MIM magazine, February 2009 by Meeting Media Company BVBA

Th e m e e t i n g s a n d i n ce n t i ve t rave l m a g a z i n e fo r co r p o ra te p l a n n e rs … e n r i c h e d w i t h p r i n te d b ra i nfo o d fo r d e c i s i o n m a ke rs

103

EMIF EDITION MIM MI M ma maga gazi z ne Afgiftfekannto toor or-Bureauu de dép épôt: p 2800 Mecchelen 1 Pub Pu ublis lished h 6 times a year: Feb, eb Ap A r, Jun u , Aug, Oct,t Dec D Ed tio Edi tionn Febr Februar uaryy 2009 2009 – P4A P4A903 90322

Corporate interview

SWIFT

PANOS TZIVANIDIS: 'BE PREPARED, NO SURPRISES'

INSIDE

EMIF TODAY

Meetings

designed for your success

Thinking big? That’s our business. Free high speed internet access* available to day meeting delegates. 100% guest satisfaction guarantee. Over 70 meeting rooms throughout Belgium and the Netherlands and in 170+ hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa. All you need for a successful meetings. Find out what we can do for your next event! *for a full list of participating hotels, please visit freebroadband.radissonsas.com

Amsterdam x2 • Antwerp x2 • Brussels x2 • Hasselt • Spa x2

Call us now on 00 33 1 4693 2852 meetings.radissonsas.com

EDITORIAL

MARCEL A.M. VISSERS Owner - Editor in chief

Thank you, Mister Minister What did Dr. Scholl answer precisely when a manager asked him about what's his advice in difﬁcult times? 'Early to bed, early to rise, work really hard and advertise', was his response. Those are features that we can make good use of in a time that's being called a large setback in our luxury society. And the meetings industry is a large part of that society. Dr. Scholl's answer is of course the exact opposite of what most companies are doing in rough times: cutting budgets and doing nothing for a while. Actually we need to really buckle down to it again, maybe in a slightly different way but deﬁnitely with more alertness and a more creative use of budgets. That's what Dr. Scholl really means by advertising.

WWW.MIMMAGAZINE.EU

How big was my surprise when Ertugrul Günay, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, held a speech about 'A new prospect for the Turkish Congress Industry' during the INCON Congress in Istanbul in late January. In his Cabinet a strategic plan is waiting on his desk, which says that Turkey should be ranked ﬁfth on the meetings industry world ranking by the year 2023. That's quite something! To reach this goal, his Ministry will start advertising worldwide from next year on. A large advertising budget was allocated for this. And there's more. A strategic role is reserved for the city of Istanbul because that's already a well-known success story in the Turkish meetings industry. It should serve as an example for the seven other Turkish cities and regions.

Dr. Scholl's advice:

Early to bed, early to rise, work really hard and advertise! Honestly, I've never heard a statement like that from a minister of one of the top countries on the current rankings. Not France, not the UK, and not Germany, and definitely not from the Belgian minister. What I do appreciate enormously is that our convention bureaus are putting their shoulders to the wheel and are helping the private sector. When things aren't going that well, more tax money than ever should go to suffering companies. What amazes me even more, is that a few companies in our industry can give a rise to their staff and hire young people, and that we, as niche publishers of meetings industry magazines, are able to launch a new magazine in the Asia-Pacific region: HQ magazine Asia-Pacific, after the example of HQ magazine Europe! Its headquarters will be in Singapore. Thank you, Mister Minister, for announcing a major growth plan in these troubled times. We can all learn from it. And what are your remarks, readers of MIM magazine and visitors of EMIF 2009?

CONTENTS GENERAL Editorial Short News Technology

3 7 41

MIM magazine IS THE TREND-SETTING TRADE JOURNAL FOR THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY IN BELUX. MIM MAGAZINE IS NOW IN ENGLISH AND COMES OUT 6 TIMES A YEAR AND HAS A CIRCULATION OF 5000 COPIES, PUBLISHED BY MEETING MEDIA COMPANY BVBA/SARL.

INTERVIEWS Cover Interview - SWIFT Interview: Miss MIM Interview: Marriott

10 14 17

SUBSCRIPTIONS: An Annual subscription in Belgium costs 75 EURO (excl. 6% tax) and comprises 6 magazines. In order to subscribe, go to www.MIMmagazine.eu or send an e-mail to info@meetingmedia.eu.

EMIF TODAY Pre-fair issue

Editor in chief: Marcel A.M. Vissers T: +32 (0)3 226 88 81 marcel@meetingmedia.eu

BELGIUM Oyster Company Brussels Meetings Week Oostende BOOST Award

27 28 29

ABROAD Lille Emotions by Accor Amsterdam Morocco Montreal

30 33 35 38 39

COLOPHON

Managing Director: Cécile Caiati-Koch T: +32 (0)2 761 70 52 cecile@meetingmedia.eu Business Development Executive: Janne De Cloedt T: +32 (0)2 761 70 53 janne@meetingmedia.eu

Editorial Manager: Steven Kins T: +32 (0)2 761 70 54 steven@meetingmedia.eu Editors: Myriam Banaï Rémi Dévé Address: 20, rue Paul Wemaere B - 1150 Brussels (Belgium) T: +32 (0)2 761 70 50 F: +32 (0)2 761 70 51 www.mimmagazine.eu Publisher: Meeting Media Company Marcel A.M. Vissers Mechelseplein 23, bus 1 B - 2000 Antwerpen (Belgium) www.meetingmedia.eu Photographer: (Cover, cover interview) Paul De Cloedt

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

REGISTER NOW ON THE MIM MAGAZINE WEBSITE! WWW.MIMMAGAZINE.EU ➔ FOR SUBSCRIBERS - simply log in to read the magazine online or the extended versions of key articles.

➔ FOR OTHERS - just subscribe directly on the website and you will instantly have access to in-depth content online. MIM 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.be and www.fsc.org ® FSC, A.C. FSC-SECR-0045

➔ And the good news is there are even more developments to come

Stay tuned!

NEW ANTI-DEPRESSION ACTIONS to boost your next corporate event in France

1st New Anti-depression Action The “Complete Package”, our “all-in-one” solution, offers competitive ﬁxed prices, starting from € 190 in Dinard (Brittany) to € 277 in Cannes and includes: residential package at landmark hotels, airport/railway station transfers*, a buffet-lunch* option (no extra charge), video-projectors in every meeting room, unlimited broadband Internet connections in meeting rooms and bedrooms, and 1 drink per participant at the Hotel or Casino bar during the event.

2nd New Anti-depression Action

From February to April 2009 ”all-in one” solution at competitive ﬁxed prices From

€ 190* in Dinard (Brittany) * to € 277 in Cannes

An extra 10% reduction for all corporate events held in April.

* Residential Package (individual room, breakfast, conference room, breaks, lunch & dinner, drinks included) in a Classic individual room, subject to sales terms & conditions, and the amount of rooms available for this offer. Please contact us for buffet-lunch and transfer conditions, and for the list of railway stations and airports served.

CONTACT Mathilde ROSE

+ 33 (0)1 42 86 12 18 mrose@lucienbarriere.com The “Complete Package” is available in the following destinations: DEAUVILLE - LA BAULE - CANNES - DINARD - ENGHIEN-LES-BAINS - BORDEAUX

Landmark conference and incentive destinations in France

www.meetings-barriere.com

MIM > General > Short News

Short news Park Inn Antwerpen Park Inn Antwerpen is the newest addition to the hotel offer in Antwerp. It lies only a few steps from the Central Station, next to the Antwerp Zoo. The former Atlanta hotel has been redone completely and turned into a comfortable place to stay with 59 rooms (with free wireless internet!), a trendy breakfast restaurant, a ﬁtness room and a lobby lounge. This is the second Park Inn hotel in Belgium, a fresh mid-segment hotel brand which stands for a warm and informal welcome, perfect cleanliness, and ease of use.

www.antwerpen.parkinn.be

Radisson SAS changes into Radisson Blu The hotel brand Radisson SAS is changing its name to Radisson Blu. The name change was announced at the Grand Opening party of the first Radisson Blu: the Radisson Blu Hotel, Zurich Airport. This small, but significant name change marks the latest step forward in the remarkable Radisson SAS story and reflects the natural end of Radisson’s links with the SAS Group following Rezidor’s IPO back in November 2006.

www.radissonblu.com

Birth of Elephant & Hall in Antwerp

)

On 7 February, Antwerp Zoo's ﬁrst baby elephant will be expected. At the same time, Flanders Congress and Concert Centre (2000 persons,

1220 sq.m exhibition space), the nearly 60 years old hall behind the historical façade of the Zoo's head ofﬁce, has big news too. The Queen Elisabeth Hall, the venue's largest hall will be renovated with strong ﬁnancial support of the Flemish Government. Constructions will start in 2010 and should be ready by September 2012.

is surrounded by the beach, the Kennemer lake and the Seaport Marina, and has 146 rooms, 13 multifunctional rooms, a roof terrace and can host events of up to 1,000 people.

www.fccc.be

Make Your Choice!

Send your press releases to press@meetingmedia.eu

www.holidayinn-ijmuiden.nl

Meetings Industry Trade Fairs Worldwide: 2008 - 2009

Holiday Inn IJmuiden Seaport Beach

EMIF – Brussels // Tour @ Taxis 18-19 March – www.aboutemif.com

The renovated Conference & Events Floor of the Holiday Inn IJmuiden Seaport Beach opened recently. This ﬂoor accommodates the Meeting Break Buffet, Business Centre and several conference rooms. The hotel

GIBTM – Abu Dhabi // ADNEC 31 March-2 April – www.gibtm.com IMEX – Frankfurt // Messe Frankfurt 26-28 May – www.imex-frankfurt.com Meet the 4 Elements Workshop // Brussels 17-18 June ECM Summer School // Bolzano 29 August-2 September – www.europeancitiesmarketing.com CIBTM – Beijing // China National Convention Centre 8-10 September – www.cibtm.com ACCESS – Vienna // Hofburg Vienna 5-6 October – www.access-austria.at IT&CMA + CTW – Bangkok // Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld 6-8 October - itcma.com.sg

8 Holiday Inn IJmuiden Seaport Beach

EIBTM – Barcelona // Fira Gran Via 1-3 December – www.eibtm.com

MIM 7

MIM > General > Short News

4 new ‘TERRA’ Meeting Rooms @ the Radisson SAS Palace Hotel in Spa Since the 1st of January 09, the Radisson SAS Palace Hotel in Spa offers 4 additional ‘TERRA’ meeting rooms with daylight and equipped with the latest technology. The new meeting rooms located on the 1st ﬂoor offer 150m2 of meeting space and can host 150 delegates for meetings or 240 guests for cocktails. The hotel now has a total of 8 meeting rooms spread over 325m2 for all your Meetings, Incentives, Teambuildings, Dinners and Cocktails. The hotel, nestled in the heart of the water city, has 120 bedrooms, a bar-brasserie with heated outside terrace and is directly linked by a private funicular to the Thermes of Spa… The perfect location to combine Business & Wellness.

