HQ magazine No.34 by Meeting Media Company BVBA

HEADQUARTERS The Pan-European Magazine for Association Executives Supported by ESAE, European Society of Association Executives, and UIA, Union of International Associations, Brussels

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MEETING TRENDS 2009

PLANTING A MEETINGS FOREST

> M A R C E L’ S PA G E

ARE MAGAZINES TRENDWATCHERS? Spotting airplanes or ‘plane watching’ is a sport. They say ‘hunting for trends’ or ‘trendwatching’ is also a sport. And they say journalists with a special power of observation are also qualiﬁed to indicate the newest trends. Real trendwatchers on the other hand say that they look at a large number of statistics to draw conclusions from that.

MARCEL A.M. VISSERS Editor in Chief

Trends always have nice names in English that are often contractions of words or things. One of the nicest

They say ‘hunting for trends’ or ‘trendwatching’ is also a sport. And they say journalists with a special power of observation are also qualiﬁed to indicate the newest trends. But to what extent is this really true? words I’ve heard lately is swallowcatching. Speed is a must when you’re a trendwatcher; the ﬁrst one to spot something new is the winner because he’s the one who gets into the papers. Sometimes trendwatchers determine the trends themselves, just by creating them. For example, in the fashion industry suddenly the word ‘spinwatching’ popped up - it means prescribing fashion colours. Trendwatchers almost dictate the spinning companies which colours they should print. I think we, members of the press, rather think on a longer term.

That’s why I don’t get into the papers! In each September issue of HeadQuarters magazine we publish the UIA and ICCA stats and I’ve often thought: Are those not the best sources in our industry if you’re trendwatching? Should I have a try? Am I right if I conclude from the data of 2008 that there are three countries that were successful for a medium-long period in attracting congresses? It’s because they consider ecology and social responsibility of paramount importance. I call them ‘value-builders’ or ‘greeners’, two words that sound positive. I would dare to classify Canada, Australia and New Zealand under this category. And they’re deﬁnitely not green washers, people that only pay lip service to the healthy thinking. And what are your thoughts on the word Caritas Terrae? It’s a new and trendy word for ecological thinking how you can surprise the earth with gifts, by planting trees with the Trees for Life foundation, for instance (on this subject please read page 13). And I’ve got some more meetings industry trends up my sleeve but I’ll save them for our Academic Session in Brussels on 5 October when we unfold a few statistics together with UIA and ICCA. And maybe we’ll be listening to the trendsetters of the future: the value-builders!

» READ MORE OF MARCEL’S STORIES ON HIS BLOG: MARCELSBLOG.HQMAGAZINE.EU!

HQ > CONTENTS

COLOPHON

CONTENTS

HQ OR HEADQUARTERS IS A NICHE PUBLICATION FOR EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS HEADQUARTERED IN BRUSSELS AND ALL MAJOR EUROPEAN CITIES DEALING WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF WORLDWIDE CONGRESSES. IT IS PUBLISHED 6 TIMES A YEAR. CIRCULATION IS 5000 COPIES. Subscriptions Subscription amounts to 65 EUR (all incl.) in Belgium, 75 EUR (all incl.) in the EU and 95 EUR (all incl.) in the rest of the world. The subscription entails 6 editions of HQ per year including the special edition Meeting Trends, as well as an online access to the website. Online subscription for digital magazines is 50 EUR. To subscribe: www.HQmagazine.eu Editor in Chief Marcel A.M.Vissers T: +32 (0)3 226 88 81 marcel@meetingmedia.eu

PLANTING A MEETINGS FOREST

Cover HQ34: With the help of the organization Trees for Life, HQ is planting a meetings forest and it might well be the ﬁrst one ever

Managing Director Cécile Caiati-Koch T: +32 (0)2 761 70 52 cecile@meetingmedia.eu

MARCEL’S PAGE

CONTENTS

NEWS

UIA/HQ ACADEMIC SESSION

AIPC CONGRESS REPORT

PLANTING A MEETINGS FOREST

COLLOQUIUM

ASSOCIATION PORTRAIT: THE BREWERS OF EUROPE

SPONSORSHIP AND ASSOCIATIONS: THE CASE OF ECCO

ESAE: RESPONDING TO THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS

UIA: ASSOCIATION RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT BUSINESS CLIMATE 28

Editorial Ofﬁcer Rémi Dévé T: +32 (0)2 761 70 54 remi@meetingmedia.eu

MEETING TRENDS FEATURE

Editor Steven Kins

ICCA AND UIA STATS

Design UPSILON advertising, Gent T: +32 (0)9 267 39 40 info@upsilonadvertising.be

INCON SURVEY OF THE GLOBAL

Print Cartim - Destelbergen

ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE MARKET

HOW THE WEB CAN HELP YOU RUN AN ASSOCIATION

Supported by ESAE and UIA Address 57, rue René Declercq B - 1150 Brussels (Belgium) T: +32 (0)2 761 70 50 F: +32 (0)2 761 70 51 www.hqmagazine.eu

DESTINATIONS

Responsible Publisher Meeting Media Company Marcel A.M. Vissers Mechelseplein 23, bus 1 B - 2000 Antwerpen (Belgium) www.meetingmedia.eu

AUSTRALIA

CHINA

SRI LANKA

MONACO

DESTINATION SUPPLEMENTS

> AMSTERDAM > MONTRÉAL

Cécile Caiati-Koch

STAY TUNED FOR HQ35 Rémi Dévé

HQ magazine sets great store by sustainable development and therefore chose environment-friendly FSC certiﬁed paper which comes from a controlled source. More info: www.fsc.org ® FSC, A.C. FSC-SECR-0045

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Latest news about our meetings forest Swiss Convention Centres Special Feature: the reason for a strong alliance Destination report: Vibrating Korea Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre: the overachiever Cécile goes to China and Milano …. And much more!

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> HEADQUARTERS NEWS

ABU DHABI TOURISM LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS TOURISM PLANNERS GUIDE The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the apex body which manages the tourism industry in the Arabian Gulf emirate, has launched the third edition of its comprehensive Business Tourism Planners Guide - an expansive 192 publication which charts the growth of the destination’s meetings industry and its geographic expansion outside of the UAE capital city to Al Ain in its eastern province and its Al Gharbia western region. The new edition features 62 pages more than last year and 28 new exciting venue additions from city centre hotels, to beachfront resorts and the extensive Yas Island destination. www.visitabudhabi.ae

THAILAND: IMPACT HOTEL TO OPEN ON SITE IN 2011 Thailand’s largest meeting services venue, IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, plans to build a contemporary hotel, set to open early 2011. The hotel will be located in the heart of IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center connected to the exhibition halls just a ﬁve-minute walk over a sky-bridge. The project comprises 381 contemporary-style rooms and will be positioned as a four-star hotel offering international standards of services. For the ﬁrst time in Thailand the hotel will also include a number of specially designed rooms for the disabled. www.impact.co.th

THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT (UITP) ELECTS A NEW PRESIDENT Last June, the UITP General Assembly elected Alain Flausch, CEO of the STIB, the Brussels public transport company, as his new president. This election acknowledged the long-standing engagement of Mr. Flausch on the international stage. Member of the UITP Policy Board and of the Metro Division of UITP, he is also the

HEADQUARTERS 6

president of the Belgium Union of Regional Public Transports (UBTCUR) which gathers the three national public transport companies. Mr. Flausch succeeds to Mr. Roberto Cavalieri who headed the organisation for four years. www.uitp.org

NEW DIRECTOR, CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS FOR SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD Last June, Oliver Chong, Regional Director, Europe, was concurrently appointed as the new Director of Conventions and Meetings, Business Travel and MICE Group. He takes over this portfolio from Catherine McNabb who will be fully seconded to the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC). Mr. Chong assumed the position of Regional Director, Europe, in March 2007. In this portfolio, he oversees the operations and overseas marketing activities of three ofﬁces in Europe including London, Frankfurt and Moscow. www.visitsingapore.com

GREEN MEETINGS IN BERLIN Berlin Convention Ofﬁce presents its new Internet platform www.berlin-green-meet-

ings.de, a unique format in Europe. Numerous Berlin providers, who already engage in ecological practices, are presented in a transparent manner on the website ‘Berlin Green Meetings’. A total of 13 sections, which range from convention agencies to venues, make it easy for users to ﬁnd what they are looking for. Potential customers can see from a questionnaire completed by the companies which environmentally friendly practices they engage in. www.berlin-green-meetings.de

DIETER HARDT-STREMAYR NEW ECM PRESIDENT The ECM Annual Conference took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, last June and was attended by 175 delegates. In addition to the educational content, the ECM members gathered at the General

Assembly in order to vote for a new ECM president, a vice president for the Tourism Forum and six board members. Dieter Hardt-Stremayr (Managing Director of Graz Tourist Ofﬁce) was elected the ECM president, Stefan Diender (Director of Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board) has become vice president for the Tourism Forum and Olivier Lépine (General Manager of Biarritz Tourisme) continues his mandate as vice president for the Convention Forum of the association. www.europeancitiesmarketing.com

GMIC LAUNCHES GREEN MEETINGS DIRECTORY

Planners who seek green solutions to their meeting and event now can turn to a new online resource. The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) has partnered up with PlannerWire, a news, information, and community web portal for meeting and event professionals, to present the ofﬁcial Green Meetings Directory. Launched last May, the directory showcases GMIC members from around the

world and allows meeting and event planners to quickly locate organizations that have expressed intentions toward environmentally responsible practices. www.greenmeetingsdirectory.com

BORNEO TO HOST THE NAPOLEON HILL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION Borneo is once again hosting a prestigious international convention next year after the wild Cat City – Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia won the bid for the Napoleon Hill International Convention 2010 (NHIC 2010). The three-day event is expected to generate over RM2.7 million for the local hospitality and tourism sector. NHIC 2010 is expected to see the congregation of some 2,000 national and international participants and is scheduled from 24th to 25th June 2010, at the new Borneo Convention Centre Kuching. www.sarawakcb.com

Networking creates Experience. Experience creates Knowledge. Knowledge creates Technology. Technology creates Convenience. Convenience creates Well-being. Well-being creates Feeling. Feeling creates Motivation. Motivation creates Participation. Participation creates Meetings. Meeting creates Understanding. Understanding creates Networking!

VISIT LONDON SECURES VALUE TRAVEL DEALS FOR ASSOCIATION EVENTS Associations considering London for their next event are being offered exclusive value deals across the capital’s transport infrastructure. Visit London

S SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT: DRESS TO IMPRESS AWARD D AAT ICCA CONGRESS E Every year, HQ magazine organizes an informal ‘Dress to Impress’ Award at the ICCA congress, which will take place this year in Florence from November 7 to 11. And guess what? We can already give away the dress code - Designer Catwalk! Italian classic designs, ultra trendy or ultra elegant, outrageous or ostentatious - the only ﬁrm rule for this year’s dress code is not to be boring but to bravely express your personal sense of style. Use your imagination! Don’t be afraid to dress to impress the people around you! And see you in November!

www.austrian.com www.acv.at www.messecongress.at www.vienna.convention.at

> HEADQUARTERS NEWS

Invitation

ACCESS 2009 5/6 OCTOBER 2009 SEE YOU IN AUSTRIA! On 5 and 6 October 2009 Austria’s congress, meeting, incentive and event industry will again use 3,000 m2 of exhibition space in the splendid surroundings of Vienna’s Imperial Hofburg Palace to present its wide range of products and services to an audience of more than 1,900 top-ranking national and international decision-makers from 15 countries. The two-day fair will focus on tourist-industry know-how, communication, on the development of new ideas and reﬂections on new trends. A top-notch programme and a large-scale exhibition by industry specialists ensure that access will be a superb information and business platform. With more than 230 exhibitors, associations and tourist enterprises, access is a hub for professionals visitors. access 2009 organizes a comprehensive Hosted Buyer Program including: + economy ﬂights on selected routes sponsored by the Austrian Airlines Group + accommodation for the trade show and pre or post trips in a 4*/5* hotel + coach transfers between airport, hotel, access 2009 and networking events + admission to access 2009 + admission to networking events

+ personal online diary to organize pre-scheduled appointments with exhibitors of your choice (5 pre-scheduled appointments per day) + access 2009 academy program Pre access fam trips to a selection of Austrian destinations will be offered to Hosted Buyers. These trips will include site inspections of hotels, convention centers, unique/unusual venues and cultural icons. Complimentary transportation, hotel accommodation, all meals and business and networking programs will be provided by your host. Feel free to visit the revamped access website, offering a host of information for visitors from the industry. Interested in participating? Please register online at www.access-austria.at

London d 80' 80 Am Ams AAmst msterdam ms am 2h40

Brussel Brusse Brussel Brussels russels l 34' 34

Liiilill LLil Lille ille llllle llee

Paris ari aar rriis ris is 60'

Association Sales Manager Becky Graveney has conﬁrmed that following discussions with the convention bureau’s travel partners, group rates for association congresses are now available. Visit London can also help with purchasing group Oyster travel cards in advance following a deal with Transport for London. www.visitlondon.com

NH HOTELES LAUNCHES A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MARKET NH Hoteles has launched a global corporate campaign called The Organizers & CO, aimed at the meetings segment. The Organizers & CO will offer discounts of up to 25% on services pre-contracted for customers who conﬁrm well in advance. The hotel chain wishes to reward early bookings and, using a series of differential values, aims to anticipate and adapt to the changing needs of its customers. The Organizers & CO campaign is aimed at over 100,000 customers of the hotel

> HEADQUARTERS NEWS chain who specialise in the MICE segment, either as intermediaries (travel agencies, PCOs, DMCs, specialised agencies, incentive houses) or as companies. This promotion is being launched not just in the 22 countries where the hotel chain has a presence, but also in Russia, Canada, United States, Brazil and Scandinavia. www.nh-hotels.com

represents a 50 per cent increase in the Centre’s convention facilities and will establish the Centre as Australia’s most ﬂexible meetings and events venue. The newly expanded Centre will be the only convention centre in Australia with three stand alone tiered plenary halls able to accommodate from 400 to 8,000 with a total of 42 separate meetings and event spaces. www.bcec.com.au

WORKS HAS BEGUN ON BRISBANE CONVENTION CENTRE’S EXPANSION

GOLD COAST TOURISM CEO APPOINTED ICCA CHAIRMAN

Construction will commence at the end of June on Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on Grey Street - ﬁve new levels of boutique meetings and event space. Opening 2011, it

Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter has been appointed Chairman of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Asia Paciﬁc. Mr. Winter will utilise his 30 years

BCEC on Grey Streety

Martin Winter

of tourism industry experience to positively inﬂuence ICCA’s representation of 150 government tourism organisations, convention centres, convention and visitor bureaus and private suppliers in the Asia Paciﬁc region. www.iccaworld.com

2009 MEETINGS INDUSTRY FAIRS WORLDWIDE: MAKE YOUR CHOICE! CIBTM – Beijing // China National Convention Centre September 8-10 2009 – www.cibtm.com ACCESS – Vienna // Hofburg Vienna October 5-6 2009 – www.access-austria.at IT&CMA + CTW – Bangkok // Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld October 6-8 2009 - itcma.com.sg EIBTM – Barcelona // Fira Gran Via December 1-3 2009 – www.eibtm.com

» SEND YOUR PRESS RELEASES TO PRESS@MEETINGMEDIA.EU

WONDERFUL IDEAS WONDERFUL PEOPLE WONDERFUL CONVENTION Want a wonderful experience? Then put our statement to the test. Talk to us and let us help you organise your next convention in Copenhagen. You can start with a visit to meetincopenhagen.com, or call Malene and Anne direct. They act as a neutral liaison between you and over 130 suppliers, from congress centres and hotels, to gourmet restaurants. And they’ll help you out for free.

