The PCO - News from IAPCO by IAPCO

NEWS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION of PROFESSIONAL CONGRESS ORGANISERS

Issue No. 82 Q3 2018

IAPCO at 50: Experienced | Engaged | Energised

Ticky the Turtle

NOT JUST A DROP IN THE OCEAN IAPCO’s 50th Anniversary Legacy By 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish; by 2050 IAPCO aims to rid the meetings industry of single-use plastic. As part of IAPCO’s 50th Anniversary legacy, the Not Just a Drop in the Ocean CSR Campaign has been launched. IAPCO will be doing this with the help of the Campaign’s mascot Ticky the Turtle. Ticky will be virtually visiting member companies who commit to taking action by signing the Plastics Pledge, who make at least one measurable change and who will share their achievements.

IAPCO will be encouraging member companies to engage their suppliers, clients and local stakeholders to also join the Campaign and sign the Plastics Pledge.

The target is for Ticky the Turtle to have visited 50 member companies within IAPCO’s 50th anniversary year that will mean 50 Pledges signed and 50 real measurable changes...and that is just the start.

Click for more information and details of IAPCO’s Plastics Pledge iapco.org/about-iapco/ticky-the-turtle

Be involved and sign the IAPCO Plastics Pledge!

Education - the next EDGE

The Hague Marriott Hotel, The Netherlands On-line registration open: www.iapcoedgethehague.org Fees from €790

THE FACULTY MATHIAS Posch IAPCO President; President International Conference Services, Canada

NICOLA McGrane IAPCO Education Europe; CEO, Conference Partners International, Ireland

ORI Lahav IAPCO Vice President; VP Client & Operations, Kenes Group, Israel

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME Tuesday 22

Arrival of participants

Get together

Wednesday 23

Thursday 24

Friday 25

Registration, Welcome, Introductions

Session 3 – Marketing

Session 1 – Trends

Session 4 – People Skills Group Work

Session 8 – Challenges in Medical Sponsorship

Panel Discussion - CVBs + PCOs Session 2 – Bidding Lunch Group Discussion on Bidding Group Presentations Key Learnings of the Day Prizes for Best Bid Evening Welcome Reception

PCO | September 2018

Session 5 – Engaging the Delegate Transfer to Humanity Hub/Lunch

Session 9 – Financial Management + Different Models Session 10 – TBD

Session 6 – Debate

What will you do differently on Monday?

Session 7 – Big Data + Privacy

Group Learning

Key Learnings of the Day

Evaluation

Evening Dinner and After Dinner Party

Lunch and Close

Mathias Posch, President

FROM THE PRESIDENT As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we need to celebrate the status of our Association today. Despite having modest resources, IAPCO today is one of the leading and most respected associations in our industry. We are recognised as the authority for quality, regularly featured in association and trade publications and invited to educate professionals around the globe. But what is IAPCO’s recipe for success? A shared passion and common values, an incredibly hard working executive office and council and last but not least – engaged and motivated members. IAPCO is nothing less than the sum of our members, who contribute generously and in various ways to better our Association and therefore the industry. It comes down to people, and in order to greater propel IAPCO and further increase its benefit and value to our members and profession, we are looking to better engage the staff of our member companies in our Association. We want to connect them with each other, to share experience and best practices on a cross-company level. We believe that education and exchange are cornerstones of quality and therefore it is a major goal of ours to make sure everyone in our member companies has the opportunity to share and also learn from each other. IAPCO may only have 130 member companies, but these companies represent a total of over 7500 professionals – let’s leverage the power of that knowledge and excitement to increase our impact even further. So please share our publications, use web-EDGE, send staff to EDGE and attend the various Get Togethers we offer… and stay tuned for more new initiatives we are planning to make sure IAPCO benefits us all. Thank you all for making IAPCO meaningful! Mathias Posch, IAPCO President 2018-2020

CONTENTS PCMA Column

Millennials

Destination Partners – Toronto and Hamburg

Destination Partner – Hong Kong

Technology

Technology - VR

Legacy

Case Stidy - Live Streaming

Feature – promoted into incompetence

Sustainability

IAPCO Impact

Inside Story - Kenes Group

Members’ News

Destination Melbourbe

Feature - Designing for Engagment

Feature – attendee experience

Destination Latin America

Getting to Know

Education – EDGE Guadalajara

Education - Scholarship

A Moment with Council

Ambassadors

Members News in Brief

Opinion

Emirates

The PCO: published by IAPCO Whilst every care is taken in the preparation and publishing of The PCO, the views expressed are not necessarily those of IAPCO or its members and no responsibility can be taken for articles, errors or comment. Design: Frampton Creative - framptoncreative.co.uk

ON IAPCO PRESIDENT

on stage, presenting to the 750 participants

with IAPCO friends, Jan and Oscar

Mathias Posch, Keynote Speaker at the recent SMF2018 Conference in Singapore

networking, engaging, enjoying

PCO | September 2018

PCMA column

Are these Seven Fears stopping you from transforming your Event? Authors: Convene Editors, PCMA 4