*The hotel also offers free high-speed Internet access for meeting delegates and hotel guests!

Antoine Pinto's Midi Station Antoine Pinto designs can be found in Belgium, but also in England, Brazil, Portugal or Lebanon. His new and enormous project brought him just next to the Brussels South

Looking for an unforgettable event/teambuilding? Our professional partners pride themselves in managing every detail of your program. - Team building activities including quads, themed rallies, safety driving school… - Themed parties at the hotel: Around the World Buffet, Buddha Bar,… - Outside dinners at the Casino, the Lido, the F1 race track of Spa-Francorchamps or a BBQ in a wooden chalet in the middle of the beautiful nature.

Radisson SAS Palace Hotel Place Royale 39 4900 Spa, Belgium Tel: +32 (87) 27 97 00 Fax: +32 (87) 27 97 01 Info.spapalace@radissonsas.com www.palace.spa.radissonsas.com

station where the international trains have their halt. In a 2000m2 surface he managed to incorporate open spaces, meeting rooms, six-metre high birches, a bar, restaurant, a central danceﬂoor, great acoustics, a VIP cigar bar, a private

bar, tables on the mezzanines, indoor terraces and a real winter garden... As you can imagine, this place will have much more to offer than your usual station buffet.

3 flights/day between Istanbul & Brussels As of March 2009, Turkish Turkish Airlines will increase its flights between Brussels and Istanbul from 17 to 21, or three flights a day. This Star Alliance member is actually the only one offering a non-stop flight to Istanbul, the European Capital of Culture for 2010. The slogan for the position of Istanbul in 2010 will be 'Istanbul, the city of the four elements'.

Antoine Pinto's Midi Station

MIM 8

www.thy.com

Brussels Card offers more in 2009 The Brussels Card – of which over 11,000 were sold last year – is like a passport giving you free access to Brussels’ leading museums - ﬁve new venues have been added - for a period of 24, 48 or 72 hours. It also entitles you to a whole range of attractive discounts in the capital’s restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. Lastly, cardholders can enjoy free public transport while their card is valid.

www.brusselsinternational.be

MIM > General > Short News

Eurostar restores faster services Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train service that links the UK and mainland Europe, announced that it's operating faster and more frequent services through the Channel Tunnel from Monday 23 February 2009 after repairs were completed to a tunnel section. In addition, a new direct Ashford - Brussels services has begun on 23 February, having been delayed since last December by the tunnel incident.

www.eurostar.com

Largest congress hotel in the Benelux The city of Amsterdam has signed a contract to create the largest congress hotel in the Benelux region. The future 4-star hotel in Amsterdam Teleport - one of the most accessible locations in Amsterdam - will count around 708 rooms and will have 6,500m2 of congress space. Construction should start in 2010 and ﬁts in with the plans of the city to create 9000 guest rooms by 2015.

www.amsterdamcongress.nl

Bonjour Singapore Airlines A380 From 1 June 2009, Singapore Airlines will ﬂy the world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, on its Singapore-Paris route. Paris is the Airline's fourth A380 destination, its ﬁrst in Continental Europe, and its second in Europe after

Airbus A380

London. Singapore Airlines already ﬂies the A380 daily to Sydney and Tokyo, and twice a day to London.

Updatabase

www.singaporeair.com

Spa Cinq Mondes in Dolce On 2 February the 4-star hotel Dolce La Hulpe Brussels, in the Fôret de Soignes, has opened the new Spa Cinq Mondes. The architecture of this wellness centre unites materials like wood and stone in a stylish and contemporary setting. The centre can be hired by a company for two, three or more hours for all kinds of treatments. Up to ﬁfteen people at a time can enjoy a massage.

www.dolce-la-hulpebrussels-hotel.com

From 16 February Gudrun Ghesquière is the new Responsible for Business Tourism at the French Convention Bureau of Maison de la France. Before, she has been working for the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions.

For more MIMmagazine news, check out www.MIMmagazine.eu

Spa Cinq Mondes in Dolce

MIM 9

Panos Tzivanidis, SWIFT

Everything has to be SWIFT class

MIM 10

MIM > Interview > Corporate

We’ve all seen the name SWIFT somewhere. After all, all of our bank transfers are made through their systems. But what does such a global company organise? MIM sat down with the charming Head of Sibos operations, Panos Tzivanidis.

MIM: How can we explain to our readers what SWIFT, as a company, is and stands for? Panos Tzivanidis: 'SWIFT is the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, a member-owned cooperative that provides products and services for the securities, payments, treasury and trade markets. 'Over 8,600 banking organisations, securities institutions and corporate customers in 209 countries rely on us every day to exchange millions of standardised ﬁnancial messages. We only process messages, not money. We are headquartered in Belgium.'

MIM: How long have you been working for the company? Do you have a different background than what you’re doing right now?

INTERVIEW MARCEL A.M. VISSERS AND STEVEN KINS COVER AND MAIN PHOTO PAUL DE CLOEDT

PT: ‘I started here in 2000 after being employed in the hotel industry. I’ve always been interested in events and conferences. I believe a corporate planner has to be enthusiastic and have a drive to want to satisfy the audience. It does bring along stress, because inevitably there comes a day when the door of the convention centre opens, and the deadline cannot be extended for another week. There are always last minute things to take care of

or things beyond your control. You travel a lot, which is not always easy to combine with family life. And it’s always exciting to see how the audience is going to appreciate the end delivery. Because we want everything to be ‘SWIFT class’. But it’s great!’

MIM: What do you organise for your clients, relations and personnel? PT: ‘We organise regional business events and large-scale international events of which Sibos is the most important one. Our events for the whole SWIFT community have themes speciﬁc to the region where they’re organised and we organise everything ourselves.’

Sibos PT: ‘Sibos is THE annual event in the ﬁnancial sector with over 7,000 participants, exclusive to SWIFT members, with an exhibition of over 220 organisations and a conference that covers topics of relevance to the whole ﬁnancial sector. The last Sibos was in Vienna. As we change locations every year, the next one will be in Hong Kong. In 2010 we’re heading to Amsterdam, and 2011 brings us to Toronto. I’m now preparing everything for the Hong Kong edition, but in the meantime I’m looking out for the 2012 and 2013 events.

MIM 11

MIM > Interview > Corporate

So you could say I never get bored. ‘For Sibos we occupy an entire convention centre. Everybody who visits the event is there for a reason. Sibos is mostly about networking for a whole week. It’s a truly global event, no matter where we organise it, and we have the visitor statistics to prove it.

We have registration areas in the hotels so we can have a ‘fast track’ in the reception area of the convention centre. We do a lot of site inspections to ‘take in’ the city, and to assess how we can adapt ourselves to its layout. 'Everyone who comes for a week brings a suitcase that they have to wait for at the luggage belt, so we had the badge

> Nobody should wait more than 4 minutes when the doors of the convention centre open ‘Sibos began thirty years ago as an event for ‘banking operations'. Sibos provides the financial community with a platform to discuss anything that’s relevant to the financial industry, which has helped the event grow. It has become more and more relevant over the years. Seminars and conferences have been added. We still have the ‘operations’ aspect, but we have many other groups that come to Sibos to participate in critical dialogue and to do business. ‘For Sibos there’s no sponsorship involved, because SWIFT is a neutral company and we want to remain that way. Sibos is first and foremost an event of the community. Speakers consider being invited an honour, so they’re only paid for their expenses.'

CHALLENGES PT: ‘Vienna is one of the best destinations and has a unique service-oriented mentality, with Mr. Mutschlechner as the CVB director. The city is great. Our event is often too big for European cities. Geneva, Copenhagen and Stockholm have hosted the event in the past but due to the growth, we needed to revisit the feasibility. Some cities, such as Barcelona, make it difﬁcult to plan Sibos because of the city’s infrastructure. ‘Registration is of great importance with such a big conference. Our target is that nobody should wait more than 4 minutes when the doors open on Monday morning.

MIM 12

area there. 1,200 people took advantage of this opportunity, 1,728 collected their badge at their hotels. When 4,500 people arrived on Monday morning, 50% already had their badge. ‘Transport is always a challenge in Europe, because of the infrastructure in the cities. We aim for ‘Sibos quality’. When we use 30 hotels in Vienna, we have to create a route for the bus along a couple of hotels. In Asia and the USA the hotels are much bigger. Any destination can contact us, just send us the brochure. ‘To give you an example, we used 40,000m2 of exhibition space in Vienna.

We have a 3-course sit-down lunch every day and don’t use plastic cups, there’s always table service. Now we also have a buffet for 1,000 people who are under time pressure. In all business centres around the world they have cafeterias but they’re not cosy. That’s why we created Sibos lounges with the same snacks, drinks, etc. like an airport lounge. We are frequent travellers and are used to being in lounges, and they’re excellent networking places. ‘People have to feel Sibos when they arrive in the city. We have a lot to win from the city (expertise, officials,...) and the same holds true for the city. Security is very important. Imagine, senior executives come together for a whole week. We therefore work together with the police and the local authorities in order to have everything going according to plan. We started in 2001 with the preparation for the 2008 event. We start slowly with the first visits, and visit the city at least eight times over five years. I’ve already been to Hong Kong three times, and in 2009 I have four trips planned to organise the social events including the speakers’ dinner to thank the 200 speakers, the securities cocktail, the Sibos party, and so on. Then there’s a one week build-up in advance.’

MIM > Interview > Corporate

> Never go for the big splash: pilot, test, assess and deploy

MIM: Could you tell us something more about your team? PT: ‘We’re a team of eight people, but we get support from the Sibos crew. In February we ask who wants to be part of Sibos. Usually about 40 SWIFT people step up to help with the event. You live for Sibos!’

MIM: Do you work with professional organisers or DMCs? PT: ‘We have four strategic partners, three are from the UK and there’s one local DMC that helps us with transportation, social events, manpower, and the connection to local authorities. The Catering Manager is our own and he chooses each and every thing we drink or eat.’

MIM: Do you see an evolution in all these types of events? PT: ‘Sibos gets bigger each year, people wonder if it’s not getting too big to network. Companies are more conscious about who they are going to send to Sibos. Budgets are important, because some banks send 120 employees. The quality of the exhibition stands is also very high. We only charge for the units, and the smallest space is 24m2, but the average rented space is three units! That gives you an idea of how important Sibos is to exhibitors.’

MIM: How does the global financial crisis affect the meetings industry? PT: ‘Last year’s event coincided with the start of the financial crisis. The crisis will affect Sibos but I’m confident people cannot miss out on Sibos. Maybe fewer people from the same company will come to cut expenses, but that won’t diminish the quality of the event. I think Sibos will be one

of the last events to feel the impact, as people will likely ﬁrst forego the smaller events.’