Malene Schrøder Project Manager +45 3355 7485 mes@woco.dk

Anne Dissing Project Manager +45 3355 7441 adi@woco.dk

academic session 09 2nd Academic Session organized by UIA and HQ magazine

For years now HQ magazine has been strongly supported by UIA and ESAE, two institutions that have chosen for a rejuvenated future: bringing in new members, extending knowledge about Europe and the world, congress statistics and scientiďŹ c research in the meetings industry. Last year the ďŹ rst Academic Session could count on an initial international attendance, but this year we want to broaden the stage.

4942_Academic_Session(fred).indd 2-3

Where?

BRUSSELS MEETING CENTER

When?

Save the date! Monday 5 October 2009 4PM

Programme: 1. Presentation and comments on the complete new edited UIA statistics Report 2008. Evolutions and trends in numbers of congresses and destinations. 2. Case Study: The Success Story of a continent: Australia as a country and Melbourne as a city. Case Study: The Success Story of a European destination: France as a country and Lyon as city.

3. The presence of Trade Associations in Brussels: Who are they? What are they looking for? Areas of interest of international organizations in Brussels - 2008 Top 10 areas of interest

% Brussels

% World

Industry

3.5%

Social Activity

7.7%

6.8%

Commerce

7.3%

4.5%

Society

5.9%

5.6%

4.4%

3.4%

Education

4.1%

4.9%

Research, Standards

3.5%

5.3%

Societal Problems

3.3%

3.5%

source: UIA 2008

Transportation, Telecommunications

Health Care

3.2%

3.7%

Government

3.2%

2.4%

4. The future of Trade Association Congresses: Round table discussion with 10 leading association executives of trade associations. 5. Conclusions and theme announcement of Academic Session 2010 6. Festive Cocktail

Compared to global trends, Brussels hosts a large proportion of international organizations focused on industry (9%, as opposed to 3.5% globally) and commerce (7.3%, as opposed to 4.5% globally). It hosts fewer organizations focussed on research (3.5%, as opposed to 5.3% globally). For example, “Industry” contains: manufacture, production, commodities, service sector, manufacturing processes, textiles, beverages, trades and crafts, mining, chemical products, products, machinery, construction; “Commerce”: finance, banking, funds, investment, currency, market, business enterprises, trade insurance; “Research”: study, inspection, testes, quality unification, measurement, laboratories, certification, experimental…

Contact and registration For more information, contact Brussels ofÀce at events@meetingmedia.eu or call +32 (0)2 761 70 50 To register, go to www.HQmagazine.eu > events (registration fee is 125 EUR - VAT not included)

31-07-2009 11:11:43

> AIPC CONGRESS REPORT

AIPC AWARDS + The overall 2009 Innovation Award was given to the Adelaide Convention Centre of Australia for their comprehensive recycling and food management programme + The Delegates Choice Award was handed out to the Darwin Convention Centre for the Darwin Workforce Development Strategy

AIPC ANNUAL CONFERENCE: OPPORTUNITIES WHEN I FIRST FOUND OUT THAT AIPC ANNUAL CONFERENCE WOULD BE HELD IN A CORUÑA, SPAIN (6-8 JULY 2009) I HAD TO CONSULT A MAP OF SPAIN. AT 60 KMS FROM SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, IN THE REGION OF GALICIA, WAS THE ANSWER. MY INVESTIGATION ENDED WITH PALEXCO, AN UNEXPECTEDLY BEAUTIFUL CONVENTION CENTRE AT THE OCEAN LINER PIER IN THE CITY CENTRE. TEXT MARCEL A.M. VISSERS

FOCUS ON THE IMPACTS OF THE CURRENT RECESSION An annual congress of a professional meetings industry association has to respond to the needs of our time. In this ﬁeld AIPC conference towered out above the regular level of congresses I’ve attended lately. Good speakers are a blessing for a congress and who invests in them can count on an applause. Content comes before location and destination, but if the destination can give more power and form to the content, we can call it a success. This succes can be attributed to the team of Enrique Pena Gonzalez and the big applause goes to the organisers of the 51st conference this time. The key question was: which strategies

HEADQUARTERS 12

are available to battle the crisis and moreover, which opportunities are at hand for the managers of convention centres all over the world?

THE EMPHASIS ON OPPORTUNITIES Keynote speaker Dr. Linda Yueh, a renowned global academic on macroeconomics and a regular media commentator, set the stage for discussion by outlining the anticipated course of the financial crisis and the ways in which various sectors will likely respond. From the start she touched the soul of the audience, and that set the tone for the conference. Simon Anholt, who we first introduced to the meetings industry in 2007, took the first prize. I think Simon has found his way in our industry. He’s a guru, the founder and publisher of the Anholt Nation Brands Index and the Anholt City Brands Index. He wrapped up the conference with an analysis of how the industry can use the situation to advantage in terms of repositioning itself in the broader business community. ‘Whoever ignores this crisis,’ he stressed, ‘will miss out on great opportunities.’

I think that the opportunities that are presenting themselves have to be seized with both hands. In between, an extensive series of presentations ranged from situational overviews by key corporate and association clients to assessments of how the crisis is being felt in various parts of the world. These discussions were supported by the presentation and analysis of a variety of current research results including changing client circumstances, member business expectations and changes in projected demand over the coming year. Also, I had expected a better human portrait from the architects/speakers about how the world is looking at new convention centres, because this view has changed drastically over the last few years, in a positive way too!

TREES FOR LIFE FOR AIPC INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS To stay in the coordinating theme of the conference, I’d want to mention that publishers of magazines are big users of trees, which does not show a lot of love for the society. That’s why HQ magazine has bought a company grove in the Caledonian Forest, a world-famous green restoring project (read the next page). We intend to plant a whole Meetings Forest to give new oxygen to the Meetings Industry brand. Many thanks to Simon Anholt for this advice. The two winners (see box) will receive a tree from HQ magazine in this forest.

ABOUT AIPC Visit www.aipc.org or contact Marianne De Raay at marianne.de.raay@aipc.org Note: The 2010 AIPC Academy will take place in Brussels, 2-7 February.

PLANTING A MEETINGS FOREST THIS EXPRESSION TO DESCRIBE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PEOPLE, COMPANIES AND ORGANISATIONS FOR TAKING CARE OF THE EARTH. TEXT MARCEL A.M. VISSERS

A NEW ERA FOR THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY Not long ago people only spoke about green thinking without taking action. They wanted to belong, or they had cheap commercial or PR grounds in mind. We have left this era unexpectedly fast. Nobody can ignore the genuine concern for a healthy society for the future anymore. Every aspect of social and ethical actions gets a chance. I remember a meeting with meetings specialists where someone said: ‘Looking after the environment? Right! I barely notice anything about this concern in the conference world. Most participants are not consciously involved in this matter!’ That’s how a lot of people felt a few years ago, but is that true? For instance, a little while later I bumped by accident into a very practical initiative. The famous London photographer Allan Pollok-Morris was in Antwerp for a photo shoot in the ‘House of Tulips’. I seized the opportunity to let him do the cover shoot for an issue of MIM magazine. He literally surrounded the cover lady with tulips. And what did a new customer of Allan

receive at that time? A tree! Allan had a Rowan Tree planted for me in Glen Affric in the North West Highlands of Scotland, an initiative of Trees for Life. I was extremely pleased with this present and I made a decision that very moment: ‘From now on, I will

The idea is to plant a meetings tree on every occasion we think ﬁt. Then my dream will come true: a real Meetings Forest!

It already has two trees and next month another ten trees will be planted: eight for every HQ staff member and two for the AIPC members that won a prize during the AIPC Congress in A Coruña. And it will go on like that, until we’ve planted a million trees together with the entire meetings industry. The idea is to plant a meetings tree on every occasion we think ﬁt: associations, industry partners, friends, etc., with outstanding or original initiatives to make the world a better place. And let us know if you know somebody or some organisation that deserve a meetings tree. Then my dream will be accomplished: a real Meetings Forest!

For more information about Trees for Life please visit www.treesforlife.org.uk © Alan Watson

THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY HAS ENTERED A NEW ERA: CARITAS TERRAE! I LIKE USING

be looking actively for a spot where we can plant a Meetings Forest!’

TREES FOR LIFE I’m delighted because today I can ofﬁcially announce that HQ magazine has bought a company grove in the Caledonian Forest, a world-famous green restoring project.

HEADQUARTERS 13

> TREES FOR LIFE

HQ > COLLOQUIUM

COLLOQUIUM TALK

A Conversation with Sales & Communication Director Cristina Munteanu WITH 55 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, COLLOQUIUM IS A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE ORGANIZATION OF CONGRESSES. NEW DIRECTOR OF SALES & COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR CRISTINA MUNTEANU TELLS US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER, GIVES US HER INSIGHTS ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY… AND WHAT COLLOQUIUM CAN DO FOR ASSOCIATIONS.

HQ: How does one move from Conference Director to Sales & Communication Director? Cristina Munteanu: In the past, I worked mostly on the operational side of the events business and enjoyed being involved in all aspects of congress organisation. But what I liked the most was establishing a relationship with our clients and helping them evolve and initiate their projects, and to establish new records, so to speak, in terms of quality and quantity. I started to think about shifting my career from operations to strategy some time ago. When the opportunity came recently with the opening of the Sales & Communication Executive Director position in our group, it did not take me long to say yes! I was very honoured when I was offered the job. We think it is an added value for our clients that our sales people have an operational background. Our hands-on experience allows us to deliver concrete, appropriate solutions from the moment we make an offer of services.

Cristina Munteanu

HEADQUARTERS 14

HQ: Can you tell us a little about your background? Cristina Munteanu: I have been working in the meetings industry since 1994. I started as a trainee in a Romanian private company specialising in organising fairs and trade shows, and contributed to its development towards a new market, congress organisation. I studied Political Science at the University of Bucharest, Romania, preparing for a career within the European Institutions, but by the end of my university years, I had become completely ‘won to the meetings cause’.

I left Romania in 2003, looking for broader professional opportunities outside my home country. I applied for the position of Project Manager at ICEO, a Brussels-based PCO. I got the job and have been working for the same company* ever since. I worked my way up to Conference Director, in charge of several large-scale congresses and managing a team of four project managers until July this year, when I took over the management of our Sales & Communication Department. * The French PCO Colloquium acquired ICEO in 2007; ICEO then became Colloquium Brussels. The two entities united into Colloquium Group in January 2009.

HQ: At the end of last year, your CEO, Natalie de Chalus, told us that the financial crisis was a good opportunity to reposition your missions and to adapt your offer. How is Colloquium Group indeed going through the crisis? Cristina Munteanu: Successful companies learn from and react to change; in our company, there is a will to change. In fact, at the moment we are very pleased, as recently Colloquium was appointed Core PCO for a number of professional associations. We have renewed contracts for the next three years so we are quite optimistic about the future. On the other hand, we see a signiﬁcant change in our clients’ behaviour and expectations. They are more demanding, more in control, more efﬁcient, more professional and above all, more careful about their choices. This is not something new, however it has been accentuated by the current economic

> COLLOQUIUM

context. Moreover, we see the same change in our clients’ clients’ expectations. Ultimately, the beneﬁciaries of the meetings we organise are the delegates, exhibitors and sponsors attending our events. This pushes us to re-think our offer of services and our meetings’ concept. All clients are different, so from an organiser perspective we need a multifaceted solution. It’s about creating a mix of solutions; everything from traditional logistics to virtual meetings and consultancy services to make our meetings a durable, perpetual environment where all actors make the most out of their participation. The drive for positive change comes from getting everybody pulling in the same direction. Internally, we are adjusting our company’s structure based on requisites of expertise but also passion and inspiration. Externally, we are looking for strategic alliances and collaboration with partners and projects that strengthen and supplement our mission and purpose, and that of our clients. It’s the main prerequisite upon on which we have built our newly created Purchasing Department, for example.