Fear of not knowing what to change What if you studied the top, most successful events being produced today, within and outside of your industry? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel — just customise it for your industry, organisation, and members. There are so many great new ideas that are working. Benefit from the risks others have taken. 5

Change often is accompanied by fear as well as a sense of risk, uncertainty and excitement. But “it’s also true that if we change the way we see things, the things we see change,” says Don Neal, founder and CEO of 360 Live Media, a Washington D.C.-based marketing, strategy, and live-experience company. Neal lists the following seven fears as the ones that he has most often seen emerge when big changes to conferences and trade shows are discussed — and offers ways to reframe them and think about change in a new light: 1

Fear of change and displacement by people within your organisation — resulting in resistance What if you asked everyone in your organisation to anonymously identify the one thing they would change about your event? Then, hold a town hall meeting and list all of the changes that were submitted. Next, ask for all of the reasons these changes might not work, and list those. Finally, brainstorm about what it would take to make the changes successful — you might be surprised how few barriers there really are.

PCO | September 2018

Fear of alienating long-time, legacy members What if you asked your legacy members to name their five favourite things about your meeting? At the same time, ask 100 of your new members for the top five things they’d like to see at your next meeting. Compare the two lists side-byside and share the results with your legacy folks — they will see the light. 3

Fear by the meetings staff of not having made changes to the event earlier What if you, the meeting organiser, wrote a one-page manifesto stating what you’d like to see for the future of your 2020 vision? Go on record, be bold, and give this manifesto to your CEO. There’s no time like the present.

Fear of financial risk/loss What if you developed a three-year budget with plausible revenue, costs, and operating margins? Ask your CFO to help provide the numbers to support your vision and plans. If you want a seat at the table during the next board meeting, this is a great way to do it. 6

Fear of the unknown What if you think about “the unknown” differently? The unknown doesn’t have to be unknowable. Talk to people — colleagues, professional experience designers and outside experts who have reimagined events. The unknown isn’t that scary once you’ve seen a glimpse of it through the eyes of others. 7

Fear of success What if this new approach works? What if you’re successful? It’s human nature to be sceptical of what might happen if we enter a new realm, a place that is better. Success doesn’t hurt. It won’t go to your head if you earn it. Isn’t it time you took your thinking and your career to the next level? You deserve this.

Millennials

How Millennials are #Slaying the Business Events Industry IAPCO Member: JPdL, Canada outside the box for unique event ideas. Why not do that for a living’?” – Xavier Ramos (JPdL Montreal) 3. Recognise the Value of Networking It is never too early to begin developing a solid network of suppliers and partners who are as inspired to collaborate on events that challenge the status quo as are you. From the smallest interaction to the most reliable relationship, you never know whose skills and resources might come in handy to make your next project unforgettable.

Xavier Ramos and Jillian Cardinal – JPdL Millennials Event Planners As young professionals in the business events industry, millennials might say that the struggle is real. Balancing your inexperience in a sea of seasoned professionals with the expectations of constantly producing innovative ideas can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. From the business event professionals at JPdL, here are four ideas for millennials to keep in mind to ensure sure that your impact in the business events industry remains on fleek1. 1. Always be Open to New Learning Opportunities and Experiences A lack of experience does not equate with a lack of willingness to try something new! Young professionals’ minds and careers are meant to be moulded and allowing yourself to constantly absorb new information and approaches can only nurture your professional growth.

“Don’t be afraid to do the dirty work. Learning every aspect of the job will make you more successful and respected by your peers. You can’t be an expert at anything until you have mastered it yourself!” – Colette Lynch (JPdL West) 2. Play to Your Strengths When it comes to your career, stop saying I Can’t Even and embrace your fresh perspective and unique ideas. Show clients what you are truly capable of by highlighting what you do well; it just may lead to opportunities perhaps not yet imagined by those who have been in the field for some time. Be your most authentic “you!” “I’ve always organised events, trips and so on for my friends and family. From there I thought ‘hey, you speak five languages and love to think

“In this industry, each and every interaction is valuable and I love the relationships I’ve built amongst my present and future clients and suppliers. Relationships are key and no matter the amount of technology or the latest and greatest, our personal interactions are principle.” – Jillian Cardinal (JPdL Montreal) 4. Don’t be Afraid to Shake Things Up In an industry that revolves around innovation and new ideas, being a go-getter and taking positive risks should never be taken for granted. Trust that the creative event solutions, unconventional venues and out-of-the-box suppliers that you bring to the table will provide clients with that once in a lifetime event experience. “Be BOLD, be humble and most importantly believe in yourself. Be a proud millennial but don’t let the negative stereotype label you. You will make mistakes, you will be laughed at, but eventually someone in the room will listen and believe in your ideas.” – Samantha Mele (JPdL Toronto/ Niagara, Recipient of PCMA Class of 2018’s “20 in their Twenties”) 1 The quality of being perfect, or on point. Urban Dictionary, s.v. “on fleek,” accessed July 27, 2018, www.urbandictionary.com

PCO | September 2018

Destination Partners – Toronto and Hamburg

The value of a Partnership The true value of a successful partnership was demonstrated in June this year when Toronto and Hamburg, both Destination Partners of IAPCO, shared the Rotary platform. The 109th International Rotary Convention took place in Toronto, with an attendance of over 25000. Rotary is about service and the Convention about providing Rotarians with inspiration to do bigger and better projects. June 2018: Toronto; June 2019: Hamburg. “We welcome collaboration with our IAPCO Destination Partners to learn and grow together”, said Alice Au of Business Events Toronto; “Both the Hamburg CVB and Congress Centre Hamburg met with Toronto’s operations team to learn about what’s important to Rotary. It was our pleasure to help Hamburg as the next host in 2019. We wish them a most successful Rotary 2019”.

