP is the regional network and forum for development banks, or more broadly, development finance institutions (DFIs) in Asia and the Pacific. Its mission is to advance sustainable development in the region through its members. Founded in 1976, ADFIAP has presently 117 members in 42 countries and territories. The Asian Development Bank, under whose auspices ADFIAP was established, is a Special Member. ADFIAP is also a founding member and currently the Secretariat of the
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World Federation of Development Financing Institutions that comprises 328 development banks in 154 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.
HQ: What is the association community in Manila and the Philippines like?
Octavio B. Peralta: The association community in the Philippines, like in the whole Asia-Pacific region, is very much active and thriving. Business associations here, in general, consist of chambers of commerce, professional societies and trade groups. They are usually non-stock, non-profit and nongovernmental organizations required
by law to register with an appropriate regulatory body, e.g., the Securities and Exchange Commission, as in the Philippines. Like any interest-oriented groups, these associations are governed by volunteer but elected members in the Board and operationally-managed by professionals. Business associations are thus considered ‘small democracies’ in a sense that they practice elections, equality and free enterprise, among others. Their existence and work also contribute to other societal organizations in terms of economic benefits, product performance and safety standards, continuing education, public information, professional ethics, community service, etc.
HQ: What kind of challenges has the association overcome in recent years?
Octavio B. Peralta: Generally speaking, while associations are growing in numbers, the challenges are also multiple. These challenges are mainly in the general areas of governance and management and also on specific issues like sustainability in the context of financial and human resources on one hand and, on the other, on continued search for relevance and
2010 - Vancouver, Canada 2009 - Muscat, Oman 2008 - Tehran, Iran 2007 - Hanoi, Vietnam 2006 - Colombo, Sri Lanka 2005 - Nadi, Fiji 2004 - Almaty, Kazahkstan 2003 - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 2002 - Beijing, China 2001 - Tokyo, Japan 2000 - Kathmandu, Nepal
programs for members, partners and even non-members that are interested in the development banking field. There are three key business units in the ADFIAP Secretariat, namely, the Institute of Development Finance (IDF) which is the professional training and career development unit; the ADFIAP Consulting (AC) which provides business advisory, mentoring and coaching services; and the ADFIAP Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Institute that acts as the outreach and CSR unit.
into their countries economic and professional development benefits. For 34 years, the annual general meeting has rotated in 27 countries, with Manila hosting the most at 5. For smaller events, the ADFIAP Secretariat through its business units decide the training venue based on the participant’s needs as well as the business unit’s own judgment as to where the best learning impact can be derived for the participants.
Generally speaking, while associations are growing in
meaningful innovation to adapt to the ever-changing environment.
numbers, the challenges are also multiple. These challenges
In terms of governance, there is still a big gap to fill in building capacities of associations to ‘modernize’ their governance policies and practices to a level that is on a par with international governance standards and conventions. In this regard, ADFIAP will soon be part of a global initiative on adopting a set of association governance principles. There is also need to re-equip association executives and managers in new business management tools in marketing, branding, finance and personnel development.
management and also on specific issues like sustainability in
While associations are ‘non-profit’ entities, the issue and meaning of profits take a different dimension. Since associations are not legally allowed to distribute dividends to its members for their investments like ‘for-profit’ institutions, sustainable and viable associations nonetheless need to bring in more revenues than they spend and use these ‘balance’ financial resources to expand their services and operations for the benefit of their constituencies. This sustainability and viability issue is always a challenge to struggling associations coupled with maintaining constant relevance and innovation.
Our big events are usually only for 150 to 200 delegates. Seminars and other training events are usually for smaller groups of from 10 to 50 participants. Most often, 5-star hotels are needed and have the capacity and facilities to service these events.
HQ: What kind of events do you organize?
Octavio B. Peralta: ADFIAP organizes regular conferences, meetings, seminars, study tours and credentialing
are mainly in the general areas of governance and the context of financial and human resources
The support units of ADFIAP consist of the Membership and Events Team that manages two annual big events - the Annual General Meeting usually held in April/May and the Chief Executive Officers (CEO) Forum held in October/ November and the Knowledge Management Team that handles both printed and Internet-based knowledge resources of the Association.
HQ: What is the association’s decision process concerning the organization of an event?
Octavio B. Peralta: The Board of Directors drives the decision process for the organization of ADFIAP’s two big annual events. Since ADFIAP has member-institutions in 42 countries and territories in the region, the Board requests for volunteers to be hosts for these events from among themselves and the other members. The ‘country hosts’ see these events as bringing
HQ: How would you summarize new trends in the association congress world? Octavio B. Peralta: Attendees to congresses are more and more demanding in terms of expectations on innovative experiences that they want to be provided by the organizers as well as by the events venue. In addition, value for money seems to be the prevailing mood of delegates especially in this challenging economic situation. Being ‘responsible’ in the context of having an event which has a good impact to the community as well as an environmentally-friendly one is also a noticeable trend. Use of the latest technology that facilitates learning, networking and navigating effortless through the event is also important. www.adfiap.org
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UIA
|
UNION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Strategy: Paths Forward B ot h non - p r o f it a ssoci ations a nd businesses need to be e f f icient a nd e f f ecti v e i f t h e y a r e to succeed . A lt h ou g h t h e p r inci p l es f o r w h ic h t h e y a r e f o r med di f f e r f unda menta l ly, t h e met h ods by w h ic h t h e y f unction h av e m a n y simi l a r f e atu r es . Text Judy Wickens, Volunteer at the UIA, retired Secretary General of T.I.C. (tanb.org)
The purpose of an association is for members to pursue an agreed aim in which they all have an interest, but without making a financial profit. The ultimate objective of a commercial company is to generate a profit, by means of fabricating a product or supplying a service which can be sold to customers, so that the profit can be distributed to the partners or shareholders. Non-profit or not-for-profit associations are thus distinguished from the commercial sector, and also from organisations in the public sector, which are funded by governmental authorities. An association’s objective is stated in its foundation statutes or charter. A nonprofit association must never be a disguise for a commercial enterprise. The purpose can be encapsulated in a mission statement, which may be broadly aspirational - ‘Save the world’ or ‘develop our industry’ - or more specific - ‘dig 100 wells in the desert’. The extraordinary range of international associations is amply demonstrated by the thousands documented by the Union of International Associations in its Yearbook. The next question which naturally follows is ‘how do we achieve this?’, and a response has to be sought in the form of a future plan or strategy, by deciding how the objectives are to be pursued in practice.