HQ: Are all events affected in the same way? Cristina Munteanu: I don’t think they are. However we do see some common trends that have been largely debated by the meeting industry in the past months, such as budget cuts, price pressure, delays in signing contracts, postponement of decisions, etc. As a consequence there are some key issues impacting organisers, such as stricter spending guidelines, shorter lead time for bookings, an increased request to demonstrate ROI and ROO, but also an increased utilization of new technologies as an alternative to face-to-face meetings. We see this rather as an excellent opportunity to propose new services to clients who are much more eager nowadays to embrace unconventional solutions. HQ: As you know, HQ readers are mostly associations and association executives. How does Colloquium Group specifically cater to them? Cristina Munteanu: Well, your readers are our clients. Our core business is to support

and promote Professional Associations at key moments in their life - from organising their congresses to part or complete management of their business - thereby enabling them to focus on their fundamental missions. We are currently organising more than 50 congresses and events every year and over 60% of them are international events. We try to build up long-term partnerships with our clients, not only by offering them event logistics services, but also through accompanying them as permanent consultants

with our clients. We went to meet some of them to discuss the difﬁcult economic context and how we can support them. The initiative was much appreciated. We prioritise regular customer meetings and follow-up and we are putting in place a quality control system, to be launched this autumn. We are also in the process of forming an internal code of work practices that embraces certain norms for how we organise an event. It reﬂects our core values: expertise, transparency and quality of services. It is

Our core business is to support and promote Professional Associations at key moments in their life - from organising their congresses to part or complete management of their business contributing to the development of their activities. It is important to note that long-term for some of our current clients means more than 20 years of partnership! We think it’s crucial that our services are in line with our clients’ mission. Our company’s structure has been tailored to support this goal: we have several specialised departments (such as registrations, accommodation, programme management, congress & exhibition logistics, etc.). They are coordinated by a team of Project Managers and Conference Directors to ensure technical expertise and advice. Each project also beneﬁts from the services provided by our in-house specialised agencies Studio’C (communication & graphic design) and Team Solutions (support staff for meetings) and by our support departments: Legal, IT, Quality and Financial. But that is not all. We are constantly learning from our clients and we value the enormous synergy effects that sharing knowledge generally has, especially when the external environment changes. We are monitoring the effects of the economic recession on our industry, so we thought it interesting to share our ﬁndings

extremely important for our clients who, for their most part, have chosen to give us a full mandate for organising their events.

HQ: What are the Group’s plans for the future? With offices in Paris and Brussels, any plans to go even more global? Cristina Munteanu: Our two ofﬁces are in the heart of Europe and very close to where our clients - international professional associations - are based, which is already an advantage. There are, however, other European cities where we think our skills are needed or could be appreciated by new clients, therefore, we do not want to put any limits to our development.

CONTACT DETAILS Cristina MUNTEANU Sales & Communication Executive Director, Colloquium Group c.munteanu@clq-group.com tel: +32 (0)2 779 59 59 www.colloquium-group.com

HEADQUARTERS 15

> ASSOCIATION PORTRAIT

THE BREWERS OF EUROPE An interview with Secretary General Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, RODOLPHE DE LOOZ-CORSWAREM, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE BREWERS OF EUROPE, IS QUITE ENTHUSIASTIC WHEN HE’S TALKING ABOUT HIS ASSOCIATION. I MET HIM AT THE IMPRESSIVE HEADQUARTERS OF THE BREWERS OF EUROPE HOUSE ON A SUNNY MORNING IN JUNE AND WAS HAPPILY FED WITH INTERESTING INSIGHTS AND ANECDOTES ABOUT THE BREWING SECTOR. DID YOU KNOW THAT THREE OF THE WORLD’S FOUR MAJOR BREWERS ARE ALL HEADQUARTERED IN EUROPE? OR THAT THE BREWING SECTOR IS DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 2.6 MILLION JOBS IN EUROPE? BUT WHAT ARE THE BREWERS OF EUROPE REALLY ABOUT? LET’S FIND OUT. INTERVIEW RÉMI DÉVÉ

HQ: Could you tell us the history behind The Brewers of Europe? Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem: For an association, it’s already an old story, just like the brewing history in fact, which is more or less 6,000 years old. Last year The Brewers of Europe indeed celebrated its 50th anniversary. We are an association of 27 national associations, from both countries within the European Union and outside the European Union - like Turkey, Norway and Switzerland. Eventually, I believe all EU Member States will be represented. That’s our goal at least! We’re also a founding member of the Worldwide Brewing Alliance, which is an efﬁcient international exchange of information group.

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HQ: What is the mission of The Brewers of Europe? Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem: We aim to be a strong, credible, respected voice of the European brewing sector. Our new strategy says that our mission is to ‘equip Europe’s brewers with the tools to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer.’ We are an international not for proﬁt organisation: our goal is to guarantee the European brewing sector the right to be competitive, whilst promoting its responsibility in key areas such as environment, food safety, nutrition and health, and to enhance sustainable production of our beer. Brewers are responsible actors in many areas of society, and nowhere is this better re-

Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem

ﬂected than here at The Brewers of Europe. Did you know that 65% of our resources are devoted to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - particularly on the aspect of alcohol related harm and misuse? We and our members of course only ever encourage moderate and responsible consumption of beer. When consumed in moderation – as done by the vast majority – beer can be part of an adult’s balanced lifestyle! Over the years we have helped demonstrate the European brewing sector’s ability to conduct its business responsibly by effec-

> ASSOCIATION PORTRAIT tive self-regulation codes of its commercial communications and the active promotion of the highest ethical standards. That’s the only way we can be credible vis-à-vis European citizens, i.e. our consumers, the politicians in each Members State and importantly – members of the European Parliament.

HQ: How has the association changed in recent years? Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem: We have changed a lot over the years and we have managed our organisation like a company. Our bosses - the people whom we are working for - are business people. They have to see in our association a similar kind of professional management system to what they utilise in their businesses for running their companies. Every three or four years we gather to review the overall strategy of the association. It’s as important for members as it is for those of us who run the association on a day-to-day basis. Mutual conﬁdence and understanding on the role of the association is crucial. For example, we use Key Performance Indicators (KPI) just like they do in the private sector. Our role is to be a kind of go-between between civil servants and our members. The dialogue which can take place between politicians and businessmen is sometimes a difﬁcult one, as they don’t necessarily share the same interests. We have to facilitate this dialogue to ensure legislation that at the end the politicians will be the deciding upon is not negative for the brewing sector, but at the same time we have to make sure civil servants and politicians feel they have done something positive for the administration and the business development of the European Union.

HQ: What kind of events do you organise? Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem: We organise a lot of meetings, probably about a hundred or so a year here in Brussels, from a variety of different committees to technical groups, from 6 to 60 people. We also organise two general assemblies a year, with approximately 90 people - one in Brussels and one outside Brussels. Two weeks ago we were in Madeira where everything was perfectly organised by the Portuguese Brewing Association. Under our roof we also have another association, a division of The Brewers of Europe:

2009 EBC Congress, Hamburg

Under our roof we also have the European Brewing Convention (EBC), which deals more with scientiﬁc/research and technical issues. Every two years EBC organises a congress with an attendance of about 1,000 delegates the European Brewing Convention (EBC), which deals more with important issues like scientiﬁc/research and technical issues. Every two years EBC organises a congress with an attendance of about 1,000 delegates, who are guests of an association member country. The last one took place in May in the convention centre of Hamburg. EBC always holds its conferences in congress centres and makes sure there is at least one day and half of social programmes. Their last congress lasted 3 or 4 days. For the next one, in 2011, we’ll go to Glasgow. On each occasion, more or less everything is organised by the host country and we usually rotate between our member countries - we go to the US, Australia, Canada and Europe. The Worldwide Brewing Alliance also organise international gatherings once a year for about 120 people or so.

HQ: To what extent has the global economic crisis affected The Brewers of Europe? Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem: Meetings are usually planned a long time in advance. Organising a meeting/conference here in Brussels or in a different country doesn’t make such a difference at the end of the day, since everybody has to come from some different country anyway. Of course budgets

must be reasonable: for example what used to be done in 3 days will be done in 2 days and so on, but hosts are usually keen and proud on showing their countries, so meetings deﬁnitely will still happen! And with 27 members, the rotation between countries now takes a long time, so delegates feel they don’t go to the same place all the time!

HQ: According to you, what are the latest trends in the meetings world? Rodolphe de Looz-Corswarem: At The Brewers of Europe there is not a day without a conference call. Nowadays people don’t want to waste time or money travelling, many are concerned about energy saving and the need to respect the environment. If they can comfortably use the new technologies to meet and exchange views, even though digitally they may tend to favour those new ways of communications. Of course all meetings can’t be done via conference call, but this has changed a lot in the last ten years or so. www.brewersofeurope.org

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HQ > RESEARCH

SPONSORSHIP AND ASSOCIATIONS The case of ECCO, the European CanCer Organisation

the ECCO team

STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM, WE’VE ACTUALLY NEVER WRITTEN ON ASSOCIATIONS AND SPONSORSHIP IN HQ MAGAZINE. AND BECAUSE IT’S A BIG PART ON HOW AN ASSOCIATION RAISES FUNDS AND FUNCTIONS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, WE THOUGHT IT WAS HIGH TIME WE DEALT WITH THIS ISSUE - AND EVEN INCLUDED IT IN OUR ‘MEETING TRENDS’ SPECIAL. THANKS TO A NICE TALK WITH BRUNO DE MAN, CORPORATE MARKETING MANAGER OF ECCO - THE EUROPEAN CANCER ORGANISATION, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CLEARER VIEW OF HOW THIS WORKS. ECCO SERVES THE INTERESTS OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN ONCOLOGY EUROPE-WIDE: ITS MISSION IS TO UPHOLD THE RIGHT OF ALL EUROPEAN CANCER PATIENTS TO THE BEST POSSIBLE TREATMENT AND CARE, AND TO PROMOTE INTERACTION BETWEEN ALL ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN CANCER RESEARCH, EDUCATION, TREATMENT AND CARE AT THE EUROPEAN LEVEL. INTERVIEW RÉMI DÉVÉ

©Alain Dereymaeker

HQ: Why do medical associations need sponsors basically? Bruno De Man: Generally, medical associations Bruno De Man are not-for-profit organisations. They have running costs as do all other organisations - for which they need financing. They therefore raise funds through congress organization - these funds are then used for the congresses themselves, to cover salaries, overheads, and to finance other activities e-learning programmes, research of all kinds, communication to their audience at large, etc. Specifically at ECCO we, as the voice of 50,000 oncology specialists, build partnerships with organisations working to improve European cancer research, treatment, and care, and to influence policymakers to give a

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higher priority to cancer issues. For those activities and to pay for our working costs basically, we need funds, as, as a federation, we do not have paying members per say. We’re not scientists; we’re facilitators who generate programmes speciﬁcally aimed at ultimately advancing cancer treatment and care.

HQ: Are there different kinds of sponsors? Who are they? Bruno De Man: In broad terms they all serve the same purpose - to provide funds - but their origin can be different - i.e. pharma industry (specific for the oncology environment), research institutions, foundations, hospitals, who usually sponsor congress delegates, and so on. Of course, when it comes to our bi-annual congress, gathering 15,000 attendees, we try to find sponsors who relate to the scientific programme we have set up. For instance, it wouldn’t make sense to be talking about breast cancer and have only, let’s say, brain surgery-related sponsors.

When it comes to sponsoring, the general functioning of associations is very similar, I would say. The big difference in the case of ECCO is that we are part of the healthcare environment and in this sector ethics are naturally an important issue.

HQ: Are there any principles ruling the sponsoring of medical congresses? Bruno De Man: There are indeed principles - which revolve mainly around the fact that ethical guidelines/rules have to be respected. What we mean by this is that we need to preserve all neutrality in what we say, do, publish, organise, etc. The scientiﬁc content of our programmes and activities must remain totally impartial and refrain from any direct pharma-industry inﬂuence. That is the only way we, as an organisation, can gain respect and credibility and the only way that our sponsors, in turn, will gain respect and credibility. Apart from the congress section of the website where we do indeed

> RESEARCH

+ Joint ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 Multidisciplinary Congress, Berlin 20-24 September 2009 15,000 delegates + American Association for Cancer Research - Translational Cancer Medicine Conference (AACR TCM), Amsterdam, March 2010 - 700 delegates + 7th European Breast Cancer Conference, (EBCC 7), Barcelona 24-27 March 2010 6,000 delegates + 7th EONS Spring Convention, (European Oncology Nursing Society), The Hague, 15-17 April 2010 - 600 delegates + 21st Meeting of the European Association for Cancer Research, (EACR 21), Oslo 26-29 June 2010 + 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on “Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics” (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-National Cancer Institute-AACR), Berlin 16-19 November 2010 + 15th Congress of the European Society of Surgical Oncology, (ESSO 15), Bordeaux, 15-17 September 2010

acknowledge the support of industry partners we do not accept corporate banner advertising across the other sections of our website. We’re always making sure we have a neutral image wherever we’re visible since we have an ethical goal to achieve and impartiality is the only way we can do it.

HQ: What does it (sponsorship) bring to congress delegates? Do associations actually measure this? And about ROI for the sponsors themselves? Bruno De Man: Sponsorship constitutes a very big part of the ﬁnancing of a congress. Should the cost of a programme not be sponsored, the registration of a conference would be much too high for delegates to be able to pay for it and to attend. In a certain way we can measure this in monetary terms - what we can say is that sponsorship generally pays for the ﬁxed costs of a conference and delegate registrations cover the variable part. Fixed costs are generally

Plenary Session at ECCO 14

©franknuernberger.de

ECCO FUTURE EVENTS FOR 2009 & 2010

Exhibition hall at ECCO 14

Sponsorship constitutes a very big part of the ﬁnancing of a congress. Should the cost of a programme not be sponsored, the registration of a conference would be much too high for delegates to be able to pay for it and to attend supported by the selling of exhibition space, satellite symposia slots (which take place before or after the actual congress, is paid by the industry itself and which congress delegates choose to attend or not), educational grants, pure advertising (programme books, banners, pens, papers, coffee corners and so on). We are however witnessing a need and growing trend away from the more traditional opportunities towards even more tailored solutions to respond to the needs of a rapidly changing environment. But we have no view on the ROI for sponsors as they only pay for the parts we propose them - they have much more costs in marketing the event, the travel, own staff, etc.

