Factors that are essential when choosing a host city for a congress

Meetings industry impact on Metropolis

Rob DavidsonSenior Lecturer in Business Events

University of Greenwich

smart metropoliaGdansk, 22 Nov. 2013

Competition is growing

What do Congress Planners want?• From venues and hotels …• Value-for-money: the market is more price-

sensitive than ever• Flexibility, in negotiations and contracts. Risk-

sharing (numbers of delegates, cancellations …)• Transparency: what is included? Everything

upfront. (Audio-visuals, bottled water, car-parking …)

• Professionalism, continuity• Partnership!

What do Meeting Planners want?• From destinations …• Accessibility, infrastructure, security, value-for-

money, a strong, positive brand• Cooperation and collaboration between local

actors in the meetings industry• Ideas, suggestions, and assistance from the

Convention Bureau• Subvention? …

Success Factors• Maintaining the Metropolis as a desirable

destination for meetings depends on:• Continuing to identify key markets for this city• TEAM-WORK, to win meetings and

conventions for the Metropolis• Using the full range of marketing tools:

exhibitions, advertising, public relations, familiarisation trips, ambassador programmes, et cetera

Success factors

• Educating local politicians, business people, and local residents about the value of the meetings industry

• Maintaining reliable statistics on the meetings industry in the Metropolis: market intelligence, statistics …

CONGRESS IMPACTS• ECONOMIC BENEFITS

• - high-spending visitors• - all-year-round• - employment: people-intensive

• EDUCATION – KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER• NATIONAL/CITY IMAGE-BUILDING• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS

CONGRESS IMPACTS

• TOURISM BENEFITS

• - hospitality industry benefits• - participants can return for holidays with friends/family• - participants can be accompanied• - participants can become ambassadors for metropolis

THANK YOU, EVERYONER.Davidson@greenwich.ac.uk