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The leader of an association will certainly have an impression of the capacities of the staff and impact of the activities undertaken, but setting aside a specific time for detailed analysis of all the various aspects in turn and noting the results will be enlightening. Using some of the techniques of business management is a valid approach, tailoring and adjusting them to the scale of the association. Financial limitations will probably prevent the engagement of commercially oriented management consultants, but association managers can learn from books, by trawling the internet, and by attending seminars and networking sessions in order to select systems and ideas best suited to their own situation, which is unique and individual to their organisation. A basic analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) will bring into focus the methods the association is using and the personnel available. Enlarging the analysis to cover political, environmental or social considerations will probably prove unnecessary, as these will either have appeared as initial objectives or be scarcely relevant to the operation. Assessment of resources and activities should then open the door to the elaboration of a plan for the near future, with an effort to make a reasonable fit between the available and the aspirational, as a gross mismatch will lead to frustration. Engaging one or two new members of staff or finding volunteers with particular qualifications, perhaps sending a staff member for training in a new skill, may be a practical possibility, whereas doubling the number of staff is not a realistic proposition. Planning around currently available resources is more likely to lead to success than an ambitious but
By their nature, associations usually have limited resources, so a strategic programme is a very useful way to move forward and to recognise effective progress. The plan should not be totally rigid or become an obsession, it is meant to be a helpful and encouraging guide. unrealistic scheme. In order to increase the potential scope of the future programme, all means of generating ideas are valuable, from calm reflection to a free-for-all brainstorming session, for the development of activities which will lead the association towards its goals. As a plan emerges, steps which can be taken concurrently can be identified and distinguished from those which have to be constructed in stages. It will usually be the responsibility of the association leader or manager to propose the draft plan to the board; board members worth their salt should examine it with open minds, adjusting and appraising it in the light of their own experience so that a final version can receive general approval. Once all concerned have settled on the strategic plan, it should be adopted for a suitable period, such as three years, maybe five. A twenty-year term is too long, engendering no sense of urgency and leaving too much opportunity for distraction away from the main purpose. The plan should then be reviewed each year, and although it should be kept in mind it should not become an obsession. A well-outlined plan should not be subject to constant modification of its details: as developments occur, they can be fitted into the plan or set aside for consideration during the annual review. An essential consequence of designing and following such a programme is that progress needs to be measured, so
it is useful for a means of assessment and a definition of criteria to be included in the plan ready for use. Once again the scale should be proportionate to the resources at the disposition of the organisation: stages which can be reached with a certain effort are more likely to stimulate and to be achieved than overwhelming tasks which only serve to discourage. If the aim is to dig wells, the wells can be counted, but if the avowed goal is to save the world, how are results to be measured? If the group’s object is to support an industry, markers can be set out so that staff know that progress is being made and they can set their sights on the next. It is satisfying to see that events are offering the required degree of interest to attract participants or a publication is increasing in circulation. And what if the goal has been totally achieved? In this case, the association has to make a firm, if difficult, decision to disband or to reconstitute with new objectives. By their nature, associations usually have limited resources, so a strategic programme is a very useful way to move forward and to recognise effective progress. The plan should not be totally rigid or become an obsession, it is meant to be a helpful and encouraging guide. www.uia.org
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c o ver i n t ervie w
c o ver i n t ervie w
HICC
Paul Archer: HICC had seen a positive trend in the last year for the convention side of its business. The international segment grew 15% over the budget year-on-year.
The immense potential of India An interview with Paul Archer
At t h e r ecent ly- conc luded Con v entions I ndi a Conc l av e , it wa s s a id t h e count ry ’ s s h a r e o f t h e meetin g s m a r ket is j ust 1 , 1 % , w h ic h me a ns t h e r e is muc h r oom f o r g r o w t h . I ndi a h a s y et to ta p into its f u l l p otenti a l a s a con v entions destin ation . Pau l A r c h e r , Gene r a l M a n ag e r D e l e g ate f o r h ote l s a nd con v ention cent r es in And h r a P r a des h r e g ion , s h a r es h is insi g h ts a bout H y de r a b a d in pa r ticu l a r a nd I ndi a in g ene r a l . Paul Archer
Interview Rémi Dévé
HQ: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Paul Archer: Being recently appointed as the General Manager-Delegate for hotels in Andhra Pradesh region including Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, Novotel Hyderabad Airport, Mercure Hyderabad Abids and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), I am responsible for the overall development and operations of the current and upcoming hotels in Andhra Pradesh region.
HQ: What is the biggest
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challenges Hyderabad International Convention Centre had to face over the years?
Paul Archer: One of the major challenges that HICC faced after inception was convincing international associations and organizations to come to Hyderabad. It was also due to the reputation of India being low in terms of convention delivery and quality infrastructure. However, the flip side is that the demand globally to bring conventions to India is enormous. To bring about a “whole of city” approach
was one of our biggest challenges that we have turned around as our USP. Another challenge is to find the Local Ambassador for the congress ICCA statistics (2009 - 2010) states that India got 1.09 % of the world’s meetings business and in the same reference India ranks 32 in the participants per country attending global meetings. The opportunity to use this in India becomes easier as we can convert more delegates into ‘ambassadors’. We have to educate them on the process of going about ‘winning a congress’ for the city. The time consuming nature of the business acts as a deterrent for quite a number of people who would otherwise be willing to take on the responsibility of being the Local Committee Member.
HQ: To what extent have you been affected by the overall global crisis?
Let me now list a few trends that we in India have been noticing about the implications of the economic situation: The developing nations being looked at for new membership drives and business opportunities for the association members. The lead time for events becoming shorter - queries & conversions for world congresses for 2011 /2012 etc. and regional meetings for 2010 / 2011. Force majeure clauses becoming an integral part of all contracts terrorism, epidemics, act of god etc and softer cancellation clauses. Destinations are being changed overnight for large events should any of such occurrences happen and short lead events for new destinations. The number of delegates for the events is lesser in the mature destinations.
HQ: How do you view the association community in India?
Paul Archer: The growth of the economy in India and a boom in the growth of industries have led to growth in respective associations. The focus is also on industries that remain unaffected by the current economical situation like the pharmaceutical, medical and IT ones. India is seen as one of the markets to focus on in the current, testing times. MNCs and international corporations and
associations are still looking at investing in India. The industry is growing - more and more specialties of subjects branch out from the main subject. We have approximately 800 bodies both national and regional associations on varied subjects - as active association who hold their meetings on an annual basis. The pre-dominant functioning style is individualistic leadership of the elected chair. The process of evolving into the professionally managed associations which will benefit from corporate governance is starting to evolve. The mandate of running profitable conventions in order to have surplus funds to develop the industry is yet another new insight. There is a pattern for the local ambassador to try and get the congress into their city - specially the large ones.
Inside the HICC
growth of this industry is the rapid development the country has seen over the last couple of decades. India is within easy reach from any part of the world, with a large number of international airlines connecting its cities globally. The country, with the support of the government, has become more conscious of its potential as a business tourism destination, There has also been regular infrastructure development to support the meetings industry, like new centers of information technology, several new convention hotels and meeting facilities. India is a force to reckon with in the Asia-Pacific Market. Hyderabad moved from 144 to 114 in the ICCA rankings in 2009 - this is what one convention centre can do to a city. As more centres open up in the country, I’m sure India’s ranking is going to move up from the present 32 in the world meetings ranking to the top 25 in the
The focus on the meetings industry in India has become inevitable due to the growth in associations. Many factors further heighten the immense potential of the Indian meetings industry. One of the most pertinent reasons for the advent of growth of this industry is the rapid development the country has seen over the last couple of decades. HQ: How do you see India’s place as an association congress destination in the Asia-Pacific?
Paul Archer: The focus on the meetings industry in India has become inevitable due to the growth in associations. Many factors further heighten the immense potential of the Indian meetings industry. One of the most pertinent reasons for the advent of
next 5 years of the business. The focus of the Indian meetings industry is moving towards building Brand India as a meetings destination and offering leisure built around the congress / event.
HQ: How fierce is the competition in the AsiaPacific regarding the holding
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c o ver i n t ervie w
of association events?
Paul Archer: We are competing against cities like Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur. Hyderabad as a destination has great things to offer in terms of shopping, tourism, culture and selling a destination demands these. We have been extremely successful in the last four and a half years and HICC reached its operating profit in the first year itself which otherwise takes several years.
Global Meetings & Events Exhibition Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain
30 November – 2 December 2010 www.eibtm.com
Where The World Meets Best for Business, Education and Networking
India has the potential to host 4566 international meetings of varying sizes. We do come up for bids for business with cities like Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai etc. - but there is enough business for all of us to grow the pie and benefit from that symbiotic growth of the business.