MIM: Finally, where would your ideal destination take you to? PT: ‘Singapore has invested so much in their infrastructure but also in their knowledge and quality of service. To me, it’s the best convention destination in the world. Sydney is absolutely great too, but it’s so far away. Vancouver is a great city but the convention centre is too small for us. I was pleasantly surprised by Seoul, but according to our specifications, it’s impossible to go there: they have a shopping mall in the middle of the convention centre. In 2006 I visited Shanghai. Unfortunately there’s only an exhibition hall and no conference rooms. In the USA the problem is often the labour. We bring specialists from the Asia Pacific region because they have the required knowledge and work fast. It was a challenge finding a professional carpenter in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday before the opening there... And we needed 45!’

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS FOR AN EVENT? transportation: very important and a big challenge in Europe. It’s not even a matter of money, it’s a mess to transport 3,000 people. punctuality: important but not always under control meals: very important, it’s part of the networking. A discussion on the exhibition floor will continue in the restaurant if it’s a suitable venue. lunches: our catering manager makes sure they’re light and adjusted to all religions. You have to cater for everybody. The menus are classic and cover different tastes. coffee breaks: Just a coffee. drinks: good, local wines, not necessarily expensive. We shouldn’t be afraid to taste the city we’re in. free time: important, but almost impossible to find at Sibos. Everybody’s fully booked. We even include networking time in the official programme. culture: too many social events, every exhibiting company is fighting for time. The biggest commodity is time. Over three nights, 75 events took place that we know of. Anything from a dinner of 25 to a party of 1,000. surprise moments: we don’t like surprises. ‘Be prepared, no surprises’ is our motto. exclusive visits: everything is in the centre itself, except for the social events of course. hotels: we take care of everything ourselves. They’re site inspected, we make reservations. A delegate knows he can complain about a hotel to SWIFT. Recommended hotels by Sibos are always 4 or 5-star, but you can’t find enough rooms in Europe. A good 3-star then becomes necessary. (low-cost) airlines: we do not control airlines. Most companies have corporate contracts gadgets: Yes, but we’re very CSR. We even collected the leftovers at the stands and gave them to schools and other associations. conference maps: Extremely important seating comfort: of course number of days: 5 days, in some cities we offer a post-tour as a service, but we don’t get involved. Sydney was special because it’s so far away. lighting: extremely important. We take care of all the conference rooms. new techniques: this year we used RFID in all of our badges. We weren’t monitoring the individual participants. We have profiles for visitors. We learnt some interesting things, like who uses simultaneous translations; Who went to which type of event. People were a bit worried about the RFID but we explained everything in our communications and handed out leaflets for more information. In the end, we got two complaints out of the 8,000 people. Never go for the big splash: pilot, test, assess and deploy. This year we tested simultaneous translation, we will assess the results and next year it will be the full blow.

MIM 13

MIM > Interview > Miss MIM MIM: Marion, people say that PR is all about selling hot air and telling nice stories. It doesn't get you anywhere. Of course, you can't agree. Marion: 'Deﬁnitely not. You can't expect good press coverage on a new shower curtain, but otherwise good press can produce great results. Clients have to appreciate the value of this and create something special that attracts attention. 'The whole PR thing is not clear to a lot of people. The way I see it, a PR company takes care of the communication aspect of its clients in the broadest sense of the word, including public and press relations and pure marketing. And that's my strength because I've been the director of sales and marketing for several hotels for more than ten years. For the last ﬁfteen years I stayed in Belgium so you could call me a 'soft’ Dutchwoman.'

MIM: How do you react if a client claims your proposition is no good, while you've done your utmost?

Miss MIM

Marion Flipse The SMART PR lady in our industry

For the third time, MIM magazine went on the lookout for a Miss or Mister MIM in the Meetings Industry, a remarkable character who's passionate about his or her job. Marion Flipse is all those things. We're often invited to all kinds of press conferences, ranging from boring to extremely boring, or we're invited to visit some hotels, or better: hotel rooms... But if Marion organizes something, we immediately get a good feeling: it's going to be special again, we have to be there. She's always creative and because PR is underrated in our industry, or even forgotten, we felt she deserved to be our Miss MIM. She brought her profession to remarkable new heights. INTERVIEW MARCEL A.M. VISSERS AND STEVEN KINS

MIM 14

Marion: 'Then I think I didn't listen well enough. You have to dare to admit that you made a mistake, which is always possible because you're dealing with a personal approach. Of course, it's not fun to hear that kind of a remark. It might be because the project wasn't prepared well enough or we didn't look at the complete picture. 'I try to stay positive and think: I might use the idea somewhere else. Anyway, it hasn't happened a lot because we always think in a SMART way: the idea needs to be Speciﬁc, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time-bound. That's a basic concept in marketing and you know you have to stick to certain principles and stay realistic.'

MIM: The press, are they your best friends or a necessary evil? Marion: 'They're deﬁnitely good friends, I think the press is extremely important. You even made me Miss MIM, so how could I complain? Sure, they're critical because they've seen and experienced a lot, so when they're all there, that's a nice compliment for me. I don't take care of the press relations by myself, Marylin Herrmann

MIM > Categorie > Onderwerp MIM: Can you tell us something more about future exciting projects? Marion: 'I always try to keep some suspense in what I do, so when I keep meeting the same people over and over, I just open a door somewhere else, just to stay inspired. Anyway, there are two very nice projects, in Holiday Inn Brussels Airport and Crowne Plaza Antwerp. I developed the concept together with Aldert Schaaphok and the team, so keep your eyes open, it's going to be really special!'

MIM: Can we, members of the press, learn anything from our Miss MIM? Marion: 'You should always aim to be number 1, because you have the potential and you have to believe in it. In Holland there are a lot who want to be number one and are not afraid to shout it from the rooftops.

We always think in a SMART way: the idea needs to be Speciﬁc, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time-bound helps me with that.. She transforms my ideas into what the press might expect of it and how we should communicate it. I think the press can be friends, so I also ask for their advice to know if my idea is any good to them. It should have some value, that's why you have to make it attractive.'

'We have a lot of advantages in Belgium: our offer, the nearby airport, the convention bureaus, a wide range of post-meeting programmes, etc. That's revealing itself more and more but of course it can always be improved. We should try to be number 1 and further develop what we already have, so Belgium creates an image just like Holland did with their tulips.'

MIM: Since you're not really in the middle of the meetings industry, what's your view on our industry?

'Also, passion is important and through a healthy pursuit to be the best you become passionate automatically.'

Marion: 'The meetings industry part is very big and is strongly linked to what needs to be sold. The seminar and meeting business is really important in Brussels and demands a creative approach. Meetings need to be functional, particularly with the crisis in mind, because people can't travel that far anymore. However, the need to meet in a fun and inspiring environment is still there and that should be possible in the hotels.'

MIM: So you actually are in the middle of the meetings industry? Marion: 'I have my work cut out for me in this business, so I'm not looking for any other jobs. I consider it a challenge to not let one hotel do the same thing as the other one. If I hear a similar idea from another client, I try to remodel it into something new.'

MIM: For a Miss MIM, anything is possible. How would you lead a convention bureau? Marion: 'I'd start by analyzing, come to a conclusion and prepare my approach very carefully. It's important not to just throw something on the market. I'd advise to hire a PR bureau. 'I think the Belgian coast, Bruges and Ghent are doing a great job. Brussels has evolved too, but you still have split budgets which makes it hard to come to one image. The way Brussels is heading now is the right way, I believe.'

MIM: Your creative spirit is the quality which made you Miss MIM. Where does it come from and who's inspiring you? Marion: 'I've asked that question to my mother (laughing). I always wanted to do something artistic and I'm very interested in a lot of subjects, but eventually I started in the hotel business. Luckily, I can live it up in the sales and marketing environment. 'I try to get some inspiration from every conversation I have, especially my clients are stimulating me, but it can also be a talk I have with my son Liam or with one of the artists in Hotel BLOOM! You just have to be open to it.'

I try to get some inspiration from every conversation I have - with my clients, my son Liam or with one of the artists in Hotel BLOOM! Read the entire interview on www.MIMmagazine.eu THE HISTORY OF MR AND MS MIM It all started in 2007 when Meeting Media Company was celebrating its ﬁfteenth anniversary as a niche publisher. That's when the MIM magazine team thought about introducing an annual prize-giving during the EMIF fair. Actually it wasn't a prize, but rather establishing a moment of recognition for the younger generation – people who had taken a brave initiative in the Belgian meetings industry. The Mr or Ms MIM title gained a broader meaning. From now on, all dynamic, passionate and creative minds in the meetings industry qualify for the title. WE PLANT A TREE, JUST FOR YOU! This year we continued thinking about the concept. The interview and the big posters of the winner on the fair will be kept. Since we, being publishers, are big paper consumers – from this year we're using FSC certiﬁed paper – we're presenting a symbolic tree that's being bought from the A Tree for Life foundation and will be planted in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland (restored Caledonian forest). An eco-friendly gift for Mr or Mrs MIM! Have a look at Marcelsblog.MIMmagazine.eu for more info.

MIM 15

Adding colour to life

A new hotel in town!

Sleep well. Live well.

Great hotels. Great locations.

Meeting your needs

Park Inn Antwerpen is the newest and hottest hotel in Antwerp! Situated just a few steps from the Central Station, this luxurious boutique hotel is offering you everything for a personal and cosy stay in one of the most bustling cities of Belgium: 59 brand-new guest rooms, a trendy breakfast restaurant, a fitness room and an inviting lobby lounge. Be amazed, be inspired, be relaxed! Enjoy our special rate*: as from 98,- EUR, including our luxury breakfast buffet. BOOK NOW, call +32 (0)3 203 13 30 or mail to reservations.antwerpen@rezidorparkinn.com *Valid for all reservations made between 20/02/2009 and 31/03/2009.

Park Inn Antwerpen, Astrid Koningin Astridplein 14, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium T: +32 (0)3 202 31 70, F: +32 (0)3 202 31 71 info.antwerpen@rezidorparkinn.com www.antwerpen.parkinn.be

Antwerpen

MIM > Interview > René Mooren

The Meeting Views of Marriott It’s the third time MIM interviews a big name of the Marriott chain. We started with Mr. John Marriott Junior, we continued with Mr. John Marriott Senior and now we have René Mooren, Area Director of Sales & Marketing for Central Europe. This area includes 40 hotels under different brands. Mr. Mooren is the direct support for all general managers and sales managers in each facility. And of course he has many things to say about how Marriott sees the meeting industry. INTERVIEW RÉMI DÉVÉ MIM: More and more meetings are held in hotels, instead of congress centres for example. What is your explanation?

René Mooren Area Director of Sales & Marketing for Central Europe

We meet with key meeting planners and see what we can improve MIM: How does Marriott position itself regarding the meetings industry? René Mooren: We have to differentiate between the brands. Most of the hotels we own have conference facilities, but their size depends on the positioning of the brand itself. In general, I would say Marriott is very well positioned because every hotel has at least some meeting space. And on the whole Marriott can offer exceptional meetings products.

René Mooren: There are more and more big hotels in Europe. It’s comfortable for the meeting planner: everything is under one roof, he has one contact person, one invoice in the end, etc. Several meeting spaces are available. In congress centres it’s usually different: planners have to rely on several suppliers, which can sometimes turn out to be difﬁcult.