About Rotary Rotary brings together a global network of community leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Connecting 1.2 million members from more than 35000 rotary clubs in almost every country in the world, to improve lives both locally and international, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.

RI President Ian H.S. Riseley, left, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and International Polio Plus Committee Chairman Michael McGovern Click the image above to watch on Youtube

Meeting the challenge to eradicate polio worldwide Toronto, the Capital of Nice, opened its arms to welcome the 25000 Rotarians from around the world, who came to Rotary’s annual convention looking for inspiration — and finding it. Old friends were reunited, strangers became comrades in the House of Friendship, Rotarians were inspired by listening to the great and good at the various sessions, reminded always of the fellowship that ties them and the variety of cultures and visions that Rotary embraces.

One of the highlights of successful campaigns was endorsed by both Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, both expressing their thanks to Rotary for their part in working to eradicate polio. “It’s clear that vaccination is a key part of the solution,” Trudeau said. “Protecting kids from disease keeps them healthy so they can do well in school and lift up their friends and family.” Trudeau accepted Rotary’s Polio Eradication Champion Award, thanking Rotary for working with governments worldwide on this fight. Rotarians play a critical role in the challenge to end polio, Trudeau said. “Together we will make that happen.”

Best Loved Quotes

Submitted by André Vietor, BCO Congresos, Spain

Submitted by Alejandro Ramirez Tabche, Business Travel Consulting, Mexico

Submitted by Mathias Posch, International Conference Services, Canada

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

“The mind works like a parachute; it only works if we have it open.”

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Maya Angelous

Frank Zappa

William James “Will” Durant

PCO | September 2018

Destination Partners – Toronto and Hamburg

Rotary in Toronto 2018 The 109th annual Rotary International Convention tookplace in Toronto on June 23-27. “Toronto was honoured to host 25000+ Rotarians in June,” said Johanne Bélanger, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto. “The Rotary International Convention brought an estimated $48.5 million in economic impact to the region, but more than that, Rotary brought the world to Toronto with over 175 countries taking part. This reflects Toronto’s sense of welcome, diversity and inclusion.” Often described as a “mini-United Nations”, Rotary’s fifth convention in Toronto transformed the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Air Canada Centre into a cultural mosaic as the Organisation’s global network of volunteers gathered to exchange ideas on how to improve lives and bring positive, lasting change to communities around the world. “Toronto is a perfect fit for our convention. Rotary, much like the Queen City, is made up of people from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life,” said Ian H.S. Riseley, President of Rotary International. “We are honored to be hosted in a city that values and celebrates diversity.”

www.seetorontonow.com

House of Friendship opens – Toronto 2018

Rotarians have a sneak peek for Hamburg 2019 and loved what they saw Hamburg and the LOC of the Rotary International Convention (RIC) 2019 were on-site at the 2018 RIC in Toronto to encourage the Rotarians to pre-register for the next year. With the support of numerous Rotarian volunteers from all over Germany, they were overwhelmed by the success of their attendance at the event. Michael Otremba, Managing Director, Hamburg Convention Bureau GmbH (HCB), expressed delight with the keen interest in Hamburg. It was worth it - take a look! Click here to watch

#vorfreude = the pleasant anticipation of attending the Convention in Hamburg in 2019. A record breaking 15173 sign up on site – the people make the difference

Elphi – our new landmark Elbphilharmonie became the most photographed eye-catcher at the House of Friendship

Visit www.unpackhamburg.com

Small gifts preserve the friendship – a ginger breadheart and blinky pin for every pre-registered delegate

PCO | September 2018

Destination Partner – Hong Kong

A RISE in HK’s technology industry With a global flourishing emerging technology industry, Hong Kong benefits from being on the doorstep of Mainland China, home of the world’s second-largest number of unicorns. And what better way to depict the technology trend than to portray advances with a proven track record: The RISE Conference attracts 15000 delegates to HK from the world’s biggest companies and most exciting start-ups to pitch and learn at RISE and reflects the massive evolution in this industry sector. “Hong Kong is buzzing, it just feels alive — the start-up ecosystem, real entrepreneurs here — it’s impressive. I’m really excited to be here and coming back.” Gary Vaynerchuk, Serial Entrepreneur and CEO, Vayner Media.