HQ: What achievement are you the most proud of?
Paul Archer: It has been an exciting journey so far with several feathers in the cap. To manage an event/ convention of 5000-6000 delegates or less, see them leaving happy with our commitment to quality service, playing a major role to assist in boosting the city and country MICE tourism… all this makes us feel extremely proud.
HQ: What is the future of the Indian meetings industry going to be like, according
to you? And of the AsianPacific meetings industry?
Paul Archer: The players in the meetings industry are aware of the potential and requirements to grow the industry in India. They are readying themselves to ride this wave and position India as a MICE destination to the world. In conclusion, I would say the association industry is growing at a tremendous speed and the meetings business is looking up. More and more professionals are volunteering to be ‘ambassadors’ and bid for world and regional congresses to come to India. We at the centre have seen the segment grow at a 200% rate year on year since 2006. We expect that India will have doubled its share of meetings in the next five years and should be in the double digits by the turn of 2020.
HQ: We understand you know very well Australia. How does the Australian association community differ from the Indian one? And what about the Australian meetings industry compared to the Indian one?
Paul Archer: The Australian convention industry has a very structured approach towards their meeting market. Over $2 million is being currently invested by the partners of the Australian
Association Project to market Australia as a business events destination. We in India are starting to comprehend the ramifications of the meetings business - the economic impact, the employment opportunity, the tourism trade off, the recession proof nature of the business etc. The investment of the business is presently into infrastructure development of the business, whether it be centres, hotels, transportation, airports, etc. The convention cities in Australia have city bureaus which help the centres and the local ambassador to put together strong bids for their individual cities. They also come under the umbrella of Brand Australia to bid for events to come to their country. The Indian cities do not have a convention bureau or destination management being done by the government as yet. In a nutshell, there are more Australians out there talking about the business than Indians.
HQ: A final word on the next ICCA Congress which you will host in October. What are your expectations about it?
Paul Archer: ICCA is the best thing that can happen to India’s meetings segment. This is a great opportunity to present our products and services to the global mass market, helping the international industry stakeholders to experience them. We expect about 850 ICCA members to attend the Congress. Hosting the conference in India proves that the country is adept at holding conferences of international standards.
As a part of the ICCA India Chapter and as the General Manager of the venue, it will be my pleasure to welcome all my colleagues of the meetings industry from across the world to Hyderabad. www.hicc.com www.novotel.com www.accorhotels.com HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 14
Register now at www.eibtm.com/hq
Lotus Temple, Delhi
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mee t i n g t re n d s
mee t i n g t re n d s
The value of statistics E v e r y y e a r , du r in g t h e summe r time , t h e meetin g s indust r y g ets some w h at h e ated by t h e statistics o f U I A a nd I CC A . I t h ink t h e discussion a bout t h e di f f e r ence bet w een t h ese t w o sou r ces is by no w sett l ed . B ut t h is s ay s not h in g a bout t h e va lue o f t h e p ub l is h ed m ate r i a l , e v en tou g h some inside r s sti l l h av e q uestions a bout it. Text Marcel A.M. Vissers
We have to work with the numbers we get To say the meetings industry excels in diversified research material would be an exaggeration. At best, we can fall back on four sources, one maybe more valid than another. UIA is backed by a long scientific tradition (they started a computerized data storage system in 1983). ICCA collects data based on member input (the more work is done by the members, the better the results will be). Some convention bureaus build up their own statistics (which means the basis for comparison is lacking). JMIC, the Joint Meetings Industry Council, initiated its own research. A first study, about the economic impact of the Canadian meetings industry, was published last year. It was a very good start, but it’s hard to compare it with other existing sources. I have a clear opinion about the value of statistics: you have to be able to verify and check their value in the long term. That’s why I still prefer UIA, ICCA and JMIC. Let’s focus on UIA for now. UIA is fishing in a big pond Where does UIA get its data
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 16
from? If you open the report called International Meetings Statistics for the year 2009, you can read that ‘The data in this Report are drawn from our International Congress Calendar, the meeting database of UIA. The total number of meetings in the UIA database in 2009 was 342,500.’ That’s quite a lot. Let’s assume UIA’s congress department works very hard to translate this data into comprehensible numbers. Remarkable for the stats of 2009 (and also for those of 2007 and 2008) is that new players are seeing the light of day. Singapore was the number one meetings hotspot for the first time in 2008. London has permanently lost its leading role (for over ten years already), and Paris is heading the same way, if they don’t start working on more and better means of promotion. Brussels holds the second place in the list. It is not hard to understand why they immediately sent a press release to tell the world how successful
they have been. Singapore made it big news when they left everyone far behind for the second time (618 type A meetings in Singapore, compared to 388 in Brussels, 287 in Vienna and 246 in Paris). Who will ever catch up with them? It will prove to be a very hard thing to do. And do you know why? Because Singapore is working with a ten-year plan and has a much broader view on the meetings industry than any other country. It also invests much more in congress facilities than anyone else. Does Brussels deserve its second place? Some insiders are doubtful. The answer to this question comes from UIA itself. UIA statistics are a goldmine, though they are not well known (enough) by the meetings industry people. If I were a member of their research team - and a decent talker - I would roam the world to explain these numbers, not only quantitatively but also qualitatively, and I would take a good look at the future. But for now, I’ll stay with what I do best and be a publisher.
ICCA - The Association Meeting Market 2009 T h e I CC A r a nkin g s cov e r meetin g s o r g a nised by inte r n ation a l a ssoci ations w h ic h ta ke p l ace on a r e g u l a r b a sis a nd w h ic h r otate bet w een a minimum o f t h r ee count r ies , w it h at l e a st 5 0 pa r tici pa nts . T h e data r e p r esents a ‘ sn a p s h ot ’ o f q ua l i f y in g e v ents in t h e I CC A Associ ation Data b a se a s s a m p l ed on 1 1 M ay 2 0 1 0 . I CC A’ s Associ ation Data b a se is desi g ned a s a s a l es a nd m a r ketin g r esou r ce f o r its membe r s to
Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ta r g et f utu r e inte r n ation a l a ssoci ation meetin g s , w h ic h is w h y it does not inc lude one - o f f e v ents o r t h ose w h ic h do not mov e bet w een loc ations .