HQ: Can there be too many sponsors? Is there a right balance to achieve? Bruno De Man: We try to keep a balance because there is a ﬁne line between a scientiﬁc congress and a pure trade show-exhibition fair. At ECCO we therefore do limit the number of commercially supported symposia and the amount of exhibition space we offer. Anyway, there’s a logistical limit to it and, though cancer research covers a lot of different disciplines, we’ve got to remain realistic: you can only have so many sponsors the delegates actually have the time to visit.

don’t know how to do it, who need more income? Bruno De Man: Act as a professional, be a partner, look for and work on a long term relationship, do not act as a mere ‘catalogue salesman’, ‘know your audience’ and present the benefits of supporting your organisation, not only the features. To sum it up, an organisation needs to be extremely professional, very clear and transparent so sponsors are not scared away! I would also add that browsing the internet and looking at what other similar associations do gives you a good idea of what is current practice in your work field. Some associations have programmes which offer courses or workshops on the ‘sponsorship’ subject - on-site and virtual. Of course, we could raise more funds by accepting everybody as sponsors basically, but my bet is we wouldn’t last very long. In this field, neutrality is of paramount importance, so we can’t allow ourselves to be ‘influenced’ by one sustaining partner, as other associations do. We have to be able to appreciate the added-value and the quality of our sponsors and only through total transparency we can achieve that.

www.ecco-org.eu

HQ: Do you have any tips for associations struggling to get sponsors, who

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RESPONDING TO THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS AND ECONOMIC RECESSION THE FINANCIAL CRISIS AND ECONOMIC TURMOIL ARE AFFECTING ALL ACTORS IN THE ECONOMY - INCLUDING THE ASSOCIATIONS SECTOR AND RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS. FOR TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN HAS BEEN ON MEMBERSHIP AND CONFERENCE DUES. THERE IS PRESSURE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF EVENTS, AND PARTICIPATION MAY DECREASE. SO FAR AT THE INTERNATIONAL FERTILIZER INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (IFA), WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED SUCH A SLOWDOWN IN OUR ACTIVITIES. TEXT

LUC MAENE PRESIDENT OF ESAE AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF

THE INTERNATIONAL FERTILIZER ASSOCIATION

Luc Maene

However, there is a silver lining to every cloud. Now is the time for associations to take stock of past practices and develop innovative new ones. We ought to consider this period as one of great promise. Advances in technology will enable associations to continue to provide improved services to their members. For instance, some of the changes we have recently witnessed at IFA are shorter meetings, more interactive discussions and more ﬁnely tuned programmes. A whole range of innovative tools is now at our disposal with which to communicate, discuss ideas and exchange information, such as video

conferencing and web conferencing. These tools fulﬁll several purposes in our current context: cutting down on costs, reducing our environmental footprint and helping us to set better deﬁned priorities in our work plans. One challenge that associations have to bear in mind is that members now expect them to provide services that traditionally were carried out within the companies themselves. This requires an ever increasing professionalism on the part of association executives. Because of the global nature of our economy, and of the current crisis, it is time for all association leaders and members to work together for the

benefit of the sector. One thing I have learned in the many years I have been active in this field is that ultimately people still need to meet each other and work collectively. It is therefore important for associations, destinations, convention bureaus and the entire industry serving this sector to collectively reflect on how to bring about change and stimulate future developments. New tools are available and new opportunities have emerged. It is up to all of us to make use of these opportunities to overcome the current crisis situation and to emerge stronger than before.

www.esae.org

Save the dates: 21 - 22 October 2009 New formats, new institutions, new connections: Opportunities for associations in the new Europe

ESAE Annual Congress Hotel Amigo, Rue de l’Amigo | Brussels, 1000 | Belgium

This year, your participation in ESAE Annual Congress will offer you a unique platform to understand the complex shifts in European decisionmaking as well as current trends in association governance, innovation, policy, technology and more. Join a core group of thought leaders from public life and private enterprise. Stay on top of the institutions and issues that matter for associations in Europe.

“How does the changing face of European institutions impact our associations, our industries and our members?”

The face of the European Parliament is starting to look very different as a result of the recent elections, with sweeping changes across the board that affect how we all do business.

Venue partner:

Info: info@esae.org

ASSOCIATIONS SEEK OPPORTUNITIES FROM CRISIS OPPORTUNITY FOR ASSOCIATIONS TO BE ‘PRO-ACTIVE’ This view was echoed by business representatives themselves. ‘This is the moment for associations to make sure that they are pro-active and contributing in a business way, and not just collecting their members’ ideas,’ said Hanns Glatz of German car giant Daimler, adding: ‘There is an opportunity for associations to replace some of business’s functions.’ Others sounded a cautious note. ‘It’s not OK for companies to behave differently to their associations,’ argued Christopher Burghardt, vice-president for corporate affairs at Anheuser-Busch InBev. ‘I see associations as an extension of my company’s arm, and we need to behave in one and the same way,’ he said.

MEMBERSHIP OF INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS CAN HELP BUSINESS TO EMERGE FROM THE ECONOMIC CRISIS, ARGUED PARTICIPANTS AT A CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS IN THE LAST

Earning the recognition of decision-makers and the media are among the main concerns of federations at the moment, according to a EurActiv survey

WEEK OF APRIL 2009. Urging business to use associations as a ‘joint platform for being creative,’ Susanne Zaenker of AISE, an association representing manufacturers of soap, detergents and maintenance products, told the 2009 edition of Kellen Europe’s annual Euroconference that the crisis presents a ‘unique opportunity for associations to take the lead in proposing concrete measures to boost skills’. ‘We can be quicker and more effective than governments here,’ she argued. Echoing her comments,

Alfons Westgeest, managing partner at Kellen Europe, said associations could help business to cut costs by assuming more of their members’ workload. Calling on federations and business to work together to deﬁne ‘who does what,’ Westgeest said ‘associations might have to pick up work that is no longer possible in companies, rather than duplicating efforts’. ‘But it’s a delicate balancing act,’ he warned.

EUROPE ‘MORE AFFECTED’ THAN US ‘Europe seems to be more affected by the crisis than the US,’ observed Business Europe Director Marc Stocker. Giving his reasons for this, Stocker cited Europe’s higher level of exposure than America to the collapse of global trade and its higher level of corporate indebtedness. He also said Europe’s ﬁscal and monetary stimuli were taking longer to have an effect than America’s own recovery plan.

HEADQUARTERS 21

Daimler’s Glatz said it was important for companies to continue their involvement with associations at a time when the EU institutions are producing a raft of important legislation. ‘We are not terminating our association memberships, because environmental legislation is still coming off the pipeline,’ he said. ‘There is a terrible ﬁght within governments and the Commission between keeping business running and maintaining environmental and social standards,’ Glatz explained. ‘Companies need to stay members of associations to make sure they can live with the solutions.’ Indeed, earning the recognition of decisionmakers and the media are among the main concerns of federations at the moment, according to a EurActiv survey presented at the conference. The survey found that over 40% of federations have 50-plus members, with membership levels expected to remain stable in the years to come.

‘Corporations are being more demanding on their associations than usual in the wake of the crisis,’ said Marta Bafﬁgo, director of European public affairs at Kellogg’s, who believes businesses must become more selective in choosing which associations to join: ‘We are only members of ones in which

FACING THE FI 10 SMART TH IT’S UNDENIABLE, AND THE REALITY OF THAT HITS ANEW EVERY MORN-

Marta Bafﬁgo, director of Europpean public affairs at Kellogg’s:

‘You must be focused in your membership, and you must engage with your association, or you won’t get anything out of it.’

ING. ALL TELL US LOUD AND CLEAR THAT OUR ECONOMY IS IN TURMOIL. IT’S TEMPTING TO PRETEND ALL IS WELL. AS BOARD MEMBERS, WE’RE NOT IMMUNE TO THESE FEELINGS. BUT IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES, OUR ORGANIZATIONS ARE LOOKING TO US FOR LEADERSHIP. HOW WE REACT TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS CAN GO A LONG WAY TOWARD CALMING FEARS AND ENSURING THAT OUR NON-

POSITIONS Warning that ‘we are not completely on the road to recovery yet,’ BusinessEurope Director Marc Stocker said the world was experiencing ‘its worst recession since the 1930s’. ‘The pool of bad loans has grown rapidly during the crisis, which will only serve to intensify it,’ Stocker continued. Christopher Burghardt, vice-president for corporate affairs at Anheuser-Busch InBev, said the crisis had shown that business was turning to national governments, rather than the EU, for help. ‘It’s dangerous to live in Brussels and fail to look beyond the institutions,’ Burghardt warned, adding: ‘Don’t look too far ahead in the EU legislative agenda, because most legislation is put on ice anyway’. But Hanns Glatz of German car giant Daimler disagreed with this assessment. ‘The EU will remain important, because the Treaty of Lisbon will increase its competences further, for better or worse. Membership of European associations will continue to be of value.’

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PROFITS REMAIN SOLVENT IN THIS we can be effective. You must be focused in your membership, and you must engage with your association, or you won’t get anything out of it.’

DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT AND ARE EVEN BETTER PREPARED TO ENACT OUR ORGANIZATIONAL MISSIONS IN THE FUTURE. HERE ARE 10 THINGS

Maarten G. Labberton of the European Aluminium Association warned that a protectionist trend in Europe would impact upon industry and trade associations too. ‘A national focus will affect solidarity between national associations too,’ he said.

YOUR BOARD CAN DO NOW TO ADDRESS THE FINANCIAL CRISIS. IT IS, BY NO MEANS, AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. TEXT BARRY D. GABERMAN,

EurActiv brings together the skills of professionals with experience in EU affairs, journalism, information and communication as well as Internet technology. EurActiv relies on numerous content partnerships, as well as links to the national press and the EU institutions. This article was provided by EurActiv from www.euractiv.com/en/pa/associations-seek-opportunities-crisis/article-181923

BOARD CHAIR, BOARDSOURCE WASHINGTON, DC

HE FINANCIAL CRISIS: RT THINGS YOUR BOARD CAN DO NOW 1. DON’T PANIC Don’t let fear freeze you into inaction. Read, research, and remain calm. Be deliberate in any action your board undertakes. On the other hand, do not underestimate the amount of anxiety this crisis adds to the already heavy burdens your chief executive and staff are carrying. Before pressuring them to forge ahead, ensure that they know that the board supports them.

2. THINK STRATEGICALLY Examine your organizational goals and strategies in light of the current conditions.

themselves the recipient of moregifts, not fewer. Thinking strategically also implies being conscious of how the board frames the questions it will discuss, which in turn directs where discussions will go. For example, if the board asks, ‘Where do we cut expenses to make sure we can balance our budget?’ the discussion will center around expense reduction. If the question is framed as ‘How do we maintain a balanced budget?’ the discussion will include expenses and revenue.

How we react to the economic crisis can go a long way toward calming fears and ensuring that our nonproﬁts remain solvent in this difﬁcult environment and are even better prepared to enact our organizational missions in the future

Consider scheduling an additional board meeting, in person or by teleconference, to discuss your organization’s short-term strategy. Then ensure that a review of the long-term strategy is on the agenda. Organizations that have continued to think strategically throughout the crisis will come out of it in the best position. Now is the time to think how your organization can become more competitive. With fewer contributed dollars available, funders may reevaluate their giving plans. Organizations that position themselves as useful in times of crisis may actually ﬁnd

Check to see if you have a diversiﬁed funding stream, and, if not, develop a plan to diversify. Get an immediate and ﬁrm grip on all your revenue streams and be clear as to what is - or is not - genuinely bringing in revenue. This does not mean cutting all non-revenue or negative revenue programs; it does mean seeing the whole picture and where your real costs are with open eyes.

4. CREATE A CONTINGENCY PLAN Ask yourself: how might we have to govern our organization differently if the economy enters a long-term recession? Ask the chief executive and chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer to work with

3. GET A REALISTIC PICTURE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION’S FINANCIAL SITUATION Set aside some time at your next board meeting to talk to the chief executive and chief financial officer and determine where the financial downturn is affecting your financial picture. Assess cash availability if your revenue is tied to market fluctuations; make sure that your cash, investments, or reserves are parked some place safe and are getting the best possible return.

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the board treasurer or finance committee to develop an alternate financial model for the organization based on the assumptions derived from that exercise, and create a contingency budget to account for potential shortfalls. Think outside your current structure: for example, consider a collaboration or even a merger with another nonprofit with a similar mission if your organization is in serious financial difficulty.

5. WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH YOUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE Any contingency plan must, of course, be developed in close collaboration with management. Now is the time to increase communication with, and support of, the chief executive and staff and help them keep their spirits high. At the same time, adhere to a culture of transparency. If the ﬁnancial situation is grave, work with management

Organizations that maintain their spending at near - normal levels during recessions are best positioned to excel during recovery

to keep staff apprised of developments. Long faces emerging from behind closed doors will only foster anxiety.

6. STEP UP YOUR FUNDRAISING Call on key funders to discuss your situation and reafﬁrm their commitment to your organization’s mission. Go beyond your usual suspects by considering nontraditional funding sources, and don’t forget former donors. Be strategic in how

HEADQUARTERS 24

you look at both current and potential donors. Examine your list of constituents and stakeholders for organizations less affected and push harder on them than in the past. Conversely, step up your analysis of donors who have already pledged gifts for signs of ﬁnancial distress to help anticipate possible contributed revenue shortfalls. Continue to recognize your current donors, too; it is still more cost effective to develop current donors than ﬁnd new ones. Finally, but perhaps most obviously, use the crisis to your advantage: don’t be afraid to inform funders that your constituents need your organization’s services now more than ever.

The creative and strategic gifts that boards give to their organizations are needed now more than ever. All board members should be active ambassadors and friend-raisers and should help others connect the dots to see that your services arein great demand. This is not the time to retreat from public view and wait out the economic storm. Get out of the boardroom and nurture face-toface relationships with key and potential stakeholders.

9. EVALUATE YOUR COMPENSATION STRUCTURE What could be worse now than newspaper headlines announcing the names of overpaid nonproﬁt executives? Benchmark your chief executive’s compensation against survey data for comparable organizations.

7. TIGHTEN YOUR BELT Now is a good time to examine the feasibility of reducing expenses. Consider a reduction in board-related expenses or canceling a planned face-to-face meeting in exchange for a well- prepared teleconference meeting. For both your organization’s financial and reputational health, think about canceling any ‘resort’ location board meetings for the next fiscal year. Build cash reserves as you reevaluate the necessity of budgeted capital outlays. Is 2009 the year to invest in fixed assets or infrastructure? It may be. As suggested above, think strategically and remember that organizations that maintain their spending at near- normal levels during recessions are best positioned to excel during recovery.

8. PUMP UP YOUR ENGAGEMENT It is in difficult economic times that the worth of a nonprofit board is truly tested. Board members must step up and ensure that they are full, constructive partners with senior staff. The staff members of a typical nonprofit may not weather a crisis nearly as well alone as they can in partnership with a truly engaged and supportive board.

10. BE A MISSION GUARDIAN Finally, ensure that you, your fellow board members, and the chief executive recommit to forwarding your organization’s unique mission and ensuring that all important decisions flow from the mission statement. Enacting all of the prior nine points will count for little if you lose sight of the why. No one has a crystal ball. The economy may only dip, then recover quickly, or we may be headed into a prolonged recession. While we all hope for the former, boards that prepare for the worst - strategically, financially, and operationally - will be in the best position to fulfill their mission now and when recovery does occur.