Sophia and Han

Gary Vaunerchuk’s keynote ended with a call to action that the start-up and tech ecosystem start paying attention to the human elements that will drive tech businesses to the next level. He explained that it was a conversation we were lacking, and claimed that it will be THE conversation in the next decade. Already participants were able to listen to very different presenters. Two humanoid robots, named Sophia and Han, talked to hundreds of people on the topic of the future of humanity. Watching them on stage created a slightly surrealistic scenario yet one with which the audience were well in tune. According to Sophia and

Abbey named Best PCO for 3rd consecutive year IAPCO Member: Abbey Conference & Events, Ireland Abbey Conference & Events won Best Professional Conference Organiser Award at the tenth annual Event Industry Awards held on Friday, July 20th 2018. This is the third consecutive year that the company has won the accolade and the fourth time overall since 2012. The Award acknowledges Abbey’s expert ability to manage and co-ordinate a diverse range of conferences that

PCO | September 2018

consistently reach the highest standards of excellence. Patricia McColgan, Director of Abbey Conference & Events, said “We are delighted to have been awarded Best Professional Conference Organiser for the third year in a row! Our team is extremely passionate about what we do and take great pride in delivering an exceptional experience for our clients, so it’s wonderful to be recognised for this by the industry”. Abbey Conference & Events was established in 1988 and offers Conference, Association, Bid, and Event Management services. It has a varied portfolio of both national and international conferences and events

Han’s keeper, Dr. Hanson, in a few years we will have robots all over the place, where ever you go, similar to the smartphone revolution, an item which has today become a natural extension of one’s own self. Strong Support by HKSAR Government: HKSAR government has made innovation and technology a top priority. In 2018, an additional investment of HK$50 billion has been allotted to be injected into four focus areas for innovation and technology development: biotechnology, artificial intelligence (A.I.), smart city and financial technologies. Visit www.mehongkong.com across a wide range of disciplines such as scientific, financial, academic, and governmental. It is part of the Abbey Group, a collection of travel companies which is celebrating 40 years in business in 2018.

Elaine White, Conference & Events Sales Manager, The Helix, presents the Best PCO award to the Abbey team.

Technology - digital

It’s all about “Digital”!? IAPCO Member: CPO HANSER SERVICE, Germany Among others, Online Congresses, Hybrid Meetings, Participant Engagement, Gamification, Interactive and Mobile Services, Social Media Marketing, as well as Big Data are the emerging trends in the meeting industry. So far, it is hazy as to how digital technology will finally change the meetings industry, nevertheless, it is obvious that customers’ and participants’ needs are changing.

and cloud-based services already improve the collaboration of employees and the access to data.

But how can the industry successfully face the new challenges? Digitisation and Digital Transformation are the challenges, becoming a Digital Business is the goal that one aspires to achieve. As Digitisation simply means transferring your data into bits and bytes, the Digital Transformation requires various steps and actions.

Customer focus is another key principle of Digital Businesses. Big Data and Participant Engagement will improve your knowledge of your customers and their needs. This will lead to events and services that maximise attractiveness, purpose and value for your customers and event participants. Being responsible in times of Big Data and GDPR is a challenging task that also has to be overcome.

Transforming your business into a digital one requires reviewing, standardising, optimising and automating your processes to become an “agile” organisation in the meaning of agile workflows of which a culture change in your organisation will also be a result. In the near future it will be of no significance where your staff works: whether in the office, at home or in congress venues. Digital tools

To meet this challenge, CPO HANSER SERVICE created a dedicated position to plan and implement the Digital Transformation. Together with the company’s own IT subsidiary GLOBIT, Global Information Technology GmbH, CPO adapts internal processes and customer services to a digital world, researches new ways of participant marketing and participant engagement, as well

as new, creative formats and services for its events. Inge Hanser, Managing Director of CPO HANSER SERVICE, says: “A big change of the entire industry is in full swing and we are curious about the new opportunities of the digital world to organise the success of our customers”.

Inge Hanser

ON CONGRESS CORPORATION ON WCP* 2018 Latest technology in use to speed up check-in using a QR code, developed by Congress Corporation.

*18th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology

PCO | September 2018

Technology – seek inspiration elsewhere

TECHNOLOGY – LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE EVENTS INDUSTRY Seek inspiration elsewhere to remain cutting edge By Andrew Dergousoff, Chief Technology Officer & Partner, International Conference Services Ltd.

When I’m hunting for new trends for the association and conference industry – the first place I look is anywhere but the industry itself. While plenty of our clients are progressive and open to new ideas – they have often been pitched the usual gambit of social media plans, onsite recording and continued engagement strategies post-event. We’re having to try harder all the time to push the envelope of what is engaging and measurable for them as budgets shift and new regulations come into play (Hello GDPR!). In terms of looking outside our industry, one of the most effective conversations I had recently was with a technical director from within the video games industry. Specifically, we discussed massive multiplayer gaming environments – where thousands of players are engaged together at any one time on a virtual battlefield. How are those players matched together into teams based on their various skill levels? How do they communicate with one another? How can they be encouraged to spend more money within the game? How can they share their success? These are all questions that can be applied to our events industry with fresh eyes.