MIM: We understand meeting space in hotels is not just about putting chairs, tables and notebooks in a room anymore. Some designers are concerned about creating a special kind of cosy, relaxed atmosphere… René Mooren: Marriott has always been concerned about the need of its customers. We usually look at what they want and create a product accordindly. In the last years, it’s true, we intended to design special ambiances for meeting rooms, with couches instead of chairs for example. We usually meet with key meeting planners whose opinion we value and see what we can improve.

MIM: To what extent meetings are changing? René Mooren: Meetings and events are growing. 30% of our business comes from this segment if you take Europe as a basis. But it's changing. The way people book events has changed for

example. Everything goes more quickly. For example we can set up a specialized website for a special meeting in a few days, a microsite with all the information participants might need.

MIM: How has the global crisis impacted Marriott? René Mooren: To be honest, it's almost like there is no crisis at all! It seems we are in perfect shape, although it depends on the market and the destination of course. In fact, we even think that, from a marketing point of view, it's an opportunity. Business is still to be found in places. Of course companies will question if meeting and travelling is really necessary, but there are many possibilities to promote hotels. 2009 will be a tough year, but from a hotel perspective it's not that bad. There will be an impact but it will be quite alright.

MIM: Are there novelties that you would like to present? René Mooren: We have a new meetings and events programme. It’s called ‘Events by Marriott’ and assures you a product consistency and service security that is unrivalled. For example it guarantees that, no matter how complex your enquiry is, you will have our offer in 24 hours, with transparent rates, bonus programmes, professional support and a 100% individuality and thoroughness. www.marriott.com

MIM 17

.*.NBHB[JOF FV 4USBUFHJD 1BSUOFS PG &.*'

*OEVMHF JO JOTQJSJOH

&VSPQFBO .FFUJOHT *OEVTUSZ 'BJS

SFDFTTJPO QSPPG JEFBT GPS ZPVS

NFFUJOHT FWFOUT

&95&/4*7& 4&.*/"3 130(3"..&

)PTUFE #VZFST EPO U NJTT PVU

$IFDL PVU TFNJOBS QSPHSBNNFT GPS DPSQPSBUF QSPGFTTJPOBMT BTTPDJBUJPO NBOBHFST PO XXX FNJG DPN

.BJO 4QPOTPS

4VQQPSUFE CZ

.BSDI 5PVS 5BYJT #SVTTFMT #FMHJVN

"QQMZ PO XXX FNJG DPN

#PPL ZPVS TQBDF OPX 4USBUFHJD 1BSUOFST

$BMM FNJG!FBTZGBJST DPN XXX FNJG DPN .FEJB

PREF ISSUAIR E

N N

Today

Published by MIMmagazine.eu, strategic media par tner of EMIF Responsible Publisher : Marcel A.M. Vissers, Mechelseplein 23, 2000 Antwerp

D@D

D@DdX^Xq`e\ %\l

The new EMIF has arrived! Nobody can explain better what EMIF is about than someone who’s working for this trade fair the whole year round. Within easyFairs/Conevex Heidi Smitt is responsible for the Business Services fairs. EMIF belongs to this group, but also Management Assistant, Business Gifts, Visual Com, Retail Systems, Commercial interior & design. But she immediately added that 75% of her time is devoted to EMIF! Could you tell us something more about the new course EMIF is steering? Since I didn’t have any experience in the meeting industry before I joined the organisation in April 2008, it wasn’t hard to re-evaluate the project from scratch. You can still explore new terrain without prejudice. I thought it seemed appropriate to ﬁrst of all listen to the needs and ambitions of the players in the meetings industry. So, the ﬁrst weeks we were mainly asking around about the demands and wishes of the exhibitors and the visitors and we opened our minds to criticism. That’s the fastest training possible. In order not to lose touch with the market we also started two clubs which we regularly meet: EMIF EDP (EMIF Devoted Professionals) and EMIF Y3 (Young Dynamic Buyers). We’re implementing the useful advice of the members as much as possible. It’s safe to say that the new course that EMIF is steering now is strongly inspired by the input we received from the market. Next, it was up to us to transform this input into new clear objectives and the right actions, which I want to explain. We want to raise the number and the quality of visitors by raising the marketing budget meant to attract visitors, developing our database, and sharing our database with other organisations in the meetings industry. Furthermore, we aim to maximize the innovative character of the fair with a new

and contemporary location, new branding, new exhibitors, and by promoting innovations to our visitors and integrating them in the fair itself. Within this framework we’re also working on the events character of the fair. In my opinion, each and every person involved should experience a visit to the fair as something attractive, pleasant and useful, and not merely as a sales platform. Increasing the affinity with all parties involved is another objective. Therefore we have to maintain contact with and set up win-win partnerships with the major players in the meetings industry. This way of working also results in a wide offer of attractive content-filled programmes for associations and corporates during EMIF 2009, such as the associations programme in cooperation with the ESAE, round-table discussions with MIM and HQ magazine, and MCI, an educational by MPI, and a seminar by Rendevenement. The networking possibilities and ROI for the attendants need to be optimized as well. A VIP night and directly afterwards a VIP networking event in the exhibition hall will definitely contribute to this. Finally, we have to keep on stressing the European character of the fair. I think we should compare EMIF to an active spider that’s starting to spin its web in Brussels. Strategically this is definitely the right choice, since the local potential is definitely at hand here. Moreover, the density of the ‘web’ is very high in the Benelux. The cobweb gets thinner as we cross bor-

Heidi Smitt Unit Manager Business Services

ders but there are still important points of attachment all over Europe. This shows in the Hosted Buyer Programme which has a preponderance of Benelux visitors, but also buying potential from other European countries.

What’s your role within EMIF? To put it briefly: restoring confidence in EMIF and turning the fair into an unqualified success again. Of course I’m not doing this by myself. Since I’ve arrived at Conevex/easyFairs, the EMIF team has also welcomed new motivated staff members.

What will be the impact of the crisis on EMIF? The combination of a perceptible recession and a market conﬁdence that needs to be regained will deﬁnitely lead to a somewhat lower number of exhibitors compared to last year. We can live with that, as long as we reach the intended number of visitors, because that’ll be an important sign to grow in the future. Next to that, we want to use the recession to our advantage by attracting visitors through strong content themes which can be a guide in these challenging times. Another good motivation not to miss out on EMIF!

EMIF TODAY 1

Everyone welcome in the Flanders Lounge Like every year the Flanders-Brussels Convention Bureau is present at EMIF, right next to the Flanders Lounge, and close to the VIP Lounge.

The Flanders-Brussels Convention Bureau is presenting the new 'Ofﬁcial Meeting Guide to Flanders & Brussels'

New in 2009 But what's new for this year? Well, ﬁrst of all the Convention Bureau will proudly present the fresh 'Ofﬁcial Meeting Guide to Flanders & Brussels' - 2009 edition at the EMIF fair. In this brochure the services and products of around 700 suppliers from the Flemish and Brussels region are presented.

werpen Toerisme & Congres, and Meeting Limburg. But this year they're also welcoming two new players: Meeting in Mechelen and Meeting in Leuven. A total of around 80 suppliers will be represented in the Flanders zone.

Everyone welcome! Moreover, every local Flemish convention bureau will be joining in: Meeting in Brugge, Gent Congres, Westtoer, Toerisme Knokke-Heist, Toerisme Oostende, Ant-

EMIF TODAY 2

True to tradition, all visitors of the EMIF fair are welcome in the Flanders zone to have a beer, a nice cup of coffee or - more importantly - a pleasant chat.

Contact Jan Wittouck Executive Ofﬁcer Flanders-Brussels Convention Bureau Meeting Point Belgium tel.+32 2 504 03 55 fax: +32 2 504 04 80 www.meetingpoint.be

MIMmagazine.eu Competition 'the biggest buzz @ EMIF 2009'

EDITORIAL MARCEL A.M. VISSERS Owner - Editor in chief

WHO’S MAKING THE BIGGEST BUZZ @ EMIF 2009? Just like last year, the exhibitor who does the best communication & networking job to draw visitors in and do business on their stand will be rewarded. It's not about luxury stand-building & design, although the latter can obviously help communicate a strong marketing message. It’s about people and how they communicate on a fair.

will be awarded in two categories – one national for Belgian exhibitors & the other: international. The judging will take place today, Wednesday. The Awards will then be presented on the winners stands. Both winners will feature in EMIF TODAY 2, published (and distributed) on the 2nd day of EMIF! with the judges’ appraisal of why they were chosen.

PS: Remember that ‘buzz’ does not mean noise, loud music or repetitive videos which disturb business discussions & drive neighbouring exhibitors mad…

The 8th edition, a brand-new start 'Visitors can deﬁnitely expect to be dazzled, right from when they enter the show,' says Heidi Smitt, responsible for the Business Services fairs. This goal can only be strengthened by the new location: the prestigious Tour & Taxis. With her grandeur, history and charm, it is the ideal location for a lively and sassy show such as EMIF. It is for this reason that all additional activities, such as the Associations Programme organized with ESAE, the Corporate Seminars and the VIP events will all take place under the same roof.

can already see a certain concentration on today’s economic climate, and more importantly, how to beat it or even make use of it.

A Tale of Teamwork As in previous years, EMIF has teamed up again with several partners in the industry. Most important goal of these partnerships: enhancing the international platform for the Meetings Industry and providing relevant content during the event. A number of seminars during both the Associations and the Corporate programme have been compiled by Industry media, associations and professional organisations, in order to maximize the quality of its content and to establish a clear focus on the speciﬁc expertise and interests of visitors. However broad the range of subjects, we

The EMIF TODAY Award for the Biggest Buzz @ EMIF 2009

The Cream of the Crop Needless to say, EMIF has put a lot of energy into staying in touch with the market, and thus offering more quality and in-depth content during the show. However, there’s still no proper trade show without, well, a trade show! The cream of national and international exhibitors in the Meetings Industry will enable visitors to indulge in inspiring (and moreover: recessionproof) ideas for their events.

Starting up again One of the most difficult assignments for a pilot is starting up again - making a new start. That means he has to put out his feelers at maximum strength to be able to get the plane back in the air during the landing without touching the ground. Giving full throttle and assessing the surrounding factors correctly just to stay in the air... A miscalculation could be fatal. Sometimes a trade fair also needs to start up again. Transferring from one fair organizer to another without losing too much exhibitors, it's not an easy task. It's often sink or swim because exhibitors are expecting a lot from the new management team, and rightly so. The new start of EMIF last year wasn't flawless. The new course wasn't indicated well enough. This year we confirmed our position as a strategic partner, together with a few colleagues, and we put our back into EMIF to let the fair rise to a good height again. A few factors were better assessed, like communication, location and time of the fair. If the pilot of EMIF keeps flying at full throttle, a nice future lies ahead, because a big meetings industry fair in Brussels the beating heart of Europe - is no luxury. I'd even say it's a must!