Reprinted with permission from the November/December 2008 edition of Board Member,Volume 17, Number 6, a publication of BoardSource,formerly the National Center for Nonproﬁt Boards. For more information about BoardSource, visit www.boardsource.org.

2009 ECONOMIC IMPACT ON ASSOCIATIONS: A BENCHMARKING REPORT ON ASSOCIATION PRIORITIES, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES AT THEIR CORE, MOST ASSOCIATIONS EXIST TO SERVE THEIR MEMBERS. THIS NECESSITATES THE NEED FOR ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS TO COLLABORATE AND LEARN FROM COLLEAGUES AND PEERS WHO SHARE SIMILAR INTERESTS. IN NEGATIVE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, THE NEED TO SHARE BEST PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCES OFTEN TAKES ON GREATER SIGNIFICANCE AS INDIVIDUALS LOOK FOR ASSISTANCE IN WEATHERING THE CHALLENGING CLIMATE AND FINDING WAYS TO EMERGE INTACT. MANY QUESTIONS LINGER IN THE MINDS OF ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES TODAY: WHAT CHALLENGES ARE OTHER ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES FACING? WHAT ARE THE KEY PRIORITIES OF ASSOCIATIONS WITHIN MY INDUSTRY AND THE GREATER ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY? HOW WILL THE ECONOMY IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN MEMBERS AND ATTRACT PARTICIPANTS TO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS? WHAT MARKETING STRATEGIES AND TACTICS WILL PROVE MOST EFFECTIVE AND PROVIDE THE BEST RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT? AS 2008 DREW TO A CLOSE, MCKINLEY MARKETING (MCKINLEY) DEVELOPED A STUDY TO GATHER AND DISSEMINATE IMPORTANT DATA ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES CAN USE TO SHARE AND COMPARE THEIR CONCERNS. TEXT MCKINLEY MARKETING - JODIE SLAUGHTER, PRESIDENT & FOUNDING PARTNER, JAY YOUNGER, MANAGING PARTNER & CHIEF CONSULTANTS AND SHERI JACOBS, CAE, MANAGING DIRECTOR CHICAGO OFFICE

SURVEY METHOD McKinley developed an online survey that was distributed to more than 2,500 members of the association community. Survey participants were comprised of executives representing a variety of segments within the association industry.

tions. Scientiﬁc and engineering associations accounted for another 17%. The balance represented a variety of industries, including education, humanities, ﬁnance, accounting, legal, building and construction, association management, philanthropic and retail. A wide range of budget sizes were represented.

> 86% were director level and above

KEY FINDING #1

The top areas of responsibility included the following: > 61% in membership > 50% in marketing > 34% in executive management > 30% in communications > 16% each in professional development and meetings and exposition

ORGANIZATIONS Slightly more than 20% of the survey respondents represented healthcare organiza-

Association executives are bracing for a negative impact on membership, meeting attendance and other non-dues revenue sources as a result of current economic conditions. Not surprisingly, 82% of survey participants believe the economy will have an extremely or somewhat negative impact on their ability to achieve their goals in 2009. Eight percent did not believe the economy would have any signiﬁcant impact - either positive or negative - and 3% anticipate a possible positive impact. The organizations that believed the economy would have a positive impact on

HEADQUARTERS 25

the question regarding what associations expect to happen in 2009 as a result of the current economic conditions. In light of the economic downturn, association executives expect dramatic changes to their resource allocations that include budget cuts, hiring freezes, salary increase freezes and a reduction of programs and services. Additionally, slightly more than 50% believe their organizations may layoff staff or outsource staff functions.

KEY FINDING #4 Improving member retention is the top priority for association professionals for 2009. Three of the top four priorities for association professionals center on retention, including increasing awareness of the organization within key audience segments and developing new methods for member engagement. Additionally, new member acquisition was cited as a top priority for nearly half of the survey respondents. These ﬁndings suggest an increased focus on member-centric activities, both as a way to drive revenue and to help sustain the organization through the economic downturn.

KEY FINDING #5

their association were spread across numerous industries and organizational sizes.

KEY FINDING #2 Non-dues revenue activities, including sponsorships, advertising and meeting attendance, are the top concerns for 2009. Overall, association executives are expecting a sharp decline in spending from traditional non-dues revenue sources in 2009. For associations that rely on a signiﬁcant percentage of their overall revenue from these sources, this will result in a reduction of some programs and services. Association executives also expect to incur budget cuts, hiring freezes, staff reorganization and even layoffs. For example, a total of 88% of association executives are extremely or somewhat concerned about sponsorship. This was followed closely by annual meeting attendance and advertising. Volunteer participation was the one area where association executives don’t appear to be overly concerned. Associations that have a high percentage of revenue from non-dues sources such as advertising and sponsorship are more vulnerable to downturns in the economy.

KEY FINDING #3 Budget cuts and hiring freezes were cited most frequently in response to

HEADQUARTERS 26

Direct mail, event marketing and public relations are considered the most effective tactics to accomplish all goals; online media tactics are considered the least effective. This study found that the most effective strategies varied slightly depending upon the association’s priority; however the majority who selected membership recruitment or retention as their top priority cited traditional marketing tactics such as direct mail, promotional pricing and event marketing as the most effective way to reaching their goals. The tactic that received the lowest rating in terms of effectiveness across all goals was online media. Increasing the number and the size of transactions per member can increase loyalty and help counter the negative forces of the economic downturn.

One of the key ﬁndings is that association executives are bracing for a negative impact on membership, meeting attendance and other non-dues revenue sources as a result of current economic conditions

KEY FINDING #6 Spending on traditional marketing tactics, such as direct mail and trade shows, is expected to decrease; online spending is expected to increase in 2009. Direct mail was cited as the most effective method for increasing brand awareness, recruiting new members and retaining existing members. However, more than 40% of survey respondents stated that they will decrease their direct mail budget in 2009. The most significant budget increase in the marketing budget will be for online activities, including email, web site modifications, and social networking. While new online channels such as social media are valuable additions to marketers’ toolkits, associations should assess the relative effectiveness of their various marketing tactics before making significant budgetary shifts.

KEY FINDING #8 New member acquisition is a top priority for associations that do not expect to be negatively impacted by the economy. Thirty-one associations reported that the economy will either have no impact or will have a positive impact on their organization. For this group, the top priorities for 2009 include: > New member acquisition > Increasing awareness > Developing new methods for member engagement > Improving member retention

> Leveraging technology in marketing activities A significant difference between this group and the other survey participants was their rating of effectiveness for various marketing tactics as a means to reaching their goals. From the data collected in the open-ended question regarding the factors that contributed to increased retention, McKinley found that many of the associations attributed increased retention to improved coordination and timing of retention efforts and targeted messages that are based on the needs of specific audiences rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Other respondents said the following tactics were successful: > Heightened visibility with a focus on member value > Increase in local events and more member engagement > Sound relationships with chapters > Brand awareness > Engagement with new professionals (first five years of practice) > Targeted communication and marketing efforts > Better follow-up by membership staff > Telephone calls with key contacts > Increased touch points and personalized mailings > Increasing the value proposition > Connecting with members throughout the year > Better web visibility > Increased members-only benefits

Average response rated on a 5-point scale (Very effective = 5; Not at all effective = 1)

McKinley Marketing is dedicated to helping associations advance their missions and achieve their visions. McKinley Marketing helps them create value, effectively promote programs and services, identify member and customer needs, determine and implement appropriate dues structures, and generate non-dues income.

HEADQUARTERS 27

UIA ı UNION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

ASSOCIATION RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT BUSINESS CLIMATE IN LATE JUNE I CONTACTED A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES IN THE USA TO SOLICIT THEIR REACTION TO BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CURRENT BUSINESS CLIMATE. WHILE THE SAMPLE POPULATION AND QUESTIONS MAY NOT BE RIGOROUSLY SCIENTIFIC, THE RESPONSES DO PROVIDE US WITH AMPLE MATERIAL FOR REFLECTION ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES. REPORT JOEL FISHER - HEAD, UIA CONGRESS DEPT AND CO-EDITOR OF THE YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Is your association concerned about the impact of the current economic situation on its activities?

Which of the following areas have been or may be affected by the current situation?

Are your partners / suppliers assisting you with ways to economize, improve services, or “do more with less”?

participant numbers at our meetings / conferences - 66.7% YES - 100% Has your organization held speciﬁc meetings to discuss or plan issues related to current economic situation?

YES - 58.3% participation at professional events / conferences in our ﬁeld*- 66.7% NO - 41.7 number of renewing members / member fees - 58.3%

YES - 63.6%

project budgets (reduced or eliminated) - 58.3%

Are you assisting / supporting your members in speciﬁc ways in light of the current economy?

NO - 36.4%

maintaining current staff / hiring new staff 25%

YES, we are speciﬁcally addressing economic / ﬁnancial issues - 63.6%

none of the above 8.3%

NO, it’s business as usual - normal plans and developments - 18.2%

for our events and for our members.

KATHY DUSA, INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SPRAY ASSOCIATION

it good stewardship to ask again for a vote regarding our participation with each event and listed the cost to members for each activity. All activities were voted in by a majority vote.

‘We are a non-proﬁt industrial coatings trade association with 63 member companies. We had anticipated a 10% growth over this last 2 years, but instead are struggling to retain our current membership numbers. Where and when appropriate, we are reminding our members of membership beneﬁts.

Because we realize a signiﬁcant revenue from advertising in our industry newsletter a reduction in advertising reservations has reduced our 2009 budget. We were able to pick up some new advertisers, but this has had quite an impact on our bottom line for the year.’

*(reduced / cancelled)

The comments of two association ofﬁcers add further detail to the issues.

Even though a 2009 budget had been approved in 2008, we developed a membership survey regarding our participation at several events this year (trade shows, meetings, hospitality suites, etc.). We felt

HEADQUARTERS 28

LYNNE MCNEES, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SPA ASSOCIATION ‘We are closely monitoring our budgets and everyone on staff is working to reduce costs

We have held several meetings in regards to the annual ISPA Conference & Expo and our membership. We developed cost-saving alternatives and promotions to pass on to our members as a result of the meetings. Our membership numbers could be affected by the economy as well as the number of registrants at our annual Conference & Expo. However, registrants for the regional events that we hold three times a year are tracking ahead of last year and we are hopeful the same will be true for our Conference. We are closely monitoring the economic downturn, and how it’s affecting ISPA’s 3,200 members in 83 countries. We have

taken steps to provide our members with cost-saving beneﬁts on membership, our annual Conference & Expo and we’ve made our valuable industry research free to our members. We’ve also implemented quick member surveys that ask our members speciﬁc questions relating to how the economy is affecting their retail, appointments and bottom line.’ National governments, think tanks and multinational organizations are all monitoring factors and statistics to determine whether the worst is over, where economies are heading and when interest rates and stimulus packages need to be altered. But for day to day life and business the environment re-

Since 2001, associations and industries have done their best to streamline operations, increase benefits and value to members, support members and partners in negotiating change to adapt to new circumstances mains changed and continues to change. For some industries the changes and impact are significant and radical, for others the implications are less severe or have yet to trickle up or down to their sectors. And as my informal survey shows, everyone is concerned and paying attention to what may have an impact on their industry and their constituencies. Edgar Hirt, President of AIPC - the International Association of Congress Centres, noted in a recent newsletter that ‘membership can also be a fragile thing; taken for granted when times are good and seen as a luxury when financial challenges appear. The irony is

that challenging times are exactly when the ability to address industry issues collectively and share ideas on how to respond and where to look for help are most valued.’ To me, the comments from Mr. Hirt and the other executives above are a clear reminder of the fundamental aspects of associational life and the importance of a healthy associational sector. Beyond the information sharing of a journal or a website, beyond the friendship, networking and business opportunities of a conference or expo there is something unique in multiplying our efforts by putting our trust, our contributions of time and money, and our skills and knowledge into the nucleus of a secretariat, a headquarters or an executive committee. Turmoil and threat, growth and opportunity are all a part of our world and none imply a static operating environment. As such the imperative for individuals, businesses and their associations is to navigate the chances and the changes.

for good reason. But it should be noted that factors posing challenges to transnational associational activities and international business life have been at the fore since 2001. And associations and industries have done their best to streamline operations, increase benefits and value to members, support members and partners in negotiating change to adapt to new circumstances. This is not speculation, it is recent history and we’ve all been through it. The global financial crisis has definitively altered the terrain, of this there is no doubt, and some will find the going more difficult than others. But I remain convinced that associational bonds and associational action can be more nimble and more effective in preserving and promoting the interests of any given industry and its members than government intervention or the actions of a business or corporation acting on its own. Times may be hard, but under an associational umbrella we are in very good company indeed.

www.uia.org

There is much current focus and examination of the current global ﬁnancial crisis,

HEADQUARTERS 29

> MEETING TRENDS

STATS ARE NOT STATIC Speaking about statistics, I’ve noticed a trend. Cities that have held the first place for a long time now see that there’s some competition. In the ICCA stats Paris is now sharing first place with Vienna. That deserves many congratulations. Last year we saw Singapore on the number one spot in the UIA list for the very first time. Stats are not static, they can reflect major developments. One of these developments is the increased concern of cities to brush up their image and to strengthen their brand. A good example is Amsterdam - read our special city report to learn more about it. Countries and cities tend to look for their specific characteristics more and try to market them exclusively. It’s not guesswork anymore. Second-tier cities start to follow the example of capital cities or even surpass them. Why should they come second by definition anyway? New continents are starting to break through, just look at Australia and Canada. Distances are no longer playing a crucial role.