PCO | September 2018

In application, I would apply the gaming environment to building social communities for our association clients. At this point, we assume most clients will have a dedicated association Facebook page. What’s less common, and perhaps more effective, is to start a page non-exclusive to the association – driving it to the larger public audience. This allows members to engage and share their insights with both people directly affected by their area of practice and to in turn hear back from them the impacts of their work. A broader application of this would be to seek out a more customised website forum where members can ‘upvote’ the most pressing issues and comments in front of their peers. A simple badging system could be used to recognise forum moderators or ‘trusted contributors’ to build a sense of social status that can be easily visible and most importantly, shared elsewhere. Continuing with social networks, they remain one of your best tools for new Member / Delegate outreach that is both precise in targeting and measurable in ROI. We have been strongly advising clients for some time now to ‘shift’ – not reduce – their

traditional marketing budgets from printed materials to online campaigns. With the reduced costs of event apps and the increasing sophistication of website design, the necessity for printed onsite materials has fallen dramatically. By foregoing the printing of an abstract book or program guide, and instead forcing use of the mobile app or mobile responsive website, the event budget should allow for trial of online advertisements across the major platforms – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Google Ads and Ad Roll. Speaking of mobile, I love the implementation of networking into the onsite app when possible. Most major app companies now have a ‘social wall’ where you can encourage users to link their twitter feeds, etc. into the app feed or simply use the app itself to post personal thoughts and suggestions about the conference. Taken further, allowing the sharing of personal schedules and personal profiles (using tags to showcase what area of expertise individuals are either looking for / have to share) can allow your delegates to schedule ‘brain dates’ with one another to intentionally network. Provide a dedicated space onsite for one-on-one discussions like

Technology – seek inspiration elsewhere

this and I’m certain you’ll see it full. I’m sure you’ll also decide to add some branded mobile device charging stations near this brain date area to encourage people to both stop by to check out the new space and to remain focused on the inperson connections they are making. For associations looking to provide additional membership perks, expanding to the online education world offers many benefits such as offering exclusive webinar content and expanding the lifespan and momentum of physical meetings with presentation recordings. Online learning is more affordable for both planners and learners than onsite meetings, which opens the reach of content to new markets and to delegates who cannot afford to attend physical meetings due to timing, travel and / or financial constraints. When prospective clients approach us about creating an online offering for their members, such as a virtual library e-commerce website, we find they also ask about onsite content capture costs, pre- and post-event marketing strategies and revenue projections. Being prepared to answer to, and offer, these services will ideally lead to a competitive edge for PCOs and

a self-funding line item for clients (by attracting paid orders and sponsors) while providing a rich educational resource for association members and the public alike. Ready to get even more forward thinking? There are some wonderful companies working on applying technologies such as facial recognition, artificial intelligence and RFID tagging to event data. Perhaps most immediately practical is adding RFID tagging to delegate badges and/or exhibit booths to assess traffic patterns and adjust the meeting flow accordingly. I’ve seen events using this data in the successive year to show exhibitors exactly how much traffic a particular area of the floor is getting and charging according to ‘zones’ of expected traffic in addition to the traditional upcharge for desirable corner booths, etc. Backing up your pricing by concrete data is always hard to dispute! In closing, I remain excited about the relentless progression of technology and the implications for traditional event planning. Social media accounts are free to setup and there is no reason why an association should not

be using at least one as a dedicated drip feed of news and promotion. Mobile apps have fallen in price dramatically in the last years with the increase in competition and the standardisation of features – consider what print costs could be skipped in order to afford one. If you cannot afford to host an annual meeting, think about recording some of the presentations to share throughout the next year or host webinars to maintain member engagement. As I began, my favourite bit of advice is to seek inspiration outside your own industry to remain cutting edge. Talk to a teenager about what keeps them engaged in video gaming and you might just pick up some tips that will change your core business. The youth is indeed the future and we must adjust the presentation of our traditional meetings in a fresh way that speaks to them where they are.

PCO | September 2018

Technology - VR

Service Provider Freeman Audio Visual Canada IAPCO Service Providers IAPCO’s new partner concept profiles specialised suppliers to the meetings industry, who provide an insight into current trends, latest innovations, advice and tips. Freeman Audio Visual Canada is IAPCO’s latest recognised Service Provider www.iapco.org/iapco-partners/ service-providers/

As part of the world’s largest brand experience company, Freeman Audio Visual Canada helps organisations connect with their customers by delivering seamless, innovative, and immersive brand experiences. Through comprehensive solutions including strategy, creative, logistics, digital, and event technology, Freeman helps

clients increase engagement and drive results. From meetings or events to conventions and tradeshows, Freeman provides a full range of services to support the way audiences engage with content. www.freemanav-ca.com

VIRTUAL REALITY Five ways it can be leveraged by the Meetings and Events Industry

IAPCO Service Provider: Freeman Audio Visual, Canada, author Victor Paan Now more than ever before, VR is capturing our imaginations and transforming everything from everyday experiences to industrial design processes — and smart brands are sitting up and paying attention. Although it’s not necessarily a new innovation, recent advancements have made virtual reality (VR) more immersive and affordable. We believe that well-executed VR has enormous potential to enhance events, build brand loyalty through immersive content, and make virtual experiences as powerful as real-life ones. So, what is VR exactly? In its most basic form, VR seeks to create the illusion of being somewhere we physically are not. You might recall experiencing early attempts at VR when you were a child playing with the beloved View-Master toys or looking through rudimentary stereoscopic viewers. Both of these examples tried to create the illusion of depth to make the images you