This year the ICCA Data researchers have identified 8,294 events which took place in 2009, 800 events more than were identified last year. Partly this reflects the strength of the association meetings market despite the economic downturn; partly it is thanks to a record number of ICCA members sending us their calendar information to help identify new events. Rotation and continents 47% of the meetings in the ICCA Association Database rotated
per region, the percentage of meetings organised in Europe has dropped since last year continuing the trend of decreasing their market share (from 55.4% to 54.4%). Africa is no longer the smallest region in number of meetings organised; since Africa’s market share increased, whilst Oceania’s market share dropped. Latin America gained about 1% point with a market share of 10.4%. Asia’s and North America’s market shares
T h i s y e a r t h e I CC A D a t a re s e a rc h e rs h a v e identified 8,294 events which took place in 2009, 8 0 0 e v e n t s m o re t h a n w e re i d e n t i f i e d l a s t y e a r. worldwide in 2009, which is a decrease of 3% points compared to 2008. 30% of the meetings rotated in Europe, 5.6% in Asia/ Pacific, 3.6% in Latin America and 3.4% in Asia. The most remarkable relative increase occurred in Africa’s market share, which grew over 1% point compared to last year. This is partly due to a project carried out by ICCA Data to investigate the continent’s potential. Even though Europe remained the most popular region attracting the highest number of meetings
remained relatively stable at respectively 18% and 11%. Countries and cities As has been the case since 2004, USA and Germany are the number one and two countries respectively measured by the number of international meetings organised in 2009. The USA is widening its gap with Germany with 32 events, compared to the 2008 figures. Spain remains third. Italy jumps from 6th to 4th place with an increase of
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51
Country # Meetings U.S.A. 595 Germany 458 Spain 360 Italy 350 United Kingdom 345 France 341 Brazil 293 Japan 257 China-P.R. 245 Austria 236 Netherlands 236 Switzerland 214 Canada 213 Sweden 184 Republic of Korea 176 Australia 169 Portugal 168 Denmark 151 Argentina 145 Belgium 130 Greece 128 Finland 124 Norway 120 Singapore 119 Turkey 118 Hungary 112 Mexico 107 Czech Republic 104 Poland 103 Thailand 103 Malaysia 96 Chinese Taipei 91 India 91 South Africa 90 Ireland 77 Chile 74 Colombia 71 Hong Kong, China-P.R. 67 Russia 48 Estonia 46 Slovenia 42 Uruguay 42 Peru 41 Croatia 38 United Arab Emirates 37 Lithuania 35 Romania 33 Egypt 32 Iceland 32 Indonesia 31 Philippines 30
53 55 56 57 58 59 60 62 63 64 65
70
74
77 79 80
83 84
87
93
Total
Serbia Morocco New Zealand Vietnam Ecuador Malta Israel Cyprus Kenya Slovak Republic Latvia Macao, China-P.R. Panama Costa Rica Cuba Nigeria Puerto Rico Venezuela Bulgaria Guatemala Luxembourg Tunisia Ghana Senegal Uganda Paraguay Tanzania Monaco Bolivia Honduras Qatar Ukraine Bahrain Dominican Republic Sri Lanka Cameroon El Salvador Form.Yugosl. Rep.Macedonia Kazakhstan Pakistan Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. Algeria Barbados Burkina Faso Ivory Coast Lebanon Rwanda Other
30 28 28 27 26 25 23 21 19 19 18 17 16 15 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 12 12 12 11 11 10 9 9 9 8 7 7 7 6 6 67 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 128 8,294
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 17
mee t i n g t re n d s Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 32 33 34 35 36
39 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 49 51 53
City # Meetings Vienna 160 Barcelona 135 Paris 131 Berlin 129 Singapore 119 Copenhagen 103 Stockholm 102 Amsterdam 98 Lisbon 98 Beijing 96 Buenos Aires 90 Seoul 90 Budapest 87 Madrid 87 Prague 86 London 83 Istanbul 80 Sao Paulo 79 Bangkok 76 Athens 75 Brussels 73 Kuala Lumpur 72 Rome 69 120 Hong Kong 67 Taipei 64 Rio de Janeiro 62 Sydney, NSW 61 Shanghai 58 Tokyo 58 Montreal, QC 57 Zurich 57 Helsinki 56 Dublin 51 Oslo 50 Cape Town 49 Edinburgh 46 Munich 46 Vancouver, BC 46 Milan 43 Santiago de Chile 41 Geneva 39 Kyoto 37 Toronto, ON 36 Boston, MA 35 Tallinn 35 Lima 34 Göteborg 33 Mexico City 33 Glasgow 32 Warsaw 32 Hamburg 31 Washington, DC 31 Cracow 30 Melbourne, VIC 30
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 18
57
60
63 64
68
73 74 76
79
85 87
91
99
Total
mee t i n g t re n d s Valencia Vilnius Montevideo Porto Reykjavik Cartagena Jeju New York City, NY San Francisco, Ca Brisbane, QLD Florence Ljubljana New Delhi Belgrade Dresden Dubai Nice Yokohama Graz Antalya Rotterdam Chicago, IL Lyon St. Petersburg Basel Bogota Bordeaux Cairo Cologne Manchester Miami, FL Trondheim Bergen Dubrovnik Moscow Québec City Bali Bucharest Frankfurt Hanoi Los Angeles, CA Manila Torino Venice Gent Maastricht Macao Quito Riga Sevilla The Hague Other
30 30 29 29 29 28 28 28 27 26 26 26 26 25 25 25 25 25 24 23 23 22 22 22 21 21 21 21 21 21 20 20 19 19 19 19 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 1,628 8,315
54 events compared to 2008, and the United Kingdom remains 5th. China-P.R. and Austria (which shares 10th place with The Netherlands) are newcomers in the top 10. For the fifth year in a row, Vienna is the most popular city with an increase of 21 meetings over 2008. Barcelona jumped from 3rd to 2nd place and Paris, who shared 1st place with Vienna last year, is now 3rd. The only newcomer in the top 20 is Madrid, at 13th place. www.iccaworld.com
Union of International Associations International Meetings Statistics for the Year 2009 Fo r t h e pa st 6 1 y e a r s , t h e U nion o f I nte r n ation a l Associ ations h a s unde r ta ken , f o r t h e bene f it o f its membe r s , statistic a l studies on t h e p r ecedin g y e a r ’ s inte r n ation a l meetin g s . As in p r e v ious y e a r s , t h e r e p o r t is a l so ava i l a b l e f o r s a l e to t h e p ub l ic f o l lo w in g a p e r iod o f t h r ee mont h s e xc lusi v e use by U I A Associ ate M embe r s . T h e statistics a r e b a sed on in f o r m ation s y stem atic a l ly co l l ected by t h e U I A Con g r ess
Top International Meeting Countres in 2009 Ranking Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
USA Singapore France Germany Japan Belgium Netherlands Austria Italy Spain Korea Rep UK Switzerland Sweden Canada Australia Czech Rep Portugal China Finland Denmark
#Meetings 1085 689 632 555 538 470 45 421 391 365 347 347 336 246 229 227 199 194 173 166 162
Percentage of all meetings 9.4 6 5.5 4.8 4.7 4.1 84 3.7 3.4 3.2 3 3 2.9 2.1 2 2 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.4
Not included are purely national meetings as well as those of an exclusively religious, didactic, political, commercial, or sporting nature, and corporate and incentive meetings, the survey of these specific markets not being within the scope of activities of the UIA. www.iccaworld.com
c r ite r i a m a inta ined ov e r t h e y e a r s , t h us
Additions to this year’s report This year, more prominence has been given to presenting data which, due to the passage of time, can be considered to have stabilized. The editors emphasize that the number of meetings for the current reporting year (2009) is expected to be around 80 percent of that extracted from the database five years hence.
to y e a r .
Meetings taken into consideration include those organized and/or sponsored by the international organizations which appear in the Yearbook of International Organizations and in the International Congress Calendar, i.e.: the sittings of their principal organs, congresses, conventions, symposia, regional sessions grouping several countries, as well as some national meetings with international participation organized by national branches of international associations.
Ranking City 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Singapore Brussels Paris Vienna Geneva Berlin Prague Stockholm Seoul Barcelona Tokyo Copenhagen Amsterdam London Lisbon Budapest Rome New York Maastricht Washington DC
#Meetings 689 395 316 311 183 171 170 159 151 148 134 127 126 125 115 108 104 95 88 83
Percentage of all meetings 6 3.4 2.8 2.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7
S i n c e t h e 2 0 0 8 e d i t i o n o f t h i s re p o r t ( p u b l i s h e d i n 2 0 0 9 ) , t h e U I A m e e t i n g s d a t a b a s e h a s b e e n e n r i c h e d b y c o n n e c t i n g i t m o re c l o s e l y t o i t s s i s t e r d a t a b a s e o n i n t e r n a t i o n a l o rg a n i z a t i o n s , t h e s o u rc e o f t h e Ye a r b o o k o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l O rg a n i z a t i o n s .