SEPTEMBER IS MEETING TRENDS! SEPTEMBER IS STATS MONTH! SINCE 2007 WE’VE TAKEN UP THE GOOD HABIT OF PUBLISHING THE ICCA AND UIA NUMBERS EACH YEAR IN SEPTEMBER. WE KNOW OUR READERS APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. IN OCTOBER WE THEN HAVE THE ACADEMIC SESSION IN BRUSSELS, A COOPERATION BETWEEN HQ MAGAZINE AND UIA, WHERE WE EXPLAIN THESE NUMBERS IN DETAIL. THIS YEAR THAT’LL BE ON 5 OCTOBER. INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAMME IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRADE ASSOCIATIONS THAT ARE PRESENT IN BRUSSELS. WE WILL ALSO HAVE A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION WITH TEN LEADING ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF TRADE ASSOCIATIONS AND THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. TEXT MARCEL A.M. VISSERS

HEADQUARTERS 30

New forms of cooperation are emerging. The best example is France Congrès that brings together all French congress cities and incites more intense activity. My argument wouldn’t be academic enough if I left out an important source in meetings industry research, namely the initiative of JMIC and UNWTO who work on the global stats for the industry, from another perspective than the UIA and ICCA stats. Last year I wrote: the ﬁrst report from Canada made my nostrils tremble. I’ll come back on these surveys later on this year in HQ magazine.

INTERNET IS GETTING INVOLVED As usual, the September issue is the Meeting Trends issue. This is closely linked to the statistics of course. Here I want to thank Ruud Janssen for his contribution on how Internet can help you run your association. Ruud gives 7 virtual tools for building a learning organisation and getting more done with fewer paid staff! If that’s not a new trend? And let’s not forget our friends at INCON who conducted a very valuable survey for the ﬁrst time. Their results give us reasons to be optimistic in spite of the economic turmoil we’re going through. Isn’t that just good news?

> MEETING TRENDS

ICCA – THE ASSOCIATION MEETING MARKET 2008 THE ICCA RANKINGS COVER MEETINGS ORGANISED BY INTERNA-

NUMBER OF MEETINGS PER CITY

TIONAL ASSOCIATIONS WHICH TAKE PLACE ON A REGULAR BASIS AND WHICH ROTATE BETWEEN A MINIMUM OF THREE COUNTRIES. ICCA’S ASSOCIATION DATABASE IS DESIGNED AS A SALES AND MARKETING RESOURCE FOR ITS MEMBERS TO TARGET FUTURE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION MEETINGS, WHICH IS WHY IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ONE-OFF EVENTS OR THOSE WHICH DO NOT MOVE BETWEEN LOCATIONS. THE DATA REPRESENTS A ‘SNAPSHOT’ OF QUALIFYING EVENTS IN THE ICCA ASSOCIATION DATABASE AS SAMPLED ON 12 MAY 2009. This year the ICCA Data researchers have identiﬁed 7,475 events which took place in 2008, a rise of approximately 800 over 2007. Partly this reﬂects the strength of the market, partly it is thanks to a record number of ICCA members sending us their calendar information to help identify new events.

Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA:

ICCA’s researchers have never before identiﬁed so many international association meetings taking place in a single year. 800 more regularly-occurring and rotating events than in the previous year

This led Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA, to point out: ‘ICCA’s researchers have never before identiﬁed so many international association meetings taking place in a single year. 800 more regularly-occurring and rotating events than in the previous year. Record numbers of delegates. Record estimated expenditure. ICCA has shouted loud and long about the importance of this segment of the international meetings industry, but the results for 2008 have been truly remarkable, and not just because of the second half of the year that was already showing signs of the global turbulence that is still rocking us.’ As has been the case since 2004, U.S.A. and Germany are the number one and two countries respectively measured by the number of international meetings organised in 2008. The numbers 4 and 5 are Spain and France: they had a considerable increase by amount of meetings compared to 2007: 40 and 79 respectively.

Ranking City 1 Paris Vienna 3 Barcelona 4 Singapore 5 Berlin 6 Budapest 7 Amsterdam 8 Stockholm 9 Seoul 10 Lisbon 11 Copenhagen 12 Sao Paulo 13 Prague 14 Beijing 15 Athens Buenos Aires Istanbul 18 Bangkok 19 London Tokyo 21 Hong Kong 22 Brussels Madrid 24 Sydney, NSW 25 Rome 26 Helsinki 27 Kuala Lumpur 28 Dublin Edinburgh Shanghai 31 Vancouver, BC 32 Taipei 33 Geneva 34 Montreal, QC 35 Cape Town 36 Munich Rio de Janeiro 38 Santiago de Chile 39 Melbourne Porto Warsaw 42 Glasgow Oslo Québec City 45 Toronto Valencia Zurich 48 Boston 49 Lyon 50 Busan Dunai Florence Göteborg Kyoto Montevideo

# Meetings 139 139 136 118 100 95 89 87 84 83 82 75 74 73 72 72 72 71 68 68 66 65 65 64 63 63 61 57 57 57 54 52 50 45 42 41 41 39 38 38 38 37 37 37 35 35 35 34 31 28 28 28 28 28 28

58 59

63 65

68 69

79 81

Rotterdam Washington, DC Mexico City Cancun Chicago Hamburg Milan Cracow New Delhi Jeju Tallinn Yokohama Dresden Cartagena Ljubljana Manchester Yeykjavik Torino Manila St. Petersburg Tampere Trondheim Vilnius Gent Nice Bergen Lausanne Lima Maastricht The Hague Adelaide Brisbane

28 28 27 26 26 26 26 25 25 24 24 24 23 22 22 22 22 22 21 21 21 21 21 20 20 19 19 19 19 19 18 18

Graz Liverpool

18 18

Marseille

100

TOTAL

Orlando Riga San Francisco Auckland Basel Bologna Quito Uppsala Venice Cairo Macao Moscow New York City San Diego San Jose Toulouse Turku Other

18 18 18 17 17 17 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 3,078

7,475

HEADQUARTERS 31

> MEETING TRENDS

NUMBER OF MEETINGS PER COUNTRY Ranking Country

# Meetings

1 U.S.A.

507

2 Germany

402

3 Spain

347

4 France

334

5 United Kingdom

322

6 Italy

296

7 Brazil

254

8 Japan

247

9 Canada

231

10 Netherlands

227

11 China-P.R.

223

12 Austria

196

13 Switzerland

194

14 Australia

182

15 Portugal

177

16 Republic of Korea

169

17 Sweden

163

18 Finland

142

19 Greece

123

20 Belgium

122

21 Singapore

118

22 Argentina

115

23 Denmark

113

24 Mexico

112

25 Hungary

111

26 Norway

107

27 Poland

101

28 Turkey

29 Thailand

30 Czech Republic

India

32 Ireland

Malaysia

34 South Africa

35 Chinese Taipei

36 Hong Kong, China-P.R.

37 Chile

38 Colombia

39 Russia

40 Slovenia

41 Croatia New Zealand 43 Estonia

44 Philippines

45 Uruguay

46 Indonesia

47 United Arab Emirates

48 Romania

49 Lithuania

50 Iceland

51 Peru

52 Vietnam

53 Ecuador

Latvia

55 Egypt

Serbia

57 Bulgaria

58 Costa Rica

Morocco

60 Cuba

Slovak Republic 62 Cyprus Macao, China-P.R. 65 Israel

66 Venezuela

67 Ethiopia

Malta

69 Ukraine

Sri Lanka

HEADQUARTERS 32

DEPARTMENT AND SELECTED ACCORDING TO STRICT CRITERIA MAINTAINED OVER THE YEARS, THUS ENABLING MEANINGFUL COMPARISON FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

Tunisia

73 Monaco

Puerto Ricoa

75 Ghana

Iran

Luxembourg

78 Dominican Republic

Honduras

Paraguay

81 Bangladesh

TOTAL

SYSTEMATICALLY COLLECTED BY THE UIA CONGRESS

Bosnia-Hercegovina

Nigeria

Tanzania

5 123

7,475

For the ﬁrst time in three years, Vienna shares the top with Paris as the most popular city. Barcelona on third place had an increase of 30 meetings over 2007. Remarkable newcomers in the top 20 are Athens, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Tokyo. Stockholm and Seoul both climb in the rankings to 8th and 9th position respectively.

www.iccaworld.com

INGS. THE STATISTICS ARE BASED ON INFORMATION

38 37

BENEFIT OF ITS MEMBERS, STATISTICAL STUDIES ON THE PRECEDING YEAR’S INTERNATIONAL MEET-

TIONAL ASSOCIATIONS HAS UNDERTAKEN, FOR THE

64 Panama

Other

FOR THE PAST 60 YEARS, THE UNION OF INTERNA-

16 16

70 Guatemala

UNION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (UIA) - INTERNATIONAL MEETING STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 2008

Meetings taken into consideration include those organized and/or sponsored by the international organizations which appear in UIA’s 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.

CRITERIA UIA criteria for collection and inclusion have not changed. UIA just divided 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 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

> MEETING TRENDS

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.

UIA criteria for collection and inclusion have not changed. UIA just divided meetings in 3 categories: meetings of international organizations, 3-day other international meetings and 2-day other international meetings

TOP INTERNATIONAL MEETING COUNTRIES IN 2008 Country

Number of meetings

1. USA

1079

Percentage of all meetings 9.73

2. France

797

7.19

3. Singapore

637

5.75

4. Japan

575

5.19

5. Spain

467

4.21

6. Germany

440

3.97

7. Netherlands

428

3.86

8. Italy

413

3.73

9. Belgium

383

3.46

10. UK

349

3.15

11. Austria

315

2.84

12. Korea Republic

293

2.64

13. Australia

273

2.46

14. Canada

267

2.41

15. Switzerland

232

2.09

16. China

216

1.95

17. Finland

168

1.52

18. Greece

166

1.50

19. Portugal

159

1.43

20. Hungary/Norway

145

1.31

GENERAL PICTURE At the time of producing this edition (May 2009) there were 328,949 meetings in the UIA meetings database of which 316,128 (96%) meet the criteria for inclusion in this report. Of these 316,128 meetings, 297,306 took place in 2007 or earlier, 11,423 took place in 2008, and 7,399 are scheduled for 2009 or later. The section of the report with ﬁgures for 2008 covers 1,664 cities and 193 countries.

www.uia.org

The worldwide breakdown (market share) for meetings in 2008 by continent is:

Australasia / Pacific - 3,07% Africa - 4,70% Asia - 21,67% America (North & South) - 17,83% Europe - 52,73%

TOP INTERNATIONAL MEETING CITIES IN 2008 City 1. Singapore

Number of meetings 637

Percentage of all meetings 5.75

2. Paris

419

3.78

3. Brussels

299

2.70

4. Vienna

249

2.25

5. Barcelona

193

1.74

6. Tokyo

150

1.35

7. Seoul

125

1.13

8. Budapest

116

1.05

9. Copenhagen

104

0.94

10. London

103

0.93

11. Geneva

102

0.92

12. Amsterdam

0.89

13. Lisbon

0.88

14. Sydney

0.88

15. Rome

0.85

16. Maastricht

0.83

17. Madrid

0.77

18. Berlin

0.76

19. Athens

0.75

20. Istanbul

0.74

HEADQUARTERS 33

> MEETING TRENDS

INCON SURVEY OF THE GLOBAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE MARKET FOLLOWING MANY YEARS OF RAPID GROWTH THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY IS CURRENTLY COMING TO TERMS WITH A DRASTICALLY NEW PARADIGM INVOLVING CONTRACTION, CANCELLATIONS, POSTPONEMENTS AND SCRUTINY AROUND THE VERY PURPOSE AND VALUE OF A MEETING OR EVENT. THIS WAS THE CONTEXT WHICH STIMULATED INCON, THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S LEADING CONFERENCE, MEETING AND EVENT ORGANISERS, TO CONDUCT AN IN-DEPTH SURVEY OF WHAT ITS PARTNERS WERE EXPERIENCING, HOW THEY WERE DEALING WITH IT AND HOW THEY SAW THE FUTURE EVOLVING. HERE ARE ITS RESULTS CONCERNING THE NEW TRENDS IN THE ASSOCIATION MARKET.

Procurement emerged in first place as most important with a 60% PCO vote, Marketing followed with a joint first and second place and a 60% vote. IT and Technologies came next in second place, again with a 60% vote. CSR was voted in third place with a 40% vote and Security was voted as joint third and fourth place with 60% of votes. Health and Safety was deemed to be the least important and set to have least impact on the associations market being voted in fifth place with a 50% vote from the representative PCOs.

EMERGING TRENDS IN MARKET SECTORS FOR ASSOCIATION BUSINESS The INCON partners were asked to rank emerging trends in the association market in 2009/2010. They ranked focused on the areas of CSR, IT and Technology, Health and Safety, Procurement, Security and Marketing.

Procurement and marketing most important new trends Results found that the majority ranked Pro-

HEADQUARTERS 34

DESTINATION SELECTION FOR ASSOCIATION BUSINESS curement and Marketing jointly as the most important emerging areas for the association market in 2009/2010, closely followed by IT and Technologies, CSR and Security. Health and Safety proved to be the least important. However this survey was conducted before the outbreak of Swine Flu which has heightened awareness of Health & Safety issues. (See table 1)

Factors affecting destination selection The PCO providers were asked to rank factors inﬂuencing the decision-making process when selecting a destination for association business. They ranked from 1 to 5 in order of importance the following factors which might affect this decision-making process: access, infrastructure, the existence of a

> MEETING TRENDS

What are the top new trends in the association market for 2009/2010 in rank order?

What are the most important factors affecting destination selection for association business?

(1 as most important, 5 as least)

60%

10%

20%

30%

(1 as most important, 5 as least)

50%

30%

10%

20%

40% Value for money (perceived)

40%

10%

20%

40%

20%

30% Existence of adequate accomodation

50%

10%

20%

10% 10% Currency

50%

10% Wow Factor

70%

20%

40% Promotability of destination

40%

CSR 10% IT & Technologie

20%

Existence of conference centre

Marketing

20% Health and Safety

10%

Procurement

20%

60%

30%

Security

All in all, one of the key outcomes from this survey is the clear message that ‘things are not as bad as they seem!’

conference centre, tourism board/convention bureau marketing, existence of adequate accommodation, active involvement of the local committee, value for money (perceived), promotability of the destination, security, currency and the wow factor of the destination.

Existence of adequate conference centre and value for money emerge most important Results found that the most important factors inﬂuencing destination selection for association business were the existence of a conference centre and (perceived) value for money. Other important factors were access to the venue, the infrastructure of the area and the promotability of that destination.