PCO | September 2018

were looking at seem real. Today, modern VR plays off that concept. It uses sophisticated technology to create moving stereoscopic images, which are two images that are slightly offset from each other, to mimic how the human eye sees. When the images are viewed simultaneously through a specialised headset, they appear realistic and immersive because they appear to move and update in real time just like the real world. To experience this, the user may wear specialised accessories that allow them to virtually move, manipulate objects and explore the digital environment. While augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) rely on many of the same technologies as VR, it’s important to understand they are not the same because the viewer is not completely immersed in the environment — digital content is layered over the real environment around them.

How can VR be used in today’s business world? VR is transforming the way individuals participate in events, exhibits and experiences, as well as the environmental design process. As technology continues to advance and the meetings and events space become more familiar with what VR has to offer, we predict we will be seeing virtual reality used more and more in the following five ways: Design and venue walk-throughs: Imagine being able to conduct an entire site-visit or explore your trade show booth for an upcoming show from the comfort of your own home or office. Design and venue walk-throughs will allow for you to explore, manipulate, review, tweak, and approve designs before the first physical piece is built or you were able to get to that particular venue.

Technology - VR Product demos: Audiences and prospects alike can use virtual reality to engage with products that are too complex, large, dangerous or otherwise impractical to demonstrate in actual surroundings. They can interact with, and manipulate, products to learn more about them in a way that was not possible before this technology. Original VR content: Instructional or educational films on products or tools can now be told with powerful narratives from the center of the action that are far more powerful than traditional 2D content. Imagine a video that shows you step by step how to set up a trade show booth or pitch your product to a client. Live streaming and 360-degree video recording: Looking for ways to engage your virtual attendees during a meeting or event? With VR, you can take your remote audience one step closer to the action with 360-degree videos that amplify your must-see events and make your audiences feel like they are actually there. Now, when the speaker greets your virtual audience, they will feel as though they are truly part of your event community. Immersive VR environments: The world is your oyster! With virtual reality, you can create interactive worlds full of gamified, engaging content that take your attendees anywhere. For instance, a charitable event trying to raise money for a school overseas can use virtual reality to bring its attendees to that school and show them a glimpse of the impact of their donation. Event planners, marketers, and product designers now have the unique ability to leverage this technology to make their events more engaging and educational. And by extending the attendee reach to viewers at home through compatible web browsers and apps, VR has never been more accessible or powerful. Read Business Events World www.the-iceberg.org/newsletter/business-events-world-issue-42/

PCO | September 2018

Legacy

THE STORY CONTINUES: Lasting legacy and innovative training formats boost the second edition of SIAARTI Academy IAPCO Member: AIM Group International

The Emergency Medical Training event, hosted on the Island of Lampedusa, engaged the young doctors, thanks to a mix of innovation, a team building spirit and ethical motivation. After the bright success of the first edition last year, the second SIAARTI Academy CREM (Critical Emergency Medicine) event reaffirmed and indeed multiplied on its previous positive results. This complex training event by the Italian Society for Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care, was held from 20-26 May in Lampedusa, organised by AIM Group International, the Core PCO of SIAARTI.

To implement such a demanding event, the SIAARTI Academy involved important institutional partners such as the Coast Guard, the Italian Relief Order of Malta, Civil Protection and 118 (medical emergency service). The event was again on the island of Lampedusa, sadly known for the landings of migrants and the management of the related crisis, considered as the most suitable place to show the impact of an emergency situation. Choosing a small island, usually not considered for congresses and events of high scientific value, has been a way to leave a positive legacy on the destination and local operators in terms of image, professionalism and economic development.

SIAARTI was eager to find an innovative way to train its young members and in 2017 decided, with AIM Group, to organise a multifaceted event that included classroom training, interactive sessions, hands-on workstations and a maxi simulation of an emergency situation. Amongst many other accolades, this initiative won the IAPCO Collaboration Award 2017.

“SIAARTI Academy is a real training Campus,” says Prof. Flavia Petrini, President-elected of SIAARTI, “where future doctors can face all possible intervention situations and deal with the best technologies while always maintaining human relationships with the patients, a skill we teach daily to young doctors. I would like to thank everyone and in particular the citizens of Lampedusa who once again showed sensitivity to social and health issues and allowed the success of our initiative”.

But that was not the end of the story. In the second edition, the number of young physicians coming from 39 specialised schools almost doubled and the outdoor maxi simulation, with its strong emotional impact, included, not only a maritime disaster but also, a huge traffic accident with the intervention of rescue helicopters. Young doctors put in place the skills acquired during the training week and played the roles of the victims, the rescuers and the observers.

PCO | September 2018

Know Your Facts 6 intense days of work; 35 hours of classroom training; 70 faculty members (teachers and speakers); 22 workstations; A maxi simulation lasting 10 hours and involving 300 people; 6000 kg of transported material.