D e pa r tment a nd se l ected acco r din g to st r ict en a b l in g me a nin g f u l com pa r ison f r om y e a r
Top International Meeting Cities in 2009
Since the 2008 edition of this report (published in 2009), the UIA meetings
database has been enriched by connecting it more closely to its sister database on international organizations, the source of the Yearbook of International Organizations. This enhances the data available across the time scale and in particular enables historical surveys of international organization meeting activity as far back as 1850. It has also affected the rate of change in data, giving an exceptional boost to the numbers presented as of the report for 2008 (published in 2009). Criteria UIA divides meetings in 3 categories : meetings of international organizations, 3-day other international meetings and 2-day other international meetings. Meetings of international organizations are organized or sponsored by ‘international
The worldwide breakdown (market share) for meetings in 2009 by continent is:
4.9% 2.3%
15.7% 23.1%
54.1%
Europe Asia America (North & South) Africa Australasia / Pacific
organizations’ included in the UIA’s Yearbook of International Organizations, with at least 50 participants. 3-day other international meetings are not organized or sponsored by ‘international organizations’ but nonetheless of significant international character, with at least 40% of participants who are from countries other than the host country, with at least 5 different nationalities, lasting at least 3 days, with either a concurrent exhibition or at least 300 participants. 2-day other international meetings are not organized or sponsored by ‘international organizations’ but nonetheless of significant international character, with at least 40% of participants who are from countries other than the host country, with at least 5 different nationalities, lasting at least 2 days, with either a concurrent exhibition or at least 250 participants. www.uia.org
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 19
mee t i n g t re n d s
mee t i n g t re n d s
Second Annual INCON Survey of the Global Association Conference Market
3%
What are the top new trends in the association market for 209/2010 in rank order? 1
2
3
4
5
60%
(1 as most important, 5 as least)
20% 10%
10%
20%
20%
13%
40%
20%
10%
30%
30%
MARKETING
20%
20%
CSR
w o r l d ’ s l e a din g con f e r ence , meetin g a nd e v ent o r g a ni z e r s , p ub l is h ed a n ov e r v ie w o f
10%
t h e g lob a l a ssoci ation con f e r ence m a r ket in
IT&TECHNOLOGY
2 0 1 0 . T h e su r v e y p r ov ides a s h a p s h ot o f w h at
60% 20%
its pa r tne r s a r e e x p e r iencin g , h o w t h e y a r e
20%
p r oj ectin g h o p e f u l p r edictions f o r 2 0 1 1 . He r e
30%
t h e a ssoci ation m a r ket.
Analysis of the 2009 INCON survey highlighted Procurement, Marketing, CSR and Green Concerns as major emerging trends in the associations conference market in 2009/2010 (see table 1). Partners were asked their opinions on these trends and whether they were in fact key trends this year. Procurement Clients are demanding more value, visibility and control over any profit made An overwhelming majority of partners (97%) stated that clients are demanding more visibility across all cost elements in a conference and/ or event. Of the partners questioned, 83% responded that clients are also demanding more transparency across all cost elements. A very strong 83% majority of partners stated that clients are increasingly aware of the value of their conference and/or event and now seek to leverage this fully. An overwhelming
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 20
50% 30%
20%
What in your opinion is the top new trend in the association market for 2010/2011?
of partners where possible, such as walking or using public transport. A 67% majority of partners favour exhibitors who minimise packing materials and use recyclable or reusable products.
Increasing importance of CSR/ green concerns and a strong green policy CSR and green concerns are hot topics. A majority of 53% of partners answering the survey stated that they gave preference to venues, hotels and suppliers that have detailed environmental policies in place to reduce waste generation and recycle waste materials. Green modes of transport for delegate transfers between hotels and exhibition halls are promoted by a 77% majority
An 83% majority of partners agree that a concerted effort is being made to keep marketing collateral online and avoid printing the conference abstract books, handouts etc. by issuing delegates with USB sticks, CD Roms or making data accessible online. A majority of 63% of events organisers recognise that large scale events do not have to have huge climate impact and are making efforts to become low carbon or even carbon-neutral. Of those questioned, 53% of partners now also give the client the opportunity to support a charity of their choice. Surprisingly, a 63% majority disagreed that the Copenhagen Sustainable
10%
17%
3%
Perception of Value
CSR
Budgeting
OTHER
MARKETING
IMPACT OF REGULATIONS (PHARMA CODES)
PROCUREMENT IT&TECHNOLOGY
A n a l y s i s o f t h e 2 0 0 9 I N CO N s u r v e y h i g h l i g h t e d P ro c u re m e n t , M a r ke t i n g , C S R a n d G re e n C o n c e r n s a s m a j o r e m e rg i n g t re n d s i n t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s c o n fe re n c e m a r ke t i n 2 0 0 9 / 2 0 1 0
90% majority responded that they agreed that clients want to know, limit and control the profit made by a PCO on their conference and/or event. And of the INCON partners questioned, 73% stated that clients expect to share in any uplift of profit experienced by a PCO. Marketing PCOs are providing an increasing amount of marcom services and digital marcom services are rapidly on the increase Marketing trends are moving to change with market need and client demand. A majority (83%) of partners agreed that PCOs are providing an increasing amount of marcom services in 2010 than previously. 77% disagreed that the use of traditional marketing services - print collateral creation etc. - is on the increase. A unanimous 100% of respondents agreed that social media is being harnessed to enhance the marketing of events and conferences.
20%
30%
SECURITY
a r e its r esu lts conce r nin g t h e ne w t r ends in
2009 Emerging Trends in Association Business
10%
HEALTH AND SAFETY
de a l in g w it h it, a s muc h a s it looks a h e a d
37%
PROCUREMENT
Fo r t h e second y e a r in a r o w, I N CO N , t h e inte r n ation a l pa r tne r s h i p o f some o f t h e
7%
Meetings Protocol from COP15 has significant implications for the PCO industry. When asked to elaborate, they responded that they felt the COP15 guidelines were a fantastic tool to create and manage major green events and that they raise awareness and give visibility to green causes. Several partners however indicated that implementing COP15 would prove challenging to the PCO in that it would have to convince the client of the benefit of investing money in the initiatives.
Perception of Value and Budgeting identified as key new trends for 2010/2011
Partners were asked to identify what new trends they thought would be of key importance in the 2010/2011 association market. The survey indicates that the major new trends in
the associations conference market in 2010/2011 are: 1. Perception of Value (37%) 2. Budgeting (17%) 3. IT & Technology (13%) 4. Procurement and CSR (both 10%) 5. The Impact of Regulations (Pharma Codes) and Marketing (both 3%) Health and Safety, Security and a move away from luxury in destination selection were surprisingly not cited as key trends (all gaining null responses) and one other trend that partners cited as being influential was leveraging conference content. For the complete survey, visit www.incon-pco.com INCON is an international partnership of the world’s leading conference, meeting and event organisers. INCON Partners operate locally, nationally, regionally and globally from 32 countries. INCON Partners operate from 75 destinations in 36 countries employing 2,000 staff, annually organising 6,600 projects, serving 650,000 delegates, procuring 2,850,000 hotel bed nights and managing budgets in excess of half a billion euro.