30%

Security, currency and wow factor of a destination were also ranked highly. Least important factors influencing the choice of a destination for association business are tourism board and convention bureau marketing. Natural disasters and epidemics such as the recent swine flu outbreak which occurred after the survey was conducted will also have an impact on destination selection. (See table 2) All in all, one of the key outcomes from this survey is the clear message that ‘things are not as bad as they seem!’ The popular media in general, and, sadly, many of our own media too, have taken almost masochistic delight in highlighting the acute pain that, undoubtedly, is a characteristic of our current position. And the survey results confirm this: INCON partners are handling fewer projects in 2009 than 2008 and attendance at conferences is down for most members by up to 15%. However this downturn is not, for most, carried over into 2010 with only 1 partner forecasting continued downturn for 2010 and 70% of INCON partners already seeing a wonderful upturn.

40%

20%

10%

20%

So the First Annual INCON Survey of the Global Association Conference Market provides food for thought. It paints a decidedly more optimistic picture for the future that what we might extrapolate from a cursory glance at any newspaper or business magazine plus it highlights how our industry is becoming increasingly more entrepreneurial and professional as it extends its remit on behalf of clients more and more into such areas as procurement and marketing.

For the complete survey, visit http://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. Each Partner is a thought leader in their area of operation often operating multiple ofﬁces.

HEADQUARTERS 35

> MEETING TRENDS

HOW THE WEB CAN HELP YOU RUN AN ASSOCIATION 7 virtual tools for building a learning organization and getting more done with fewer paid staff GOOGLE HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE, RESEARCH, BUILD COMMUNITIES, LIVE OUR LIVES, CONSUME OUR RELATIONSHIPS. GOOGLE CHANGES OUR PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD AND MAYBE EVEN OUR FUTURE BRAIN STRUCTURE IN WAYS WE ARE YET UNABLE TO COMPREHEND. “WHAT WOULD GOOGLE DO?” READING JEFF JARVIS’ BOOK AND THE CELEBRATED MEDIA AND NEWSBLOG BUZZMACHINE.COM GOT ME THINKING ABOUT THE WAY ASSOCIATIONS AND FEDERATIONS OPERATE IN AN OPEN SOCIAL NETWORKING Ruud Janssen

You would think of it as a mineﬁeld if you are the type of person who believes governance is the way to order and organize. If, however, you think like Google does, you know that everything is different in a world where the user determines the direction of the conversation. Associations should no longer just speak to their members, they should connect their members to one another and derive value out of making these connections. They should no longer fence off the knowledge bases but open them up for general consumption and conversation or debate. Let’s take a closer look at relationships. I believe the current generation of young people - let’s call them the G(oogle)-Generation - develop relationships more quickly and more intensely with more understanding because they keep in constant contact with the people in their lives and their networks. Social Networks brings them and keeps them together. The value added perception from the current association members comes from a new angle. Existing members that are already sold on the value of your association will have an opportunity to learn the uses of online connections stimulated by their peers in the association. By (inter)connecting with your existing members, your network has just expanded exponentially and thereby the reach of your conversation and knowledge base as well.

NOW TO PRACTICAL MATTERS So enough about the perceptions and now

HEADQUARTERS 36

to practical matters. Besides the commonly known Google tools like GMail, Google Calendar and Google Docs you can now develop enterprise-like platforms from your laptop computer or handheld devices on Google Apps. I’ve tried and applied its principles over the past months to set up multiple platforms for initiatives (www.meetingsinitiative.org) built on Google Apps using Google sites as well as satellite websites for local spinoff initiatives

members. Other chapters like MPI Italy and a new chapter in formation in Turkey are also applying these technologies. Easy use, basic conﬁguration requirements and vast email reduction based on periodic mail digests on project progress are the key ingredients to its successful application. Thirdly I crafted a number of bespoke social networks. One for participants and alumni of an interactive conference and event

Associations should no longer just speak to their members, they should connect their members to one another and derive value out of making these connections. They should no longer fence off the knowledge bases but open them up for general consumption and conversation or debate

(nl.meetingsinitiative.org, uk.meetingsinitiative. org, it.meetingsinitiative.org) and other small business purposes. Another tool has vastly improved the quality of leading an association. As president of a local chapter, introducing online web 2.0 collaboration to run the chapter like a business has been a very rewarding experience. The MPI Netherlands Chapter is now using Central Desktop online collaboration for over 50 volunteer board and committee

management course programme on Ning.com. Another is a collection of experts and novice software users that are now actively exchanging experiences, insights and tips & tricks even though they are competitors in their daily business environment. This Software User Group of commercial businesses have met through their not for proﬁt trade association and form a community within a community. Today’s online technology tools allow small organizations & businesses to get more work done with fewer employees or with teams located in

> MEETING TRENDS

distant cities and countries. Most are inexpensive, if not free. Below are some of my favorites: Central Desktop (www.centraldesktop.com) is an online projectmanagement and wiki-like intranet tool that allows you to set up projects with internal collaborators and external customers, and manage all types of communication, file and document sharing. It’s a great tool for creating online operations, engaging volunteer leaders and retain knowledge bases for associations or SME companies. With both public and private workspaces, users work and collaborate realtime. You can use it as a makeshift event website integrating project management tasks as well as integrated web meetings and syndicate messages and content to Twitter and Facebook. Dropbox (www.getdropbox.com) is simply a high powered FTP site, but the interface and work flow is impressive. Users simply drag files to dropbox desktop folders, which are then uploaded and stored online. You can share folders with anyone. Upload a file and it shows up on your remote coworker’s desktop. You can even set up public folders so anyone can send large files without clogging mailboxes. The free online Google Calendar (www.google.com/calendar) lets you share your calendar with collaborators and sync with desktop and phone calendars over internet. Google Apps (www.google.com/intl/ nl/apps/business/index.html), the most recent addition to Google, allows you to setup a fully operational backoffice with email synchronization at a fraction of the cost of an Exchange server type environment.

multiple desktops and visit websites together with a live browser so you can take someone to a page and walk them through a real demo or sign-up process. Jott (http://jott.com) allows you to record voice memos that get turned into e-mail text. You can create boxes for anyone you collaborate with and send notes anytime and anywhere. While you’re at it, use voice messages to create groups for distribution, post appointments to Google Calendar and even update your Twitter feed. SimpleEvent (www.simpleevent.com) is a free conference-call service, but it has some useful additional features. For example, you can put together meetings on the ﬂy and have multiple people join in. You can also use it to host large web meetings of up to 1,000 participants. The named systems are a random sample of a wide range of tools available online. They are the basis of a learning organisation if you have the curiosity and willingness to try them. In my view none of these tools prevail over any other but demonstrate how I have seen teams thrive across multiple organisations and cultures. They bridge the gaps of communications and allow us to further develop and foster relationships pre-, during and after face to face conferences, live meetings and events.

Ruud Janssen is a veteran international conference organiser, marketing coach, awardwinning e-marketeer, association volunteer leader, emerging technologies speaker and entrepreneur at ©TNOC | The New Objective Collective

Virtual collaboration via iLinc (www. ilinc.com) allows you to work faceto-face in real time using web- and videoconferencing. It also allows you to access ﬁles and programs of

HEADQUARTERS 37

> AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA’S STRENGTH IN MEDICAL INNOVATION ATTRACTS EVENTS DOWN UNDER AUSTRALIAN SCIENTISTS ARE LEADING THE WORLD IN CANCER RESEARCH,

RECENT EVENTS

IMMUNOLOGY, ASSISTED REPRODUCTION AND STEM-CELL RESEARCH WITH HIGHPROFILE MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS HELPING TO CEMENT AUSTRALIA’S REPUTATION FOR INNOVATION. AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS INVENTED THE INFLUENZA TREATMENT RELENZA AND THE BIONIC EAR, AND HAVE LED GLOBAL THINKING IN IN-VITRO FERTILISATION TECHNOLOGY AND AIDS RESEARCH.

Another Australian invention, the world’s ﬁrst cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, won worldwide acclaim for its inventor, former Australian of the Year, Professor Ian Frazer, who last year won the prestigious international Balzan Prize for his lasting contribution to preventative medicine. Australian scientists also are making headlines for their groundbreaking work in epigentics, the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian and pancreatic cancer and typeone diabetes. ‘Australians are setting the agenda for best practice across various ﬁelds of endeavour

and that extends to our ability to offer world-class business events,’ says Tourism Australia’s Head of Business Events Australia, Joyce DiMascio. ‘We celebrate originality and have a history of innovation. Our business events are no exception: this capacity to inspire fresh thinking also helps Australia to attract business events that tap into local expertise.’ The Chief Operating Ofﬁcer of Business Events Sydney, Lyn Lewis-Smith, says: ‘We’re a dynamic can-do country. Geographic isolation makes us work harder - we don’t have the accessibility of Europe and with globalisa-

+ Pathology Update 2009 in Conjunction with XXV World Association of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM) World Congress - 1332 delegates, Sydney; 13-15 March, 2009 + Paediatric Cardiology Working Group of the Cardiac Society 5th World Congress 2,500 delegates; Cairns; 20-27 June, 2009 + Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists 2009 Annual Scientiﬁc Meeting - 1,657 delegates; Cairns; 2-6 May, 2009 + 15th UICC Reach to Recovery International Breast Cancer Support Conference 1,000 delegates; Brisbane; 13-15 May, 2009 + Sex, Surgery and Gynaecology 2009 500 delegates; Brisbane; 21-23 May, 2009

tion we are innovators in connecting the world because we’ve had to. The world hasn’t always come to us.’

HEADQUARTERS 39

> AUSTRALIA

CASE STUDY: Pathology Update 2009 in conjunction with XXV World Congress of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM) Held in Sydney in March, the event brought together 1,332 delegates to hear renowned international and Australasian speakers. There were 42 industry trade exhibitor booths. Pathology Update brings together pathologists, trainees, scientists, administrators and healthcare workers from Australasia and other parts of the world for three days of education in all aspects of pathology. This year it was held in conjunction with the international biannual WASPaLM event, which drew delegates from around the world. A social program culminating in a gala dinner for 600 guests at Sydney’s historical Luna Park complemented a scientiﬁc program, which emphasised the multi-disciplinary impact of genetics across all aspects of medicine. Experts provided updates on groundbreaking techniques, studies, research and trends across the profession. Speakers, including Nobel Laureates, represented the most respected minds in the ﬁeld, including Professor Michael Oellerich, Associate Professor Ona Marie Faye-Petersen, Professor David Holt and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Stephen Schneider. The conference was hosted by the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour and delegates stayed in hotels within walking distance of the centre. Delegates were offered a range of activities that showcased the beauty of the destination, including walking tours of the coastline between Bondi and Bronte, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the historic Rocks precinct, and a backstage tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House. There were day tours to the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley.

Over the next 18 months, thousands of delegates will visit Australia to attend association meetings and conferences in the medical industry. These include International Surgery Week (2,000 delegates in Adelaide), the Paediatric Cardiology Working Group of the Cardiac Society 5th World Congress (2,500 delegates in Cairns), the World Congress of the International Society for the Study of

had every world-class event bar the FIFA World Cup, which we’re now bidding for and Sydney is leading the charge there.’ Australia is similarly well known for its worldclass convention facilities. ‘Australia offers a wealth of outstanding locations, venues and facilities for business events and presents great value for money to European clients,’ Ms DiMas-

Joyce DiMascio, Head of Business Events Australia:

‘Australians are setting the agenda for best practice across various ﬁelds of endeavour and that extends to our ability to offer world-class business events.’ Hypertension in Pregnancy (1,000 delegates in Melbourne), World Congress on Human Reproduction (1,500 delegates in Melbourne) and the Meeting of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (3,500 delegates in Sydney). In March this year, 1,332 delegates travelled to Sydney for Pathology Update 2009 in Conjunction with XXV World Association of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM) World Congress hosted by the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Pathologists from around the world took part in a strong scientiﬁc program that emphasised the multi-disciplinary impact of genetics across all aspects of medicine.

cio says. A recent investment of $4.8 billion in infrastructure, including new hotels and convention centres, adds to a wealth of resources. An independent audit of Australia’s corporate social responsibility credentials also found the nation was deeply committed to sustainable business events and is leading the world in its efforts to achieve it. The audit, commissioned by Tourism Australia, found that all sectors of the industry were committed to environmental sustainability and most had achieved, or were working to achieve, green accreditation.

www.businessevents.australia.com

COMING EVENTS Experts, including Nobel Laureates, gave updates on the latest techniques, studies, research and trends across the profession and represented the most respected minds in the ﬁeld. Among the Australians who spoke at the Congress were Professor Simon Mallal, who presented his latest work on the genetics of HIV. Microbiologist Professor William Rawlinson addressed breakthroughs in viral illness. ‘Australian expertise and business leaders are world renowned and that attracts other thinkers and business leaders from around the world,’ Ms Lewis-Smith says. ‘We are leaders in many different ﬁelds. We expose international visitors to that and that is our uniqueness. They take away so much more than they expected. And we have a reputation for delivering world-class events; we’ve

+ International Surgery Week 2,000 delegates; Adelaide; 6-10 September, 2009 + World Congress of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy - 1,000 delegates; Melbourne; 2-6 October, 2010 + World Congress on Human Reproduction 1,500 delegates in Melbourne; 10-14 August, 2011 + Meeting of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology 3,500 delegates; Sydney; 30 August to 30 September, 2009 + Asian and Oceania Congress of Child Neurology 2011; 400 delegates, Brisbane, September 2011

TAK E YOU R THI NKI NG TO A WHOLE NEW PLACE. 4HEREÂ´S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT !USTRALIA THAT CHANGES THE WAY YOU THINK !T Â½RST GLANCE YOU MIGHT THINK ITÂ´S THE STUNNING NATURAL SETTINGS LIKE 3YDNEY (ARBOUR OR ITS UNIQUE MEETING LOCATIONS "UT ORGANISE AN EVENT HERE AND YOUÂ´LL SOON DISCOVER ITÂ´S SOMETHING FAR DEEPER ! RICH HISTORY OF CULTURAL FREEDOM AND INNOVATION HAS HELPED !USTRALIANS THINK DIFFERENTLY FOR OVER YEARS -ORE RECENTLY OUR FRESH AND IMAGINATIVE APPROACH HAS ENSURED THE SUCCESS OF WORLD CLASS CORPORATE AND ASSOCIATION MEETINGS REWARDING INCENTIVES AND UNRIVALLED GLOBAL EVENTS 3O IF YOUÂ´RE AFTER AN EVENT THAT WILL INSPIRE NEW IDEAS DELIVER REAL BUSINESS RESULTS AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT LOOK NO FURTHER THAN !USTRALIA 4O GET YOUR CLIENTS THINKING DIFFERENTLY VISIT BUSINESSEVENTS AUSTRALIA COM

HQ > CHINA

Beijing National Stadium, the ‘Bird’s Nest’

Temple of Heaven

Summer Palace Boat

BEIJING, THE CITY FOR BIDDING NO, IT WAS NOT ME WHO FOUND THIS NICE SLOGAN WHEN I WAS IN BEIJING TOGETHER WITH OTHER MEETINGS INDUSTRY JOURNALISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD LAST APRIL THIS YEAR. I WISH IT WAS THOUGH, AS THE PHRASE SAYS IT ALL. REPORT CÉCILE CAIATI–KOCH

I had never been to China before, and I have to admit that I did not know what to expect. Of course I had heard about the rapid growing economy and the Olympic Games greatly impacting the city, but I had no idea to what extent. When I ﬁrst got there, I realized the city is basically an architectural showroom, starting with the international airport - a huge, modern, very light and airy place. While driving through the different districts of the capital, I saw skyscrapers and other modern, eyecatching buildings all over. What stroke me are the many different colours to be found all over: the forbidden city is mainly red

HEADQUARTERS 42

and gold; in the old quarters, the so-called ‘hutongs’, people live hidden behind grey walls; and the modern parts are mainly blue, with enormous glass panels. The new quarters show a lot of richness, with Lamborghinis and Ferraris parked in hotels’ parking lots. The whole city amazed me with its cleanness and well-kept parks. I did not see the million of bikes, it seems a lot of them have been replaced by cars. Our host, the Beijing municipality in charge of tourism together with the PCO China Star Professional, had organized an impressive programme. They even surprised us,

experienced journalists, every day again, by combining ‘traditional’ visits with completely unexpected venues. To give you an idea, a lunch in a real Beijing duck restaurant was of course part of the programme, but we also had the chance to dine in Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, an art factory.