Case Study

LIVE STREAMING How to multiply an audience with live streaming ESH 2018: from Europe to China IAPCO Member: AIM Group International

At the European Congress on Hypertension recently held in Barcelona, a broadcasted session reached an additional 5000 attendees from China. Is event live streaming a new trend? More and more PCOs are challenged by association clients to reach new potential delegates, to make their conference attendance grow and to attract sponsors to invest in new markets.

In this way AIM broadened the potential ESH audience by transforming a face-to-face meeting into a hybrid event, typical of the digital era. But it was essential to keep the attention of those watching their screen resulting in a new challenge which required a well-defined strategy. Three elements were critical: • a dedicated moderator • an engaging storyline • time for interaction.

Live streaming is becoming increasingly more impactful in conference planning and format. And this is exactly what happened at the recent “28th European Meeting on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection” held in Barcelona 8-11 June 2018, an important medical congress with a long history and a very rich programme. It usually attracts more than 2500 international delegates, AIM Group having been its PCO from the outset.

With the spread of broadband internet and 4G smartphones, broadcasting live streaming has become one of the means for expanding the reach of meetings making them truly accessible. And there is no reason to fear that live streaming will discourage people from attending the real-life event. Experience demonstrates that what actually happens is quite the opposite.

ith the support of a sponsor W who was willing to open up into new markets, AIM organised a live streaming between Barcelona and Beijing during the presentation of the new ESH Guidelines. The event was named “ESH in China” and was organised in collaboration with the China Hypertension Alliance. While the 100 participants gathered in a meeting room in Beijing could virtually attend the conference with the help of simultaneous interpretation and a moderator, there were also almost 5000 attendees in China following the event through streaming. The numbers were amazing and even more so when you consider it was 23.00 hours in China!

Associations who proposed live streaming during their meetings have experienced very little

ESH China App

cannibalisation of attendees and it allowed them to reach people usually not reached by other traditional marketing methods. Furthermore, experiencing a conference in live streaming motivates, like a teaser advertisement, more people to be there the next year: many associations reported as much as 30% of their virtual audience chose to attend their physical meetings the following year. In brief, innovation with a solid strategy is always worth it!

Streaming Session

PCO | September 2018

Feature – promoted into incompetence

The art of creating incompetence By Mathias Posch, President of IAPCO, President of International Conference Services Ltd.

In 1969 (when IAPCO celebrated its first birthday) NASA, the USA, and basically the entire world, celebrated one of the greatest achievements of mankind – the moonlanding. The moment was broadcast around the world so that every person could see the greatest scientific achievement of all time. As a backup to the live telecast, NASA separately recorded the SSTV signal, which was far superior to the lower resolution TV signal. When some NASA employees tried to find the tapes in the early 2000s, they were unable to do so. After months of investigation into the matter, it became clear that the tapes had been accidentally erased in the 80s when some NASA employees deemed them unnecessary. One of the greatest feats of mankind was captured on tape and deleted by an act of utter incompetence. Not a day goes by that we don’t experience incompetence around us – in restaurants, at train stations, etc. “How do all these incompetent people get hired” we ask ourselves. Truth be told, they probably got promoted into incompetence.

“Every employee rises to their level of incompetence” – this, in short, is called the “Peter Principle” which was established by Canadian Researcher Laurence J Peter. Peter looked at the dynamics of companies and the hierarchies they created and how people move up the ladder based on their competence in the position they are currently holding. The problem however is that the position they get promoted into might require different abilities than the previous one, possibly creating an incompetent employee. Should the employee rise to the challenge in the new position, they will get promoted again, and again, and again, until they finally arrive at a level where they no longer excel. As we usually do not demote people, the now incompetent employee will struggle in the new position. In our industry we could have a fantastic Conference Co-ordinator, who could make an incredible Conference Manager, but will utterly fail as an Account Director. The skills of logistical excellence that drove them up the ladder are all of a sudden secondary in a position that requires excellent communication and client management skills.

Companies often create onedimensional hierarchies with career paths for employees in which the individual performance in one’s role is best rewarded by removing that person from that role and putting them at a “higher” level of the hierarchy. The employees themselves often do not realise that they are now incompetent and we can see various methods of dealing with it: some employees think that they simply do not work hard enough and we see them putting in extra hours and working themselves to the brink of a burn out without significant results. Other employees start to distract from their actual work by focusing on tasks that are more natural to them while ignoring their actual job. In any case, through a promotion we managed to create an issue rather than moving our company forward in the right direction. One of the traps into which we fall is that, when we evaluate one of our employees for a future position, we tend to look at their performance in their current job, rather than focusing on what skills are needed for the new position. We also tend to look at our staff from an internal view more than from a global one – an employee that is admired by clients and suppliers due to their problem solving abilities might not be that popular with management as they do not always follow established procedures. It is a classic case of valuing the means over the ends. So how can we avoid applying the Peter Principle in our organisations? A few helpful tips come from some of the most innovative companies: Apple rotates people around different projects and departments, allowing them to showcase different skills and testing them in different roles before eventually promoting them.