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 21
mee t i n g t re n d s
Ustream, Livestream and Watchitoo
Foursquare Google Alerts and Google Reader
mee t i n g t re n d s
us Postero
BeamMe
Gowalla
When worlds collide
How hybrid dialogue can lead to real life connections W h ic h o f t h e be lo w h av e you f ound to be t r ue i f you t h ink o f t h e meetin g s you ’ v e r ecent ly h a d in you r c a r ee r a s a n a ssoci ations p r o f ession a l ? A ) ‘ T e r r i f ic to f in a l ly meet you in p e r son ! ’ B ) ‘ I j ust don ’ t seem t h e h av e t h e time to g et m y se l f connected ’ C ) ‘ Ho w do you m a n ag e to be so acti v e in you r on l ine contacts ? ’ I t seems to me t h at i f you a r e stuck in c ate g o r y B ) a nd w onde r in g w h at t h e f uss is a l l a bout, t h is a r tic l e is f o r you . I w i l l cite m y p e r son a l e x p e r ience a nd s h a r e 7 too l s I use in m y o r g a nis ation t h at h av e t r a ns f o r med t h e way I w o r k , communic ate a nd f unction in a connected h y b r id p l ay in g f ie l d . Text Ruud Janssen ©TNOC - the New Objective Collective
How does that happen? I have always expressed my views and experiences online and, by doing so, it seems I have captured the interest of an audience I never connected with before in real life but who wanted to be connected with me virtually. I then developed indepth online conversations with some of them and even got to meet them for real. It was no chance meeting of course as it was prepared by online connections on events, interest groups, trippit travel, Dopplr destination profiles, Foursquare and Gowalla location based tracking and networking systems. But what I had never realised is that the quality and intensity of the trust built up through our online discussions actually allowed for both parties to build up a level of trust in real life almost instantly. By
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 22
preparing the meetings online with people that are of interest to you and that you value dialogue with, you save valuable time. Simply put, by personally being open to continuous learning, by reading, researching and writing (micro)blogs, articles, videos and images and teaching students about our meeting industry, it occurred to me that we are in the midst of the communication [r]evolution. We are all learning to read, write and speak a newly developing language: the language of connectivity, thanks to the developments of a new technology. We are exploring, discovering and trying new options. New media allow us to experiment with geolocation, peer-topeer chat, write to a global audience
and comment on topics that are of interest to us on blogs and microblog posts. Hierarchy is no longer relevant, insight and interest are. Traditional communication pyramids are tumbling down under the speed and relevance of online dialogue and conversation. I would now like to point out the developments that I’ve found most useful in post event dialogue for membershipbased organisations. I will name 7 randomly selected tools that I use on a daily basis in my organisation ©TNOC | The New Objective Collective to stay in touch effectively. Posterous - so you know a blog can be beneficial to drive traffic to your organisation. You’ve written an article from time to time, but just can’t get into the rhythm of writing periodically? Just what I felt when I started. As a matter of fact, Posterous is the first ever free tool I’ve encountered where you don’t need to create a user account. Just send a mail to post@posterous.com and your blog has started. Easily configurable, goodlooking and used by the pros that do not care to spend lots of time in crafting a Wordpress, Blogger or Typepad stylesheet based blog. Google Alerts and Google Reader - a place to setup your social filters and let Google readers do the work for you. Type in the tags and word combinations you want to monitor and the information is filtered for you.
TNOC Hootsuite
BeamMe, Gowalla, Foursquare - Let people know where you are and when you are there. Make meetings happen and prepare your encounters when you do have the time. Using Apps like Gowalla and Foursquare, (any device will do using a browser or resident Apps on iPhone) you can be found and you can find others. Certainly at large events and tradeshows this can be very useful to meet up with your hybrid dialogue counterparts. BeamMe is a location based tool that looks for links in contacts that could match your profile in your direct vicinity based on your geolocation and Linkedin profile. Both Foursquare and Gowalla were succesfully launched at an interactive Conference, Music and Film festival in Texas called South by Southwest (SXSW) and are now growing quickly globally. They are more pure location based systems to track and share photos and details, tips of where you currently are. Watch out for these technologies and how your audience uses them. They may just become as popular as Twitter! Hootsuite - the professional backoffice for any serious new media user. Hootsuite has just revamped their service in HTML 5 and allows you to post status updates, tweets to profiles in just about any social media feed including Twitter, Facebook (pages, groups and personal pages), Linkedin. It also allows you to track specific Twitter #hashtags which are used a group discussion topics or to communicate to large groups of followers during an event (for instance #worldcup or #g20) Hootsuite also has a way of tracking links and providing
Social Mention
statistics through Google Analytics to backtrack who, where and through what channel is engaging in discussions with you or amplifying your message through their networks. Hootsuite now also provides ways for teams to service multiple accounts and have a division of tasks and responsibilities to service comments and requests for your organisation. Ustream, Livestream and Watchitoo - picture a broadcasting studio right in your browser. This is now commonly available and I advise you to experiment in viewing (and later streaming) your own broadcasts or event stream in a click of a button. Try it, it’s fascinating and very easy. A number of these solutions allows you to craft bespoke channels for your organisation and even mix signals from past video recording, stills and live streams. Twubs - Hashtags made useful. Originally developed for church volunteer communities in the United States but now modified and adapted to make hashtags useful for (live) events. This tool is particularly helpful if you want to combine existing twitter audiences used to the semantics of the Twitter Haiku and those who do not have a clue how Twitter works. Imagine a twub to be a hub for all the digital dialogue around your event all wrapped into one online place. The multimedia, tweets, photos, conversations automatically translated into English, are presented in a bespoke browser window. Also you can extract a moderated backchannel from the twub to be presented on a screen in your breakout
area or beside the main stage. Twubs broadcast screens can be moderated for speed, content and styled to reflect the look and feel of your branding. Social Mention - get a sense of the sentiment around your brand, organisation or congress. What are people saying in their online communication? Is it positive, negative or neutral? How many ‘friends’ do you have and where can you find/reach them? try it on www.socialmention.com it simple and its free. No login required! Digital Dashboard - After you start seeing the benefits of crafting a strategy for your digital footprint, you are ready to develop messaging and dialogue strategy. Whether you are developing this competency in house by trial and error (big time investment) or by collaborating with a specialised service provider that knows your industry, make sure you have your measuring stick ready to benchmark where you start and how your footprint grows. TNOC has developed a customised New Media Dash Board which integrates the boundless statistics which can be found into one practical overview. Details can be found at www.tnoc.ch. Ruud Janssen is a veteran international conference organiser, marketing coach, award winning e-marketeer, association volunteer leader, Board member on the International Board of Directors of MPI, emerging technologies speaker and entrepreneur at ©TNOC | The New Objective Collective.
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 23
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HQ ASIA-PACIFIC - HAP
mala y sia
Associations in Malaysia An assessment
PROFILE Distribution + HAP is an Asian-Pacific magazine + Circulation: 2,500 copies + 14 Asian-Pacific countries
5% 21% 74%
Readership The readers of HAP consists of 3 important groups: + the Asian-Pacific associations organising congresses in the region: 74% + the internationanl associations organizing international congresses: 21% + the Asian-Pacifc meetings industry, international agencies (PCO’s, AMC’s, members of IAPCO): 5%
hap page Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Malaysia’s performance in the international meetings arena amidst the challenging economic climate last year would not have been possible without the support of the backbone of the industry - the Malaysian associations who relentlessly bid for their international counterpart meetings to be held in the
22% 36%
Analysis of the association readership Professional agencies: the senior level of management of the PCO’s and DMC’s + Secretaries general: 22% + Presidents: 36% + Directors: 25% + Coordinators: 17%
2010 RATES Magazine Publicity Size 2/1 1/1 1/2
Advertisement 4,500€ 2,950€ 1,750€
Destination report Within the magazine Loose supplement
Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and its local industry partners in bidding and joint promotional efforts.