CITY OF FUSIONS Beijing is the city of fusion - the inhabitants acknowledge it themselves and I can definitely confirm it! You’ll find it at different levels, when the old and the new, the east and the west, the hard-working and the fun parts merge. Let me take some examples. The fusion of the old and the new speaks for itself while visiting the city, where old palaces and temples fuse harmoniously with modern skyscrapers. East and west combine themselves everyday in the life of the young dynamic

> CHINA

CHINA NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER An Interview With CEO Haiying Liu IT’S NO SECRET: CHINA IS ON THE RISE. ALTHOUGH WE WROTE IT MANY TIMES IN HQ BEFORE, WE ACTUALLY NEVER HAD FIRST-HAND INFORMATION ABOUT IT. SO LAST IMEX WE SAT DOWN TOGETHER WITH HAIYING LIU, CEO OF CHINA NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER, AND HAD A NICE TALK FOR A LITTLE WHILE. INTERVIEW MARCEL A.M. VISSERS AND RÉMI DÉVÉ

HQ: Now that the Olympics are over, how do China and Beijing position themselves within the ever-competitive meetings industry? Haiying Liu: The ICCA statistics say it all. In 2007, Beijing was #7 and in 2008 she was #12, mainly because of the Olympics. It’s fair to say that we are one of the few who have made great progress in recent years. Beijing is now a premiere destination for meetings and congresses. Of course we are still far behind other Asian destinations and competition is ﬁerce in the Asia-Paciﬁc region, but we’re surely getting there!

Chinese artists and entrepreneurs, when they meet western colleagues in trendy places. Finally, the hard-working Chinese also know how to enjoy life – you should just see them dancing and singing together in the park of the temple of Good Heaven! Whether the younger generation will still be doing this is another question, as they are often found behind computer screens… In a next episode of our special Chinese report, I will inform you more about how to organize a conference there. But the interview with Haiying Liu, CEO of the brand-new China National Convention Center, can already give you a good insight about this.

For more information, visit the Beijing Tourism Administration website at www.bjta.gov.cn

HQ: How are you organized to put Beijing and China on the map of the international associations? Haiying Liu: China has no national convention bureau unfortunately. There has been a call for it because we all know how big a role a national convention bureau plays in getting all the partners together to welcome conventions. Right now only the associations based in China are bidding for big congresses, but this certainly will change in the near future. HQ: So exactly, what are your plans for the future? Haiying Liu: Our marketing plan basically follows three ideas. First, we’re gradually going international, by, for example, recruiting international staff and/or training them for a higher level of service. Jennifer Salsbury, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing, and Tony Xu, Director of Business Development, are good examples of that. Second, China National Convention Center, which is going to open in November this year, is our main strongest asset. It will cater to big international events - the biggest hall accommodates up to 6,600 people and overall there

CNCC CEO Mr. Haiying Liu

is 23,600 m2 of meeting space. We’re also in the process of becoming a leading example in the sustainability area. Third, we are lobbying on one hand the government bodies so they support us, on the other hand associations so they speed up the recognition of the meetings industry in China.

HQ: So the future is bright? Haiying Liu: Definitely. Bookings are indeed really encouraging. I’ve been the CEO of the China National Convention Center since January 2007 and I’ve already witnessed the changing of the wind. Next year, we will proudly host the World Cardiology Congress with 16,000 delegates. They will get the chance to discover a great city filled with culture and history other Asian cities can’t compete with. It’s an exciting, safe, politically stable and easily accessible place and other associations should just come here find out by themselves! www.cnccchina.com

HEADQUARTERS 43

HQ > SRI LANKA

The newest congress destination in Asia

SRI LANKA

Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall

ABOUT THE BIG ISLAND OF SRI LANKA PEOPLE SAY IT’S A SMALL MIRACLE. ALMOST NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD THERE’S SO MUCH WARM WATER FROM THE OCEANS, OR SO MANY DIFFERENT COLOURS OF BEACHES, AND IT SEEMS LIKE NATURE AND ANIMAL LIFE ARE INEXHAUSTIBLE. PEOPLE THAT HAVEN’T VISITED THE ISLAND - AND THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A REASON NOT TO DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS - HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE WORLD MAP AND SET A DATE, OR EVEN PLAN A CONFERENCE, BECAUSE THE ISLAND IS NOW CONFLICT-FREE. I EXPERIENCED IT MYSELF LAST YEAR, WHEN THE BATTLE WAS STILL RAGING IN THE NORTH, WHILE PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH WERE LIVING LIFE AS USUAL. HOPE WAS AGAIN VISIBLE IN THE EYES OF THE INHABITANTS. WHEN THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY WAS LIBERATED, THE WORLD RECEIVED A NEW (FORGOTTEN) CONGRESS DESTINATION. IN COLOMBO THERE’S EVEN A CONVENTION CENTRE THAT’LL MAKE YOU SAY ‘WOW’. IT’S THE OLDEST IN THE WHOLE OF ASIA!

A NEW FUTURE HAS COME FORWARD For over two decades the north of Sri Lanka has struggled with an internal problem - too long actually. Because of this conﬂict, the country hasn’t been able to sufﬁciently show its nature, culture and adventure to the outside world. When I accepted the invitation of Vipula Wanigasekeran, General Manager of

HEADQUARTERS 44

TEXT MARCEL A.M. VISSERS

the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, and visited Colombo and the south of the country, I sensed a certain tension although it never became unsafe in this region. Now that the battle is fought, I can’t wait to return. Sri Lanka has left a trace in my soul: people, buddhism, tea plantations, the rivers, oceans, plants, butterﬂies, elephants, birds,

fishes and fishermen... And now the country is completely free, I understand the message they’re spreading: ‘Sri Lanka Congress (Tourism) gears up for post-conflict strategies’, ie strategies focusing on the development of the visitor’s potential in the north-east. Meanwhile, the new brand of Sri Lanka was launched in June - Sri Lanka Small Miracle along with a well-planned communication

> SRI LANKA

THE BEST OF MARCEL’S HQ BLOG: THE OLDEST CONFERENCE ROOM IN THE WORLD

Vipula Wanigasekeran and his assistant

campaign. There is a sense of relief among all citizens that peace, prosperity and development is again close at hand.

THE OLDEST CONVENTION CENTRE IN ASIA For a long time I thought that the oldest purpose-built congress centre was in Hong Kong, but after last year’s visit to the capital Colombo I had to reconsider my point of view. A little history is in order here. The BMICH or the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (www.bmich. lk) as its name implies was built to honor the memory of Mr. S.Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1956 to 1959. The Hall is an outright gift from the Government and People of the People’s Republic of China as a mark of their esteem for the late Prime Minister and as a symbol of the ideals to which he was dedicated. One of the ideals to which Mr. Bandaranaike was dedicated was the promotion of peace and understanding between nations in order that all nations could work together in a spirit of goodwill, brotherhood and democratic equality for the preservation of world peace and the advancement of mankind. Construction of the Hall commenced ofﬁcially on 24 November 1970 and was completed in the ﬁrst quarter of 1973. The construction of the Hall was the product of joint Sri Lanka and Chinese workmanship. A considerable portion of the exquisite building

The new brand of Sri Lanka was launched in June - Sri Lanka Small Miracle - along with a well-planned communication campaign materials which have been used in the Hall were imported from China. These include a wide range of marble in delicate tints and hues, terrazzo tiles and mosaic tiles. These materials were blended together in what is acknowledged to be an outstanding architectural creation. BMICH conference facilities include: + a great Hall to accommodate a maximum of 1,500 delegates + a lower deck for up to 640 people, a Balcony for up to 860 people + Facilities are available for simultaneous interpretation in seven languages and for public broadcast. The ﬂoor area covering 4,500 m2 consists of two exhibition halls, lobby, dining room, lounge, kitchen and other amenities. The Banquet Hall, with the ability to accommodate 450 persons, is ideal for luncheons, dinners or cocktails The restaurant provides facilities to cater to 175 persons simultaneously. The two large committee rooms A and B accommodate 340 delegates and 98 observers with one room having removable seats. Committee Rooms C and D accommodate 50 delegates each while rooms E and F can welcome 30 delegates each. Seating is available to 200 participants at the BMICH Cinema.

Meeting in a tree, on a rock or on a rooftop, you name it. But meeting in the oldest conference room in the world is something else. For the transition to the new year 2009, I was in Sri Lanka at a time when the decisive battle was fought with the Tamil Tigers. I didn’t notice a thing, like it was surreal. What was real was the enormous split boulder in Sigiriya, better known as the Audience Hall of King Kaspaya, the master builder (459-477 AD). How they were ever able to split such a rock is still a mystery. I couldn’t keep myself from sitting down on the ﬁve metre long conference bench of the king and overlook the empty room. I believe you can have a meeting with 150 people in seating arrangement on the platform of this meeting rock. Is there a PCO in Sri Lanka who can book me this rock for an entire day? I don’t need any chairs or tables, comfortable cushions are more than sufﬁcient. And provide some space for Ceylon Tea Time, please.

For more of Marcel’s stories visit www.marcelsblog.HQmagazine.eu

CONTACT Sri Lanka Convention Bureau T: + 94 11 4865050/1 2440002 F: + 94 11 2472985 slcb@sltnet.lk

www.visitsrilanka.net

HEADQUARTERS 45

> GRIMALDI FORUM MONACO

©DR

COULD THE GRIMALDI FORUM MONACO BE ANY GREENER ? IMPOSSIBLE !

gases; the only energy source used for running the building is electricity, except for two oil-ﬁred emergency generators. Hot water and the chilled water needed for air conditioning are produced by heat pumps that draw the calories and frigories required for temperature and hygrometry control from seawater. The air conditioning system also helps to save energy while using an entirely renewable energy source - seawater - as its raw material.

LIGHTING: A SHINING EXAMPLE OF ENERGY SAVING

Grimaldi Forum Monaco

TODAY, THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. WHEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING A DESTINATION AND

Except for the amphitheatres and commission rooms, all parts of the Grimaldi Forum were equipped from the outset with light fittings that use low-energy bulbs. These fluocompact bulbs consume six times less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 8 to 10 times longer on average. In 2004, when the big window in the reception lobby of the Grimaldi Forum was decked with decorative lights, this was done in full accordance with the energy saving policy adopted at the outset. Furthermore, for most commonplace purchases such as cleaning products and office supplies, eco-labelled goods are chosen by preference. And everything the Grimaldi Forum publishes – cultural calendars, flyers, leaflets, etc. - is printed on recycled paper. The centre has also involved its suppliers in this process so as to conduct a coherent, dynamic overall environmental policy.

A CONGRESS CENTRE, PLANNERS CAN’T LEAVE OUT THE ‘GREEN’ FACTOR FROM NOW ON. UNDER THE BANNER ‘ACT GREEN’, THE GRIMALDI FORUM MONACO, NOW ISO 14001 CERTIFIED, HAS INTERESTING ARGUMENTS IN THIS PARTICULAR FIELD. BUT WHAT ARE THEY EXACTLY?

Ecological values are intrinsic to the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. The venue, which opened almost nine years ago, was designed from the outset with a view to respecting and integrating into the environment.

In this ideal environment, the Grimaldi Forum Monaco offers relevant solutions to organise tailor-made ‘Green Events’. More info and/or to contact Grimaldi Forum’s green team: actgreen@grimaldiforum.mc

costs, but ever since it has provided efﬁcient natural heat insulation. The above-ground third, the visible part, is insulated with foam glass, a recyclable material that complies with all the standards of the High Environmental Quality (HQE) label.

NATURAL HEAT INSULATION Town planning restrictions meant that twothirds of the building had to be built below ground, but the architects turned this into an asset. Initially it meant high construction

HEADQUARTERS 46

‘SEMI-GREEN’ AND RENEWABLE ENERGY The Grimaldi Forum Monaco can pride itself on zero direct emissions of greenhouse

At the Grimadi Forum Monaco, recyling bins have pride of place

DDH

8 e\n [`d\ej`fe ]fi \m\i Y\kk\i j\im`Z\ Colloquium, the specialist in congress organization and management of professional associations, is now present in Brussels. Thanks to this European-scale development we are able to boost our international expertise and assistance capacities. We are now even closer and more responsive to you, conďŹ rming our ambition to provide our clients with the best possible consulting services. To ďŹ nd out more, go to colloquium-group.com