Incon Group

Industry Articles by INCON Partners

The partners of INCON are experts in their field of professional conference organising. Most of them hold, or have recently held, leadership roles in the various industry bodies including ICCA, IAPCO, SITE, ASAE, etc. They now wish to make this expertise available to the people involved in the industry, and have embarked on a series of expert “how to” articles and case studies.

The first article in this series entitled "Choosing The Right Destination" is written by Inge Hanser, Co-Chair of INCON. Inge is Managing Director of her company CPO HANSER SERVICE GmbH , the foremost professional conference organiser in Germany. CPO has been handling conferences in Germany and worldwide for twenty five years. Inge is a former President of the International Association of Professional Conference Organisers (IAPCO). This article was released in May 2008 and has already been syndicated by a number of on-line and print media. Below is the article in Word format.To see the article in PDF format, please click here

The second in the series is entitled "Driving-Up Conference Revenues" (see below) and is written by Roslyn McLeod. Roslyn is a member of the INCON Executive Committee and is Managing Director of her company Tour Hosts Pty Limited in Sydney. She is a well-known and respected figure in the Australian events industry. Roslyn also plays an active role in IAPCO. This article was released in July 2008. To view the article in PDF format, please click here.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT DESTINATION by Inge Hanser
"How to select a winning destination for your international event"

Choosing the right destination is the basis of a successful event as it provides the platform upon which congress and meeting goals and objectives can be built. Selecting the right destination means identifying a geographic region that is appealing, accessible and affordable as this "trio" will, ultimately, drive delegate numbers.

Defining Meeting Requirements
The meeting goals and objectives should guide the destination selection process. Based on the stated goals and objectives, you can begin to define the meeting requirements in terms of space, dates, rates and services. This process requires knowledge and data on attendee demographics, programme content and a available budget. Historical data from previous meetings/ events with similar goals and objectives will often help to define these parameters.

Preparing the Event Profile
Before opening the discussion about possible destinations it is essential to identify and prepare the event profile. The profile should include the goals and objectives, the attendee profile, available historical data, preferred dates, number of guestrooms, meeting room requirements, outline programme schedule, range of acceptable rates, catering requirements, information about exhibition and other special events or activities.

Request for Proposals (RFP)
The event profile makes it possible to prepare a short list of suitable destinations. The next step is to prepare the bid document which is a written document that includes the meeting specifications. It may also describe the selection procedures and criteria. This process should ideally be handled by Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) on the behalf of the client. The bid document should then be sent to prospective cities, PCOs, Destination Management Companies (DMCs), Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs) or venue facilities.

Researching Destinations
For Scientific Meetings it will be necessary to identify national societies or active scientists interested in hosting the congress. Local support is vital for the success of any congress. Again, the knowledge and expertise of PCOs in a global association such as INCON can be drawn upon to guarantee success. INCON partners often work globally and therefore can dispense advise about destinations worldwide through their own experiences. Convention and Visitor Bureaux (CVB) can also be helpful partners in the destination selection process. They represent specific destinations and offer expert knowledge and, in many cases tangible support. . CVBs provide usually unbiased information about local hotels, conference and convention centres, non-traditional venues and suppliers. Other valuable sources for obtaining information and assistance include national tourism offices, government agencies, international airlines, travel agents, international hotel chains and members of the particular association who have previous experience at the prospective destinations.

Attending trade shows such as EIBTM, IT&ME, IMEX or ITB represents a most useful resource as much time can be saved in collecting information. IMEX, for example, has a hosted buyer programme especially for decision makers from associations with subject-related seminars. Trade associations related to the meeting/ events industry like the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO), Meeting Professionals International (MPI) etc and others will assist with further information. Trade magazines, also, are another useful source of information. Some publishers in the industry produce annual directories of venues.

Site Visits
By analyzing the RFP responses it will be possible to narrow the selection to a short list of potential destinations. However, before coming to a final decision it is always advisable to conduct a site visit. Site visits are often financially supported by the CVB, PCO and other partners.

Conclusion
The destination must be safe, attractive and affordable to attract many participants. INCON is offering its support by providing a "one-stop shop" - no matter where you choose to hold your event.

Check List for Destination Selection

Accessibility of the destination (by air, by rail, by road)
Suitable congress venue
Sufficient hotel room capacity across the category appropriate to the socioeconomic profile of the delegate
Reputation, flexibility & profession alisms of the venue staff and other support personnel
Reasonable costs including travel & accommodation
Telecommunication & infrastructure • Safety & security
Natural & health risks (earthquakes, epidemics etc)
Local membership and their interest in assisting with and/or participating in the meeting
Availability, comfort and cost of ground transportation
Appeal and Attractiveness of the destination (leisure time activities, cultural attractions etc)
Attendee expectations for meeting venue and support services
Availability of multilingual staff
Cancellation policies and negotiation flexibility
Foreign exchange rates & seasonal aspects (peak seasons etc)
Political & economic stability of the destination
Foreign governments reputation
Customs regulations
Visa requirements (free access for everybody)
Climate at the destination
Environmental friendly destination (green aspects)
Accessibility for people with disabilities
Availability of medical facilities
Attitude of local residents toward foreign visitors & language barriers
Time zones
Concurrent local events or related meetings
Labour union regulations
Local holidays
Recommendations & possible concerns of sponsors

DRIVING-UP CONFERENCE REVENUES by Roslyn McLeod

Driving-up conference revenues is ’must do for a PCO’ in today’s environment where the bottom line is continually scrutinized and conference budgets examined.

A conference can maximise its potential receipts / earnings capacity, by aligning itself with other organisations / products / associations keen to ‘buy-into’ the themes and opportunities that a specific conference offers. A key priority for a Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) is to accrue maximum conference revenues through sponsorship, exhibitions sales and delegate promotions.

Sponsorship - A PCO needs to be active against agreed sales and promotional plans, to ensure that conferences meet and exceed sponsorship targets. A PCO should devise a detailed sales plan, research and confirm key target markets / groups who should be approached. The PCO should devise a sponsorship-package hierarchy - where the focus is on selling the top level sponsorship first; this ‘domino-effect’ maximises sponsorship revenues for the conference. A top level sponsor would be likely to receive superior exposure and entitlements leading up the Conference.

Sponsorship packages should be tailored to provide marketing solutions for any size of company. Sponsors benefit from the opportunity that the conference offers to consolidate relationships, expose their brand, and maintain profile within a targeted audience.

Negotiating the highest level of income for the conference, whilst maintaining the satisfaction of the sponsor / exhibitor is the key challenge for the PCO.

Exhibition Sales – Exhibition space is a major area of revenue for any conference. Exhibition space is an opportunity for relevant organisations to promote their products and services in a face-to-face environment, thereby furthering their sales and marketing objectives; it offers instant market feedback and the opportunity to acquire highly qualified leads.

A PCO should interlink exhibition sales with sponsorship, to gain maximum benefit for all parties.

Sales and Delegate Promotions – Achieving maximum delegate attendance is a key performance indicator of both the PCO and the overall success of a meeting. The PCO must deliver value on every dollar the Organising Committee spends. A PCO should prepare a detailed sales strategy to ensure the most relevant businesses / market segments are identified and contacted. As a PCO, it is vital to draw extra value from the conference by using existing relationships with the media to publicize the event and expose the event to key target audiences as much as possible. Marketing techniques that a PCO should consider include: designated conference website, maximizing press release and PR statements, e-Blasts and word of mouth.

Securing optimum delegate ‘buy-in’ is a key revenue driver for a conference; proactive selling to the appropriate markets generates maximum financial returns.