Advertorial 5,100€ 3,350€ 1,950€
4 pages 7,000€ /
Kuala Lumpur leaped five spots to the 22nd position in the latest ICCA, International Congress and Convention Association city rankings, from 61 meetings (2008) to 72 meetings (2009), thereby placing it among the five leading meetings destination in Asia Pacific for international association meetings. Other cities in the top five include Singapore, Beijing, Seoul and Bangkok. In the ICCA country rankings, Malaysia moved up one spot from 32nd in 2008 (87 meetings) to 31st with 96 meetings.
Covers +15% surcharge of 1/1 page publicity
6 pages 8,500€ /
8 pages 10,000€* 12,000€
12 pages 13,000€* 14,000€
16 pages 16,000€* 18,000€
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Malaysian associations ‘Malaysia has a number of key economic sectors with national
associations mainly in healthcare and medical, education, ICT, financial services and oil and gas to name but a few,’ according to Peter Brokenshire, General Manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. There are over 46,000 not-for-profit organisations registered in Malaysia through the Registrar of Society, Malaysia. The majority of Malaysian associations for association bids are based in Kuala Lumpur and most have a regional or international affiliation. Most national associations have their own secretariat while larger associations such as the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and the
Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) have a professional team to manage the organisation and would be ready to take on an international event. However, there are still a number of associations run by volunteers with no permanent secretariat. As for Sarawak, there are over 1,300 associations registered in the state, with the majority of these being locally focused groups such as trade and industry associations, fraternal and special interest groups or academic societies. Jill Henry, Chief Executive Officer, Sarawak Convention Bureau, says, ‘With some notable exceptions, very few of the associations currently have active ties with their international counterparts - a majority of these conventions require invitations from a local Malaysian member organisation to secure the convention. Looking back over our bid wins, 70 percent of them are from the association sector with the key disciplines being health and medical, business and science, resources, fraternal and tourism-related conventions. Surprisingly, governmentled bids represent only 15 percent of our bids with the majority being led by academic institutions and professional trade associations.’ How has the situation evolved? ‘Previously, the benefits of organising or hosting international association meetings in were not fully recognised by Malaysian associations. Now emerging countries including Malaysia are beginning to realise the huge financial benefits and economic impact that such international association meetings can bring to the country,’ states Amos Wong, General Manager, AOS Conventions & Events, an active Malaysian conference organiser in the market. Mike Williams, consultant to MyCEB, notes ‘the local association market is now a maturing industry with a core group of associations, particularly in the medical sciences area, who are very well-equipped to facilitate international meetings. These associations have the experience and knowledge on how to host conventions from the staging
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Tai w a n
mala y sia
of their own national and/or regional conventions.’ As Malaysia increasingly engages the international community in many different sectors, it creates more opportunities for the country to bid for and secure international conventions. ‘Increasingly, Malaysian association executives are also becoming more engaged with their international counterparts, lifting the profile and influence of the national association. This is very evident with some recent bid wins whereby the Malaysian representatives were well-known and respected in the international community. For example, Malaysia not only secured the XXV Congress of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) for 2014, it also won the international presidency
with the appointment of Mr Teo Chee Hai from the Association of Authorised Land Surveyors Malaysia. Dato’ Dr Yasmin Ayob from the National Blood Centre, Malaysia is also a prominent member of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) who led the bid to secure the regional congress in 2013 for Malaysia,’ Mike comments.
establishment of new regional association headquartered here and acts as a local host for associations that do not currently have an active Malaysian branch. Scholarships are offered for association executives to travel to international conventions to begin to build an international network and presence.
Commenting on Malaysia’s successful bid to host the FIG Congress for the first time in Asia, FIG Director, Markku Villikka, says: ‘Our members were impressed with the enthusiasm of the Malaysian surveyors in getting the FIG Congress to Malaysia and especially linking the young professionals in the bid process and congress concept.’
‘The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre also organises an annual association seminar targeting Malaysia-based association executives who are considering inviting their international counterpart organisations to hold their international meetings in Malaysia. The seminar is part of a series which began in 2005 designed to help make locally-based associations aware of the professional support and in-kind assistance that is available,’ adds Brokenshire.
Tremendous growth Mr Zulkefli Hj Sharif, Chief Executive Officer, MyCEB, continues: ‘MyCEB will work hand-in-hand with the local association to help achieve the best possible outcomes. The FIG and ISBT bids’ success are remarkable examples of the strong teamwork between MyCEB, the local associations and the industry partners.’ Nevertheless, it is crucial for local association members to continue to strengthen Malaysia’s representation in the regional and international association. ‘We firmly believe that the association sector has tremendous potential for growth in Malaysia as we have not yet scratched the surface of opportunities in the international convention arena,’ Henry states.‘We also need to overcome a degree of cultural reluctance to step into the limelight by standing for election to international boards or fronting an international bid.’ Amos concurres: ‘Local association members need to be more involved as ‘Committee Members’ in the international bodies in order to appreciate the value of such membership and subsequently bid for their associations meetings to be brought to Malaysia.’
6th World Chambers Congress
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In view of that, Sarawak has established the International Centre for Industry Development which supports the
MyCEB will play an increasingly significant role in supporting local associations to bid for and stage international meetings in Malaysia. Although it is not MyCEB’s role to manage or run conventions, it will be able to provide professional advice to local host organisations to assist with bid development and event management process. ‘MyCEB remains committed to assist our local associations in bidding for and staging regional and international meetings in our country’, says Mr Zulkefli. Established in 2009 by Tourism Malaysia, MyCEB aims to further strengthen Malaysia’s business events brand and position for the international meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions market. Some of the upcoming meetings to be hosted in Malaysia include the 18th World Congress of Accountants 2010 (6,000 delegates), The IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors) 2011 International Conference (3,000 delegates), 25th World Gas Conference 2012 (3,500 delegates) and 14th Western Pacific Congress on Chemotherapy and Infectious Diseases 2014 (3,000 delegates).
Meet in Taiwan A Quality Label
Taipei International Convention Center(TICC) & Taipei 101 For decades, Taiwan has proven itself to be a sourcing platform boasting advanced industries, which lead the world in terms of quality and innovation. Today, Taiwan is expanding on this platform with modern conference amenities and experienced professionals: successful conferences guaranteed.
Taiwan may be a small country, but the welcome of the Taiwanese is warm and larger-than-life. Taiwan may be hard to locate on the world map, but the island’s meeting and event facilities are of worldclass stature. Although the island is renowned for developing or manufacturing over 70% of the world’s consumer electronics and for having the highest mobile penetration rate globally (on average, each local resident has 1.14 mobile phones), Taiwan is ready to move on and shift its economic focus from manufacturing to the design and service industries. Taiwan is already a popular destination for conferences and exhibitions because it offers modern venues and resources. For example, many international organizations and industries in various fields including medicine, medical instruments, information and communications and electronic components regards Taiwan as the ideal platform to showcase their products.