EMIF TODAY 3

Your event needs our experience 12, boulevard Royal • L-2449 Luxembourg • Tél.: + 352 24 16 16-735 • Fax : + 352 24 16 16-8952 www.leroyalluxembourg.com • reservations@leroyalluxembourg.com

Pamper your ﬁve senses at the Spa CINQ MONDES in Dolce La Hulpe Brussels Holding your meeting at DOLCE LA HULPE BRUSSELS has always been a peaceful experience thanks to its amazing and unique location amid the Sonian Forest. But with the opening of a CINQ MONDES Spa, early February, you now have the opportunity to combine your meeting or event with a unique Spa experience.

Be sure to check www.dolcespa.be for more details. To combine your Day meeting with a 30-minute Spa treatment and a 30-minute well-being group activity, book the Zen Day Meeting Package for only € 159 per person.

Dolce La Hulpe Brussels Chaussée de Bruxelles 135 1310 La Hulpe Pieter Allaerts +32 2 290 98 25 pieter.allaerts@dolce.com www.dolcelahulpebrussels.com

Photo: Jörg Hejkal

In this 800 m2 Spa with a timeless atmosphere of pure luxury and serenity, up to ﬁfteen people at a time can enjoy a private personal massage or treatment. A wide range of CINQ MONDES treatments are available, from 30 minutes

upwards. An ideal opportunity for you to offer your meeting delegates, clients or colleagues an unusual well-being experience which will leave them relaxed and inspired. DOLCE LA HULPE BRUSSELS also offers you the possibility to reserve this piece of heaven on earth for a whole day or an evening as an ideal and original place for a teambuilding event.

May your convention be successful. Enjoy your stay!

During the day a successful convention. At noon an epicurean break with a glass of Moselle wine and a gourmet meal. In the evening a reception with a gastronomic climax in a venerable abbey or a medieval castle. Let the day fade away afterwards in one of the cosy bistros of the old town with its unique ramparts, a cultural monument of the UNESCO world heritage. Discover the diversity of the City of Luxembourg!

tel. (+352) 22 75 65 fax (+352) 46 70 73 e-mail: convention.bureau@lcto.lu www.lcb.lu

We are looking forward to welcoming you at our booth 2219/2220 during EMIF 2009 on March 18th and 19th, 2009 at Tour & Taxis in Brussels.

18 March 2009

EMIF 2009 Corporate and Association Programme Corporate Programme 11.00-12.00: “When people come together magic happens” Hugo Slimbrouck, Ovation Global DMC

15.30-17.30: Seminar by Febelux/Expobel 15.30: Reception 16.00 - 16.30: Workshop 'Calimero & Co' 'How can exhibitors and visitors get the most out of trade shows?' Guest speaker: Christophe Landuyt, Senior-Consultant, Expo-Id

ESAE Association Programme in conjunction with EMIF Main sponsors Associations Programme:

10.30 Essential regulatory brieﬁng for association managers in Europe

· Gérard Legris · Head of Unit responsible for

· 16.00-17.30: MPI Educational 'The Role of DMCs and Convention Bureaus'

in difﬁcult times Christophe Raudonat - Executive Director, International Association of Young Lawyers (Brussels)

16.30 - 16.45 Break 16.45 - 17.30: Learnshops presentation: 'Interaction between an event and PR, web, social media & buzz marketing' Guest speaker: Stefan CEULEMANS, Business Developer VO-event Vision of Communication (VO Communication) 17.30 - 18.00: ExpoBella Awards 2008

14.00 Planning membership drives

Transparency, Relations with Stakeholders and External Organisations, European Commission Updates on anti-trust legislation, governance and accountability and the registration of associations.

11.10 Tips for European Associations

18.00-19.00: MIMmagazine.eu Round Table Debate

Karin Wouters

'The Readers’ Voice' NB: upon invitation ONLY

11.45 Refreshment Break

on Surviving the Recession

14.30 Roundtables - animated by MCI List of Topics: Navigating VAT, Social and Viral Marketing, Enhancing your Educational Strategy, Revenue generating, Membership Relevance, Strategic Alliances and Partnerships, Working with Volunteers 16.00 Refreshment Break 16.30 Intermezzos: 'Diamond Sponsor' 16.45 How to stimulate the interaction between the members of your organisation and attract more members by tapping into the power of LinkedIn Jan Vermeiren - Networking Coach 17.45 Wrap up

EMIF TODAY 6

18.00-20.00: VIP Opening trade show

12.15 Strategical approach on how to

cope with these challenging times

18.00 VIP visit to the exhibition

20.00-22.30: Fabulous VIP Networking Evening

Helga Severyns - Senior Director of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP, Brussels)

20.00 VIP Networking evening at the VIP lounge

13.00 Lunch (in VIP area)

22.30 Shuttle to hotel

10.00-12.00: 'Trends in Corporations' 10.00-10.30: Power of Motivation Hugo Slimbrouck, Former President SITE Global

10.30-11.15: MCI Round Table Sessions

· Insourcing vs Outsourcing · VAT Recuperation · Payment Schedules 11.15-12.00: Speaker to be conﬁrmed 12.00-13.30: Seminar by Rendevenement 'How to get your guests to network during your event?' Maarten Vanneste, Abbit Meeting Support Jan Vermeiren, Networking Coach

Optional off-site VIP Programme VIP guests are offered an optional off-site programme on the 19th of March by BITC.

· Tour 2 includes: Husa President Park Hotel, La Tentation, Théatre de Vaudeville, The Dominican

09:00-10:00: Shuttle from hotel to Tour & Taxis (only for hosted executives from abroad)

13:30-14:30: Cocktail & lunch offered by BITC at EMIF, Tour & Taxis, Possible departures March 19:

10:00: Departure Brussels Site Visits; organised by BITC · Tour 1 includes: Hotel Bloom!, The Claridge, Le Chatelain All Suite Hotel, Le Bozar

AM: Shuttles from hotel to Tour & Taxis, Airport or Train station PM: Shuttles from Tour & Taxis to Airport or Train station

19 March 2009

Corporate Programme

MIMmagazine.eu Corporate Talk 18 March - 18.00-19.00: MIMmagazine.eu Panel Discussion The Reader's Voice 'The psychological impact of meetings, events and motivitional experiences (more familiarly referred to as incentive trips) on their participants' Four important corporate executives, such as SWIFT, will talk about their own event, and a corporate psychologist will throw in his opinion afterwards. This will deﬁnitely give new insights into the value of meetings, events and motivational experiences.

This not-to-be-missed debate will be moderated by MIMmagazine.eu's founder and editor in chief Marcel A.M. Vissers. Would you like to be a part of the exclusive audience of twenty people who have pre-registered? Go to Events at www.MIMmagazine.eu

D@D

D@DdX^Xq`e\ %\l

MIM 25

FN XXX

PN JG D

.BSDI 5PVS 5BYJT &VSPQFBO #SVTTFMT .FFUJOHT #FMHJVN *OEVTUSZ 'BJS

*OEVMHF JO JOTQJSJOH

SFDFTTJPO QSPPG JEFBT GPS ZPVS

NFFUJOHT FWFOUT

OH JEFBT GP JOTQJSJ S Z P VS NF FU JO

&95&/4*7& 4&.*/"3 130(3"..&

JO H

WF OUJ DF

$IFDL PVU TFNJOBS QSPHSBNNFT GPS DPSQPSBUF QSPGFTTJPOBMT BTTPDJBUJPO NBOBHFST PO XXX FNJG DPN

O FWF U FYIJCJUJPO

4UBZ JO UPVDI

)BUF NJTTJOH PVU 1SF SFHJTUFS POMJOF OPX

GPS ZPVS '3&& CBEHF BOE SFDFJWF PVS NPOUIMZ OFXTMFUUFS

.BJO 4QPOTPS

4USBUFHJD 1BSUOFST

OSTEND YOUR CONFERENCE BY THE SEA When you want to combine business with pleasure... Ostend is the place to be! Ostend has every asset imaginable to provide your organisation and your conference guests with a more than successful convention. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s combination of beach and business is unique in Flanders and our teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expertise is entirely at your service. Would you like to learn about the wide range of convention possibilities in the City by the Sea? Then, please contact our Mice department for a brochure or a site inspection. MEET US AT EMIF The Mice Department of Toerisme Oostende vzw and its partners will be present at the EMIF Fair (booth nÂ° 3020) on the 18th and 19th of March in Tour & Taxis Brussels. We would be glad to present you our novelties. In order to receive a free entrance ticket, please contact our Mice Department.

Toerisme Oostende vzw / Mice department Monacoplein 2, 8400 Oostende T: +32(0)59 255 317 - mice@toerisme-oostende.be

49847_Ad_MICE.indd 1

12-02-2009 16:48:33

MIM > Belgium > Oestercompagnie

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a culinary tour de force prepared on the spot.

The oystercar

Invite the Oystermen of 'De Oestercompagnie' The oystermen of the Oestercompagnie (the Oyster Company) walk around on parties, receptions, galas, opening events, premieres and other events such as MIM magazine's very own celebration of the 100th issue in the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. They blend into the crowd while they open oysters on the spot. The oystermen share their knowledge about this salty delicacy in an animated way. They tell interesting things and anecdotes about oysters but make sure never to step in the limelight. Their enthusiasm and passion are infectious and they know how to convert many a person to a new taste experience. Because of this surprising interaction new oyster lovers are born every time.

You can recognize the oystermen by their white apron. They're equipped with two zinc buckets ďŹ lled with fresh oysters, an oyster knife, a pepper mill, Tabasco, raspberry vinegar and fresh lime juice. The buckets and the plate on which the oysters are presented are attached to a specially designed belt.

A Peugeot 404 pickup truck with an original linen tilt has been transformed into the Oyster Car. Its authenticity underlines the pure nostalgia and grandeur of the world of the oyster. The Car can be used as more than just a piece of scenery. When the tailboard opens, a whole new world of experiences shows up. Surrounded by oyster baskets, the Oestercompagnie opens oysters from a minibar next to the Oyster Car.

The Designer Oyster Bar For large parties the Designer Oyster Bar is available. This bar is made of aluminium and perspex, and its striking design turns it into a real eye-catcher. With its reďŹ ned lighting the Oyster Bar is the sparkling centre of the event. Not only fresh oysters are presented on ice, the Oestercompagnie also offers hot oysters

Contact De Oestercompagnie Antwerpen Tel. +32 3 653 33 92

MIM 27

MIM > Belgium > Brussels Meetings Week

P R O G R A M M E :

Brussels Meetings Week 13-20 March 2009 Get to know the Brussels Meetings Industry Each year, Brussels promotes and reinforces the meetings industry’s image during a whole week of exhilarating activities all over the city. Everybody will have the opportunity to learn what the meetings industry means for a city like Brussels. Just like last year, this event will take place in the context of the European Meetings Industry Fair (EMIF) which will be held in Tour & Taxis, Brussels, on March 18 and 19, 2009.

Friday 13th March:

9 am - 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm - 5 pm Bozar Brussels Job Day ‘Tourism & Meetings Industry’

Thursday 19th March: 9.30 am – 6 pm

11.30 am Bozar Press conference

Tuesday 17th March: VIP Day

(2 programmes: Meetcentives & Incentive Events) + Evening with a walking dinner, in the Museum of Natural Sciences

Tour & Taxis EMIF

2 pm - 6 pm Tour & Taxis Career Day Y3 Programme

Wednesday 18th March: Friday 20th March: 9.30 am – 6 pm Tour & Taxis EMIF

11.30 am - 2 pm

AA Dock's Brussels Meetings Industry Award Ceremony

6 pm - 10 pm Tour & Taxis Brussels EMIF Networking Evening

MORE INFO ABOUT THE EXACT PROGRAMME, TIME AND LOCATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON

www.brusselsmeetingsweek.be MIM 28

MIM > Belgium > Boost Award

BOOST Award Toerisme Oostende rewards creativity Toerisme Oostende has announced the winners of the BOOST Award. BOOST stands for Best Oostende Event, Teambuilding and Convention of the Year and the awards are presented for the ﬁrst time. TEXT STEVEN KINS They focus on PCOs, teambuilding agencies and event bureaus that organised an original and creative activity in the City by the Sea in 2008, exactly the kind of events that Toerisme Oostende wants to further stimulate. By presenting these awards the tourist bureau wants to reach out to the industry and encourage these people to keep organising fresh events in Oostende. The 24 entries were assessed by a professional jury of experts according to several criteria for each component, and from the nine remaining nominees the winners were appointed. The winners do not only receive the Boost Award work of art, designed by artist Willy Bosschem, but also a nice prize package. The experts particularly praised the macroeconomic impact of each of the winning events.

And the winner is... Congress: Medicongress has won the BOOST award for best congress for the World Congress on Homeopathy, the 63rd Liga Medicorum Homoeopathica Internationalis (LMHI) Congress, which was organized in Belgium to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Unio Homeopathica Belgica, the Belgian professional organization for medical homeopathy. This ﬁve-day congress in the 'Kursaal' wanted to show all the differ-

ent aspects of Homeopathy. It was highly acclaimed by the jury because of the large economic impact of the ﬁve-day congress with 814 participants from 64 countries, the professional and advanced organization which used multimedia in an interesting way, the quality of the speakers, the green aspect, and the good integration of Oostende in the side activities, such as the jazz cruise with the Seastar cruise ship. Werner Van Cleemputte, Managing Director Medicongress, was thrilled: 'We already have a lot of experience in Oostende, since we organise the Belgian Surgical Week and the congress of the Belgian association for anaesthetics in Oostende each year. The Congress on Homeopathy was special because budgets are a lot smaller than in the pharmaceutical industry but we organised a congress on an international level without the means that are usually available to us. We went to Oostende during the low season so we got good rates on rooms, especially compared to Brussels, for instance. By the way, the queen visited the congress incognito, because her own doctor was a speaker, and of course this caused controversy in the media.' Teambuilding: The best teambuilding event was staged by Event Mosaic. Their Coast

Mirror Race was a battle between different groups that had to race to Oostende from the east and west coast through a number of team trials with a closing sea rafting trial. This event offered an innovative, distinctive and inventive programme which incorporated the coast and Oostende perfectly. Oostende also was the centre place and the Coast Mirror Race particularly stimulates stays of more than one day. Company Event: The ﬁnal category was dominated by Vandevelde's family day, organised by Bevas. After a breakfast in Kursaal Oostende, clients were invited to discover Oostende in twelve activities, including a coach ride and a round trip of the harbour. A separate kids zone, children's cinema and children's buffet were available as well. The inspiring day ended with a barbecue in the Kursaal. The incorporation of different aspects of Oostende, and the professional organization were also commended. For more info: Toerisme Oostende vzw MICE Department Monacoplein 2, 8400 Oostende T: +32(0)59 255 317 mice@toerisme-oostende.be www.toerisme-oostende.be/boostaward

MIM 29

MIM > Abroad > Lille

Lille - A thriving city with great potential Charles-Eric Vilain XIIII Three years ago, Charles-Eric Vilain XIIII founded the Lille Convention Bureau in a city and region that was relatively unknown to meetings organizers. But Greater Lille has more to offer than you might think. Did you know that their main convention centre can host meetings for 5,600 people? MIM magazine was very curious to hear what has changed in these three years and was eager to interview the Founder and Managing Director of the Lille Convention Bureau. INTERVIEW STEVEN KINS

MIM: Recently, the results of the ﬁrst survey about the meetings industry in Lille were announced. Did the outcome amaze you? Charles-Eric Vilain XIIII: 'I have to admit I found it surprising that we'd already hosted 5,400 events in 2007, with a total number of 575,000 participants who came to our city. The survey also showed that Lille harbours 113 different venues with a total of 484 meeting rooms, and that's just for the city itself, so more interesting places are to be found in the rest of the region. We obviously have a huge offer and the survey conﬁrms that Greater Lille has enormous potential. The only thing that was missing, according to the report, is a congress hotel with 400 rooms, so this indicates the opportunities

MIM 30

for expansion. This remark will deﬁnitely help to raise the awareness among our politicians. They will certainly like the fact that the meetings industry brings 40,000 people a month to our destination.'

MIM: What does the future have in store? Charles-Eric: 'Last year's results promised to be even better, if the satisfaction of the hotels and the exceptional year of the congress centre are any indication. And it can only get better. We went to the Bedouk fair and we received three times as much speciﬁc requests compared to last year! More clients than agencies were showing interest. 'In a time of crisis people are looking for alternative or second-tier locations, and Lille may not be a capital, but it's

Charles-Eric Vilain XIII Managing Director of the Lille Convention Bureau

perfectly located and has a fabulous accessibility. The city is thriving with new projects. For instance, the Lille Grand Palais convention centre will get 10,000m2

of extra space and it's located in the centre of the town!'

MIM: Does the Convention Bureau have any new partners that you feel might impress the public?

MIM: Talking of projects, what are the new assets for the meeting and incentive market in Lille?

Charles-Eric: 'We have a few partners. Especially the addition of Air France and Lucien Barrière is really important, but we have partners up to the city of Le Touquet with the Westminster Hotel, so we're not at all limited to the city of Lille itself. Certain hotels from the wide region have asked themselves to join so they really see the potential. Our agreement with Air France allows us to invite clients and offer special services or a personal welcome in the Paris CDG airport. The airport shuttle to Lille only takes 50 minutes and leaves three times per hour. As you can see, accessibility is really important. That's why we also cooperate with the railways, and we're able to obtain special rates.'

Charles-Eric: 'The new football stadium of first-division club LOSC Lille Métropole with congress facilities and a hotel will be finished by 2012. Its auditorium will definitely have 200 seats but the modular aspect of the building is more important, of course. Furthermore, 2009 will see the arrival of Hotel Casino Barrière at the end of the year, and this will have a main hall for 1,200 people. The nearby city of Roubaix will expand its famous velodrome, so that it'll have congress facilities.'

MIM: Are there any plans for other striking novelties that are bound to turn heads? Charles-Eric: 'Every two years the whole town is busy for the Lille 3000 event. From 14 March until 12 July the theme Europe XXL will set the town on ﬁre with all kinds of events about the expansion of Europe.'

MIM: Since you founded the Lille Convention Bureau, what has amazed you in this new environment? Charles-Eric: 'I was particularly charmed by the strong will to work together with the sector, the dynamism to move forward and put Lille on the map, instead of standing still. For certain congresses subsidies or a special dinner are available, for instance. Regularly, a group meets about the large events in the city. Each big congress is examined and the needs of the clients are studied in order to let the congress go smoothly. Everyone involved is represented, even taxis, restaurants and hotels! This shows that people are not alone with their problems and clients feel supported.'

MIM: Have you heard any reactions after last year's Mister MIM title? Charles-Eric: 'It caused mass hysteria! (laughs) In any case, it's given nice visibility to our destination, which is always welcome of course. If it has brought in any extra bookings is unsure, but who knows. Every bit of extra publicity is helping our image!'

MIM: We've heard something about you being a CSR (Corporate Special Responsibility) speaker? Charles-Eric: 'Indeed, after a training in Toronto I became the ﬁrst and only ofﬁcial CSR speaker in Europe for MPI (Meeting Professionals International). This is in line with what our destination stands for. The city is doing a lot: we try to further improve our accessibility by promoting the use of trains instead of airplanes, and we try to keep meetings as green as possible. Lille Grand Palais and our Convention Bu-

'At the Bedouk fair we received three times as much speciﬁc requests compared to last year'

MIM > Abroad > Lille

reau have both appointed a CSR manager who takes care of internal and external policies with the sector. There are numerous other initiatives. For the Environment Week 182 projects have registered! That's enormous! Also, 100 of our busses are running on a special type of gas which is made out of organic waste that's been collected from people's homes and then processed into gas. Another example: pedicabs (bike taxis) can be personalized with the branding of our client. You see, almost anything is possible in Lille.' Contact: Charles-Eric Vilain XIIII Managing Director Lille Convention Bureau T: +33 (0) 359 56 21 86 F: +33 (0) 359 56 21 89 charles.eric@meeting-lille.com www.meeting-lille.com

MIM 31

Meeting creates Understanding. Understanding creates Networking. 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!

PRE-REGISTER NOW www.imex-frankfurt.com

Journey to the centre of the earth

Visit IMEX. The inspirational exhibition for thousands of brilliant business ideas from around the world... a magnetic attraction for record numbers of global exhibitors and visitors. Live in Frankfurt, 26-28 May 2009. IMEX breathes new life into your business with fresh thinking, new contacts and great deals done. Also on the agenda: unique industry insight and career guidance through the clever IMEX New Vision programme. As one visitor put it, â&#x20AC;&#x153;IMEX is genuinely a hot spot for new experiencesâ&#x20AC;?. No wonder IMEX has become the unmissable show in the worldwide meetings and events calendar. Everyone goes for the chemistry, networking, learning and profiting. The IMEX formula is the proven way to build your business. Come to IMEX 2009. Come and be inspired. The essential worldwide exhibition for meetings and events.