One needs to take only one look at the 2009 World Games, the 2009 Deaflympics, the recent 2010 Flora Expo and the upcoming 2011 IDA Congress, to see the island’s ability to hold international expositions - attesting its excellence in creativity and design. Business and pleasure are easily combined with the island’s integrated, modern and advanced transportation infrastructure. The High Speed Rail is a convenient way to travel from Taipei in the north all the way to Kaohsiung in the south in a mere 90 minutes. Imagine a country smaller than Switzerland in which you can experience traveling on a train faster than the Eurostar, pass the Tropic of Cancer and travel from 3000m high mountain to a tropical resort in 24 hours. Now, you have glimpsed the beauty of Taiwan. If you think it’s impossible to attend association meetings, go sightseeing, go shopping and partake in a little gourmet trip on the same day. Come to Taiwan to see how convenient any mission impossible is met.
Taipei Fine Arts Park
Mountain Ali
Contact Taiwan MICE International Marketing & Promotion Project Managed by Atos Origin (Taiwan) T +886 2 2514 2535 F +886 2 2514 2525 marcom@meettaiwan.com www.meettaiwan.com HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 27
sydney
sydney flexible, and continues to introduce technological advances such as its Digital Video Network to give event organisers the very latest in IT and broadcast facilities. The perfect venue for meetings, conferences, exhibitions and special events, the Centre offers over 30 flexible meeting rooms, ranging from smaller spaces suitable for events for up to 50 people to an auditorium accommodating 3,500. It also features six exhibition halls and offers a total exhibition space of 30,000 m2.
Meeting in Sydney is self-explanatory I t ’ s not a c l ic h é . E v e ryone w h o ’ s e v e r been to S y dne y on ly lon g to g o b ack a nd sometimes e v en sett l e do w n t h e r e . Fusin g contem p o r a r y mode r n cu ltu r e w it h a b r e at h -ta kin g n atu r a l be aut y a nd f r iend ly l i f est y l e , t h e l a r g est cit y in Aust r a l i a is sim p ly ent h r a l l in g . S o f o r g et t h e h a ss l e o f a lon g - h au l destin ation a nd ta ke you r con g r ess do w n unde r , w h e r e su r e ly de l e g ates w i l l en j oy a one - o f - a - kind e x p e r ience . Report Rémi Dévé
Harbour Bridge
Sydney definitely has a few things up its sleeves. In addition to its year-round mild climate, its outdoorsy lifestyle and its enthralling beaches, it’s a business destination that has nothing to blush about. Being Australia’s largest economy and a leading financial and commercial centre in the Asia-Pacific, it offers proximity to Asia markets, a stable and resilient economy, state-ofthe-art infrastructure and cosmopolitan culture. But now it’s time for you to find out about what you might not know about Sydney. Sydney is all about sciences As an association congress destination, Sydney has obvious links with scientific communities, especially in the pharmaceutical and medical fields. New South Wales has the highest level of research and development investment in biotechnology in Australia. It is home
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to 80% of multinational pharmaceutical companies in Australia and 70% of pharmaceutical companies with regional headquarters in Australia. Of course many of Australia’s leading research institutes, hospitals, and universities are there to be found: Sydney world-class strengths across a range of research areas including proteomics, immunology, cancer research, respiratory medicine, cell and tissue engineering, diagnostics and medical devices. No wonder then that in recent years Sydney has hosted major international events in the field of neurology, occupational therapy and paediatric dentistry, while future events include the 2013 World Conference on Lung Cancer or the 2010 World Congress of the Human Proteome Organisation. Let me also mention the growing industries which some associations
can relate to, such as information technology (ICT) and financial services, which are increasingly taking centre stage in Sydney. Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre is green and flexible Recently named Australasia’s leading conference venue for the fourth consecutive year in the World Travel Awards, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre is continuing its program of innovations and improvement. Last year it became one of the world’s first venues to achieve Green Globe Silver Certification, recognising its environmental leadership in the business events sector through its Ecowise program which promotes renewable energy and sustainable practices. The Centre is completing a refurbishment of its rooms to make the venue even more
Worth mentioning is also the ideal location of the venue in Darling Harbour. A thriving precinct on the edge of Sydney’s CBD, Darling Harbour is home to some of Australia’s most significant tourist attractions as well as a myriad of restaurants and shops, all attuned to the interests and needs of conference delegates. Many of the city’s vibrant public festivals and events are also held there, which features beautiful parks and a series of major sculptures. So forget about long commutings and far away entertainment: your delegates will have literally everything they need at the doorstep of the Centre. In addition, there are almost 5,000 hotel rooms for all kinds of budget at walking distance. Who could ask for more?
Sydney is fun If you’d rather hold your meeting in a sophisticated venue, you can choose from an impressive range of facilities in and around Sydney. I personally liked Sydney Olympic Park - a bit on the outskirts of the city - which offers an array of different venues like you simply can’t imagine. Home to no less than 10 event venues, it offers over 100 function rooms and outdoor spaces, catering for less than a dozen to 21,000, with a total of 22,000 m2 of continuous clearspan exhibition space. My personal favorite was the venue called Sydney Showground because of its beautiful dome and its unique versatility. If you prefer staying downtown, I would definitely suggest Star City, not only a casino complex which is undergoing a superb expansion but an elegant option for events of any size, or the Dockside Group portfolio with its wide range of function venues and waterfront restaurants boasting breathtaking views. In terms of accommodation, there are 30,000 rooms in the Sydney region, 21,000 of which are in central Sydney, catering to every budget of course. Whether your delegates are high-profile professors needing 5-star facilities - I myself stayed at the Shangri-La with its super spacious rooms and let me tell you the service was excellent - or students that don’t necessarily want Sydney Olympic Park
Case Study
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre from above
International AIDS Society Conference, 2007 Sydney hosted the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenis, Treatment and Prevention in July 2007, four years after Business Events Sydney (BESydney) won the bid. More than 6,500 visitors from 150 countries participated in the four-day conference, more than double the original estimate, making it Sydney’s biggest business meeting of the year. BESydney’s Chief Executive Officer Jon Hutchison said the level of interest was an indication of just how important the conference was. The IAS Conference was a significant event in the world medical calendar, providing an opportunity for leading scientists, clinicians, public health experts and community leaders to examine the latest developments in HIV-related research. The event organisers, IAS and the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM), said they chose Sydney because of Australia’s long-standing commitment to HIV/ AIDS, and its leadership in this area. The conference took up all of the meeting rooms at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) as well as two of the Centre’s exhibition halls. A key feature of the meeting was the affiliated Bioscience Outreach Symposium, hosted by the New South Wales (NSW) Department of State and Regional Development at NSW Parliament House. The symposium showcased Australia’s research capabilities and highlighted joint venture opportunities.
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sydney
luxury accommodation, there is pretty much everything you might be in need of. As far as pre- and post-tours are concerned, possibilities are endless, with great coastal beaches at driving distance, New South Wales with its beautiful Blue Mountains, wine tasting in the vineyards of the Hunter Valley, wild dolphin cruises, bridge climbing and - my personal favorite - nights out at Sydney Opera House, the city’s beloved architectural landmark.
New Star City Complex
Sydney Festival
CONTACT Kerryn Ross General Manager Marketing & Stakeholder Relationships Business Events Sydney Tel: +61 2 9332 5218 kross@BESydney.com.au www.businesseventssydney.com.au
INSPIRATION GUARANTEED
Innovation comes from feeling inspired.
Hamilton Lund - Tourism NSW
businesseventssydney.com.au
The world famous Sydney Opera House is a true icon. It represents bold and inspiring thinking. Its greatness stays with you. When delegates arrive in Sydney, they come for a meeting; when they leave, they take a piece of the city’s innovative spirit with them. Bring collective minds to Sydney. Be inspired to create greatness. Business Events Sydney will help you make the connections you need to feel inspired. HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 31
HEADQUARTERS ASIA-PACIFIC 32