26-28 May/Frankfurt

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

www.imex-frankfurt.com | info@imex-frankfurt.com | +44 (0)1273 227311

MIM > Abroad > Accor

Emotions by ACCOR

Christophe Vanswieten Managing Director ACCOR hotels Benelux

In June 2008 ACCOR Belgium organised its famous ACCOR days again, even though they're being called 'Emotions by ACCOR' for a few years now. This international hotel chain invites its top clients for an intense trip ﬁlled with special moments and emotions. Getting up early and back home late is essential because everything is concentrated into one single day. This time we were invited to the Provence region. 2CVs were our main transportation to the hinterland of this charming region with a visit to an organic farmer, the descent of the famed 'Route des Crètes'... a fantastic experience, of which memories were brought up during a rosé-drenched lunch. Afterwards, the group was expected in front of a large renovated gentlemen farm where more action was waiting for us: helicopter ﬂights, guided walks around the domain, tastings... The pictures tell it all. REPORT CÉCILE CAIATI-KOCH

MIM 33

ÃÌiÀ`> Ê ÃÊ>ÊV «>VÌÊV ÌÞ }> }Ê ÀiÊÌ iÊv ÀÊÞ ÕÀÃi v° ÃÌiÀ`> Ê ÃÊ « ÃÃ L ÞÊ Ì iÊ ÃÌÊ V «>VÌÊ vÊ Ü À `Ê V >ÃÃÊ V Ì iÃ]Ê ÜiÛiÀÊ ÃÌ >Û }ÊÊ > ÞÊÃ«iV > ÊÌ }ÃÊÌ Ê vviÀÊÜ Ì Ê ÌÃÊÃ > ÊÃ«>Vi°Ê/ iÊV ÌÞÊ ÃÊÃ > Êi Õ} Ì Ê> ÜÊÞ Õ]Ê>ÃÊ>ÊLÕÃ iÃÃÊÛ Ã Ì ÀÊÌ ÊÃ ii«ÊÃ Õ ` Þ]Ê Ü }ÊÌ >ÌÊ ÊÌ iÊv Ü } À }Ê ÌÊÜ ÊLiÊi>ÃÞÊÌ Ê}iÌÊÌ ÊÞ ÕÀÊ>«« Ì i ÌÊ ÊÌ i°Ê ÃÌiÀ`> ½ÃÊV ÌÞÊ Vi ÌÀiÊ ÃÊ Õ µÕiÊ >ÃÊ ÃÌÊ V>Ì ÃÊ > `Ê « ÌÃÊ vÊ ÌiÀiÃÌÊ >ÀiÊ Ü Ì Ê Ü> }Ê ` ÃÌ> Vi°Ê ÌÊ > Ã Ê L >ÃÌÃÊ > Ê ivwV i ÌÊ «ÕL VÊ ÌÀ> Ã« ÀÌÊ iÌÜ À ]Ê V Õ` }Ê Ì i ÃVi VÊV> > Ã]ÊÜ V ÊÜ ÊLÀ }ÊÞ ÕÊV v ÀÌ>L ÞÊvÀ Ê ÊÌ Ê °Ê ÊÌ iÊ `ÃÌÊ vÊnääÊ Þi>ÀÃÊ vÊ ÃÌ ÀÞ]Ê Ì iÊ V ÌÞÊ ÃÊ iÊ Ì Ê > ÞÊ V>vjÃ]Ê V ÕLÃÊ > `Ê ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> ÌÃÊ Ì Ê ÃÕ Ì iÛiÀÞÊÌ>ÃÌi°Ê ÃÌiÀ`> Ê ÃÊ>ÊÌÀi>ÃÕÀiÊÌ ÊÌ iÊiÞi]ÊÜ Ì ÊV >À }Ê}>L i`Ê ÕÃiÃ vÀ Ê Ì iÊ `i Ê }iÊ > }Ê Ì iÊ V> > Ã°Ê Û>Ì Ê Ã ViÊ Ì i Ê V> Ê LiÊ Ãii Ê Ê Ì iÊÃÌÀ }Ê`iÛi « i ÌÃÊ vÊV Ìi « À>ÀÞÊ>ÀV ÌiVÌÕÀiÊv Õ `Ê>VÀ ÃÃÊÌ iÊV ÌÞ° ÃÌiÀ`> Ê ÃÊ> Ã Ê iÊÌ ÊÃiÛiÀ> ÊÜ À ` Ài Ü i`Ê ÕÃiÕ Ã]ÊV ViÀÌÊ > ÃÊ> `Ê Ã iÊ } ÞÊ >VV > i`Ê w > V > Ê Vi ÌiÀÃ°Ê 9 ÕÊ Ü Ê ` ÃV ÛiÀÊ ÜÊ ÃÌiÀ`> ½Ã V «>VÌÊÃ âiÊ i> ÃÊÌ >ÌÊÞ ÕÊÜ Ê}> Ê ÀiÊÌ iÊv ÀÊÞ ÕÀÃi v]ÊLÕÌÊÜ Ì ÊÃ Ê ÕV Ì ÊÃiiÊ> `Ê` ÆÊÞ Õ½ Ê ii`ÊÌ >ÌÊiÝÌÀ>ÊÌ it ÜÜÜ°> ÃÌiÀ`> V }ÀiÃÃ°

MIM > Abroad > Amsterdam

Amsterdam Art City From cultural history to sparkling future The nice people at Amsterdam Tourism & Congress Bureau invite corporate planners and incentive houses during the annual Amsterdam MICExperience. Since it was a while ago that we were in Amsterdam, we gladly participated in the 2009 edition of this discovery and networking event. As Amsterdam is a part of the 'Holland Art Cities' during 20092010, there's a lot of cultural news. In this article we'll try to keep you up to date on what makes Amsterdam an interesting city to hold your meeting or incentive in. In the next issue (April 2009) we'll publish an update on the hotels, as a lot of them are being renovated as we speak.

MIM 35

COMING OUT SEPTEMBER’09 HEADQUARTERS MAGAZINE ASIA-PACIFIC EDITION MARCEL A.M. VISSERS

CÉCILE CAIATI-KOCH

Owner and Editor in Chief

Managing Director

Marcel A.M. Vissers, Owner and Editor in Chief, and Cécile Caiati-Koch, Managing Director, are proud to announce the launch of HeadQuarters magazine - Asia-Pacific Edition, the magazine for Asia-Pacific based international and regional associations The new magazine will be headquartered in Singapore from 1 September 2009 on

Distribution: 3,000 copies in 14 different Asia-Pacific countries Published 6 times a year To subscribe: pieter@meetingmedia.eu For special rates advertisement: cecile@meetingmedia.eu Send your press releases to: press@meetingmedia.eu

?HdX^Xq`e\ % Xj`X

4740

Also have a look at our website: www.hqmagazine.eu

HEADQUARTERS magazine, The Asia-Pacific Magazine for Association Executives To read Marcel’s thoughts about the meetings industry: marcelsblog.hqmagazine.eu

MIM > Abroad > Amsterdam

Amsterdam Art City

The RAI Elicium

In 2009, 'Art' will be the central theme in Amsterdam as the Dutch capital is part of the Holland Art Cities. Four major cities and ten top museums are collaborating for this joint initiative. The city of Amsterdam has always been bursting with cultural marvel and in the future there'll be even more to see. More info on this subject can be found on www.amsterdamartcity.nl.

Hermitage Amsterdam In June the Hermitage Amsterdam will open its doors to the public. This is the most signifant annex of the world-renowned museum outside Saint Petersburg in Russia. The collection will then be moved to the 17th century Amstelhof building where a selection of the vast collection of the Hermitage will be shown.

Stedelijk Museum Next year in springtime the renovated Stedelijk Museum will also reopen its doors. The museum has a very esteemed collection of modern art and design with works from Appel, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso and others. The new building will house the more provocative and recent works of the museum.

Amsterdam has always been bursting with cultural marvel and in the future there'll be even more to see

Other museums Besides the (re)opening of these two musea, we cannot forget about the Rijksmuseum with its rich collections of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals and about the Van Gogh Museum. They will both present important exhibitions in 2009.

Later this year the building's congress and meeting rooms will be ﬁnished.

you want, the Passenger Terminal would be a suitable choice.

Special Venues

In the city centre you can ﬁnd some historical and charming venues such as 'De Rode Hoed', the 'Gassan Diamond' and the 'Odeon' theatre. More info on these and other special venues can be found on the website of ATCB: www.atcb.nl

For your meetings, networking activities or evening dinners, Amsterdam has a wide variety of special venues to offer, ranging from cultural over sportive to gastronomical.

The RAI Elicium

4740

The Elicium is an new and durable extension of the existing RAI venue. This new building forms a bridge between the RAI's Europe and Holland complex and has a ground surface of 3,400 square metres. Since January the Ballroom is already ﬁnished and can be used for galadinners, congresses, big receptions and all kinds of corporate events. In theatre style the capacity goes up to 2000 persons.

In the northwest of Amsterdam you will ﬁnd a newly developed area with some interesting venues. The 'Muziekgebouw aan't IJ', the Passenger Terminal and the Mövenpick Hotel form a little island on their own. The 'Muziekgebouw' offers you meeting capacity as well as an interesting venue for cultural activities. If you're looking for a real event venue that can be transformed into almost anything

Be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of our Amsterdam report in the next issue of MIM magazine! MIM 37

MIM > Abroad > Morocco

Morocco Land of music festivals If possible, I go to Marrakesh each year for a couple of days. Last year I got the opportunity to see the Festival National des Arts Populaires, a very musical and particularly colourful festival that’s held in the historic El Badi Palace. This visit put the idea into my head to introduce a music incentive to my readers. TEXT MARCEL A.M. VISSERS

Colourful music The Festival National des Arts Populaires (Moroccan Popular Arts Festival) has a long history. It started in 1960 and since then it has grown into a classic in Morocco. Every year in July Marrakesh turns into a colourful and musical city for a whole week. That's when the fairy tale takes the upper hand all over town. For the 43rd edition of the festival in 2008 I had allotted enough time in order to attend a few big performances. And how great was my amazement! So many popular but especially so many authentic quality shows together, it wasn't something I see every day. And I shared this feeling with a lot of international visitors. It started on 14 July at 9PM with a big opening parade on the Mohammed V Boulevard and it ended on the fabulous Jamaa El Fna square. For the ofﬁcial opening we had to wait until the next day in the El Badi Palace, a prestigious monument in the old city. By the way, each night this palace is the setting for a lively theatre full of colour, sound, rythm and especially full of people who feast their eyes on this unique spectacle. An incentive organizer who buys VIP seats for this event in time can count on a warm applause of his attendants. All the big names from the Moroccan music and folklore scene are performing then. Famous groups like Najat Aatabou, Zina Daoudia,

MIM 38

Thanks to Nabil Bekkali, General Manager of Elite Travel, I received a detailed list of all the festivals that are being held in Morocco in 2009. Elite Travel refers to unique travel experiences and returning visitors. That's what we like to hear when we're talking about incentives. And a music incentive... that's pleasing to the ear.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The International Film Festival of Marrakesh: December The 2nd edition of the International Festival of Salsa in Marrakesh: 1 to 5 October Festival Gnaoua and World music Essaouira: June Fez Festival of World Sacred Music: 29 May to 6 June Jazz Festival Tangier: May - June The Feast of Roses - El Kelaa M'gouna: 12 to 18 May

Hajib, Nass Al Ghiwane, Jil Jilala and Aabidat R'ma followed artists from the new generation like Fnaire, Darga, Brada, Mosker, Hakmin and Nabila man.

The whole city joins in the party To involve the whole town in the music events, programmes are offered on several places. During the 2008 edition six scenes were set up in the Daoudiate, Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, M’hamid, Hey El Massira, Bab Lakhmis and Harti Square districts. The festival also aims at promoting local and traditional arts through special

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

National Festival of Folk Art – Marrakesh: 10 to 20 June The appointment of the betrothed Moussem of Imilchil: 21 September to 11 October Andalusian Music Festival in Chefchaouen Festival of World Music in Essaouira The Desert Symphony in Ouarzazate Festival of Music Andalouses in Rabat Festival International de danse Contemporaine in Marrakesh

evening contests at the Royal Theatre between groups of Ghiyata, Gnawa and groups of young college musicians, and also a contest between Hennayate women. Works of the latter were on display on the same site. The 44th edition in 2009 will take place from 14 until 19 July. Info: Ofﬁce National Marocain du Tourisme 402 Avenue Louise 1050 Brussels T: +32 2 646 63 20 F: +32 2 646 73 76 tourisme.maroc@skynet.be www.marrakechfestival.co

MIM > Abroad > Montreal

A touch of crazy relaxation

VViie Vie iew frrom om Mo Mont nnttt--Roy RRooyal al on on th tthe he ci city ty

Montreal In MIM 100 I promised to tell you the rest of the story of my trip to Montreal. As you might have imagined after reading about the ﬁrst part of my stay in Canada, the surprises didn't end after day one. Think stretch limousines, celebrities, cocktails and a welcome relaxation exercise. REPORT STEVEN KINS

Indeed, the second evening started with a cocktail and a game that taught us all about the Québécois dialect but when we came outside, a couple of stretch limos were waiting to take us to Restaurant Newtown, in the heart of the bustling Montreal nightlife. This place, which has a club, a lounge bar and a terrace on the different ﬂoors, is owned by Jacques Villeneuve, the former Formula 1 world champion, and we even got to shake hands with him! After a ﬁnal drink on the terrace we

could have gone to our hotels, but then we would have missed out on all the fun, the atmosphere and the beautiful local people who had put on their dancing shoes. Waking up was a bit harder than usual and not only because of the jet lag... Luckily we were invited for a healthy walk, a tai chi session and an open-air breakfast on the Mont-Royal with its beautiful view on the city. This whole day promised to be healthy and sporty with a rally in Old Montreal, which made us more familiar with the city, and a bike ride to – and on – the F1 circuit.

ple working in the travel, hotel or meetings industry were a bit introverted, you'll be shocked to hear that our hosts even did a fashion show for us, presenting the ﬁnest creations of local designers. If you like fun and a touch of craziness, don't be afraid to try out Montreal!

We even got to shake hands with former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve

Everything is possible in Montreal so a cocktail in a shop with original Montreal leather designs of M0851 is not unusual. It deﬁnitely was another example of the local creativity. Another delicious dinner later, we headed to Terrasse Bonsecours for – literally – another highlight: we had a great view on the spectacular international ﬁreworks competition.

Limo service

Our hosts thought we had been 'working' more than hard enough, so the ﬁnal day started off with a relaxing spa treatment. And if you thought that the Montreal peo-

Restaurant Newtown

MIM 39

A Taste of Life as A Londoner

PHOENIX HOUSE - LONDON, ENGLAND LIVE THE LIFE OF a true Londoner when you stay at the award-winning Phoenix House, luxurious serviced apartments in the city’s fashionable Chelsea District.

Phoenix House has its own fitness room, which is open 24hours, seven days a week and features a treadmill, bike, rower and cross trainer.

Designed by Fox Linton Associates, the designers of One Aldwych Hotel and The Grove, Phoenix House offers “boutique” luxury serviced apartments which provide the perfect “home-from-home” base for business travellers to London.

A complete lifestyle product, the apartments would not be complete without a fully-equipped kitchen. Visit the wonderful Borough Market and Billingsgate Fish Market to purchase an array of fresh produce, which you can cook in the comfort of your very own “home.” Alternatively, dine in Le Cercle, Phoenix House’s French restaurant, or order delicacies from Le Cercle’s “Gourmet Grazing” room service menu to be delivered straight to your apartment.

The deluxe interiors at Phoenix House are modern and contemporary, while exuding subtle and sophisticated elegance. All apartments feature Bang & Olufsen flat-screen televisions on motorised stands with built-in DVDs, CD players, Bose speakers, facsimiles with scanners and printers, wireless broadband internet connections and digital cordless telephones with digital answer machines. Daily maid service comes as standard, while a 24-hour concierge will attend to your every need, from re-stocking the fridge and making table reservations, to booking personal trainers and arranging flights and airport transfers. To help you settle into Phoenix House, a welcome basket of organic food and drink is placed in every apartment prior to arrival. Luxurious goose-down duvets and Frette satin/cotton sheets will ensure you get a perfect night’s sleep.

Discerning travellers return time and time again to the apartments at Phoenix House, renowned as some of the very best accommodations in London. It is hard to beat Phoenix House’s service, style, security, and value. Phoenix House is part of the Cheval Group, London’s market leader in Serviced Apartments. The apartments at Phoenix House are priced from £1,239 per week (only £177 per night) excluding VAT.

Phoenix House, 1 Wilbraham Place, London SW1 9AE Telephone +44 (0)20 7259 8222 or www.chevalgroup.com

MIM > General > Technology

Meeting support by Create Multimedia Create Multimedia is a full service AV company that supports meetings and conferences all over Europe. Our company stands for innovation, quality of service and ﬂexibility. We are constantly investing in high end AV gear such as HD Barco projectors, multi screen setups, cameras, intelligent lighting etc. We strongly believe this is essential to a good overall quality for meetings and conferences.

What sets us apart from other AV companies is the quality of service we provide. We don’t just deliver the gear, we create solutions. Over the years we have developed specific solutions for medical conferences and meetings. One of these solutions is the interactive poster system called ePoster. This is a software application which allows an easy navigation and browsing of the scientific posters and abstracts at a conference. Up to now these posters were presented in printed form on large boards. This involved a lot of hassle in the past for poster presenters having to print and transport their poster to the conference venue. Now posters can be uploaded in advance or onsite in digital form, without printing or shipping costs. To make this software attractive to conference delegates we show the posters on large touchscreens so bystanders can also see the poster presented. People can then rate the poster or send comments to the author of a specific poster. Afterwards, the meeting posters can be published online and the discussion can continue on the net until the next conference takes place. This is of course, when we have the author’s permission.

You think that a system like this is only for large conferences but in fact it is suitable for all sorts of meetings, both big and small. It takes up less space so no extra room has to be rented, and the renting of the monitors is becoming as expensive of the labour cost involved when renting the old fashioned poster boards. Another key aspect in the success of the conference is the good ﬂow of presentations. Nothing is more disturbing in a conference than people taking up valuable meeting time trying to connect their own laptop or having trouble with their slide shows. We have solved this by adding a presentation management system. All presentations are uploaded and checked in a central location in the venue. Once presentations are checked they are then transferred to the room(s) where the presentation is presented. When the presenter enters the stage everything is already on screen.

Create multimedia offers these services not only in a full service setting, even when the room is fully equipped we can provide these extra services. As you might have experienced, not many venues have experienced powerpoint / keynote technicians. These are only a few of the services we can provide for your meeting. We consider it our mission to continue enhancing these services to our clients and to ﬁnd new ways to provide a high service support for your conference. Contact: Create Multimedia Services T: +32 9 344 40 96 F: +32 9 344 40 10 info@createmultimedia.be Visit our blog: www.createmultimedia. be/blog www.createmultimedia.be

MIM 41

MIM > Abroad > KLM

KLM's Journeys of Inspiration KLM Royal Dutch Airlines launched its new advertising campaign 'Journeys of Inspiration' in Belgium and G.D. Luxembourg on February 6, 2009, as part of a multi-year program to renew KLM ’s brand positioning. The wishes and needs of KLM passengers are the focal point of this program, which is aptly named 'The Customer Journey'.

Leave smaller footprints in the sky

The campaign includes print advertisements in which customers are literally the focal point, framed by an aircraft window. They also feature the new slogan 'Journeys of Inspiration'.

Time, attention and comfort

Visit klm.be to join our CO2ZERO service.

WWW.KLM.BE

Every year, KLM carries 22 million passengers to their destination. To gain detailed insight into the wishes of its passengers, KLM conducted a major survey. KLM based its Customer Journey program on the analysis of more than 8 million bits of passenger data and more than 100 indepth interviews. The survey revealed that passengers have three basic needs: time (en route to their ﬁnal destination, passengers want to decide for themselves how they would prefer to spend their time), attention (every passenger has speciﬁc wishes), and comfort (every passenger wants to arrive rested and relaxed). These needs will serve as a guideline for further development of KLM ’s products and services.

New services Examples of new products and services include airport lounges with wireless internet, mobile boarding passes, the self-service transfer desk, the availability of more than 500 hours’ worth of in-flight entertainment (96 films, as well as music and TV channels), self-service baggage drop-off and the possibility of taking a language course via the in-flight entertainment system, enabling passengers to get prepared for their destination. Further-

MIM 42

more, cabin crew and ground personnel will receive even better training in the recognition of the three primary customer needs: time, attention, and comfort. By focusing on passenger needs and wishes, KLM distinguishes itself in the market. The survey revealed that KLM is seen as genuine, friendly and open. The survey conﬁrmed that passengers value these traits, which is why they were chosen as guidelines for the new campaign. Passengers will also see this reﬂected in the new house style, which will be introduced later this year, and in their interaction with KLM, in the air and on the ground. Eric Varwijk, executive vice president KLM commercial, added:

'We want to ensure that our products and services are even better tailored to the speciﬁc needs of the different business and leisure customers we serve.' www.klm.be

Over 900 destinations worldwide with our SkyTeam partners MAKING THE SKY THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH .

W W W . A I R F R A N C E .BIZ/BE

Treat your guests to a unique event experience … Whatever the size of your group, Disneyland® Resort Paris offers boundless possibilities for creating original, innovative events that are the ideal mix of work and pleasure.

Sensational events!

Disneyland® Resort Paris, Europe’s leading conference resort 23,500 m² of meeting facilities 13 hotels with 7,800 rooms* 2 Theme Parks for special events for 50 guests and more Tel: +33 (0)1.60.45.75.00

DLP-007 Main Street Sgl Pg Ad Insertion_English_MIM.indd 1

E-mail: dlp.business@disney.com

www.drpbusiness.com

© D is ne y, E u r o D is ne y A s s o ci é s S . C .A . – S ir e n 3 9 7 4 7 1 8 2 2 R C S M ea u x – C a p it a l S o ci a l 6 1 1 0 9 9 1 5 6 . 7 0 € - L i c e n c e s E . S . n ° 1 -1 0 1 3 2 9 5 1 - 1 0 1 3 3 0 7 ; 2 -1 0 1 3 2 9 3 et 3 - 1 0 1 3 2 9 4 . * 5 ,8 0 0 o f w hi c h a r e i n t he 7 D is n e y ® H o t el s .

Just imagine .... a truly magical event!

9/18/08 12:53:06 PM