PCO | September 2018

Feature – promoted into incompetence Microsoft has created two streams for promotion – a technical stream and a managerial stream, allowing subject matter experts to move up in a company hierarchy without ever taking on management tasks while fostering those who have management skills. And last but not least, we need to think about the culture we create in our companies – how do we reward excellent performance without moving those A-Players out of their positions?

and with us. Making sure that we keep employees happy is key – and the greatest happiness comes from knowing that one is doing a great job and that one’s contribution matters. Billy Joel said “I am, as I’ve said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary” – having a team full of competent players will make our companies and IAPCO truly extraordinary.

At the end of the day, businesses like ours come down to people – we are as good as the people that work for

ON M-WALKING Next year will see the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Walk – when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and took those first inevitable steps with the immortal words “One step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. A little different, but Kayo succeeds in her first attempt at the Marine Walk – not quite a stroll in the park, but a great adventure! And Kayo’s immortal words “I am not good at snorkelling, as I always find it difficult to breathe under the ocean, but this was so much fun!” - Kayo Nomura, Congress Corporation, Japan

Have you made your Ticky the Turtle Pledge?

Within one week of launch of the Not Just a Drop in the Ocean Campaign, IAPCO received four pledges to make meaningful changes to start ridding the meetings industry of single use plastic: KW Conferences Pvt. Ltd., India Conference Partners International, Ireland

Watch out, Ticky the Turtle will be making a surprise virtual visit to your offices, not only to check that the pledges are being carried out, but to welcome your company, your team, your stakeholders and suppliers to the Not Just a Drop in the Ocean campaign! Congratulations to KWC, CPI, ICMS and Podium for committing to the Plastics Pledge.

ICMS ty Ltd, Australia Podium Conference & Association Specialists, Canada

PCO | September 2018

Sustainability - Dubai

Board Game Encourages Sustainability Destination Partner - Dubai

(b) identifying sustainable solutions and optimising the efficiency of those areas; and (c) testing the application of sustainable solutions by calculating how much water and energy can be conserved.

Dubai’s hospitality sector is continuing to coalesce around efforts to drive sustainability, with a specially created board game helping to raise awareness among stakeholders. Launched by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) as part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative, the board game allows participating teams to measure the levels of electricity and water consumption in their establishments, and identify ways in which they can reduce costs.

More than 630 participants from over 110 hotels have played the Board Game so far during events and roadshows organised by Dubai Tourism. “Dubai’s hospitality industry has long been a cornerstone of the city’s economy, recently crossing the 110000-room threshold,” said Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments, Dubai Tourism. “As we look forward to continued capacity expansion and increased visitor volumes in the

Hotel establishments learn how to efficiently measure and reduce energy through three steps: (a) calculating the current consumption per room and isolating areas that are responsible for excessive output;

ON CONGRESS CORPORATION ON WCP* 2018

*118th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmocology

PCO | September 2018

lead-up to 2020, it is paramount that we continue to implement new and improved measures for Dubai’s fast-evolving tourism and hospitality industry to further reduce excessive consumption and conserve resources – particularly in line with the vision of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the emirate into one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations.” READ MORE https://bit.ly/2P0tsF0 www.visitdubai.com Image above: Sustainability Board Game Workshop in Progress

Unique and eco-conscious congress bags, made using recycled material, Kyoto style: strips of used kimono material. No two bags were the same! All the delegates had fun choosing their favorite color!

Sustainability - The Rai

WASTE MANAGEMENT Have you had ‘the talk’ with your exhibitors yet? By The Rai, Amsterdam READ FULL ARTICLE by Josieke Moens, Wastemanagement Expert, The Rai Every event produces waste, with stand construction and materials being an especially large contributor. Prevention is difficult, but thankfully it is possible to separate and recycle to a great extent so long as you have the co-operation of your exhibitors and other partners. We see that organisers often find it hard to have this conversation and yet it is the best first step towards a more sustainable event. Waste costs money. It’s as simple as that. Like every other venue, RAI Amsterdam also charges for the waste produced based on a ‘polluter pays’ principle. In this respect, separated waste is much cheaper than unseparated waste as clean waste streams are a source for new material, contribute to circularity, and are therefore less harmful for the planet. For these reasons, we stimulate all parties with whom we work to separate waste as much as possible recognising that many organisers already do so. Build-up and breakdown The build-up and breakdown of stands produces some 70% of an exhibition’s waste. Pallets, wooden scaffolding, stand walls, plastic, carpeting, furnishings – most is left behind after the event. Making proper agreements with exhibitors prior to the exhibition will allow you to work in a more sustainable and cost-efficient way. • Prevent waste: discuss the option of reclaiming their materials with exhibitors, either for recycling or for reuse.

• Stimulate the use of containers, bags or sacks to collect waste separately. At RAI Amsterdam we always provide this option and can also supply (separated) waste containers during the event itself. • Communicate your policy and explain that anyone who leaves waste behind will be charged for it. Differentiating the costs for separated and unseparated waste is also a good way of stimulating parties to start separating. What to do Avoid tricky situations during build-up and breakdown when identifying unwanted situations by making clear agreements with all parties from day one. What does this mean for organisers? Apply the three Cs: 1. Communicate; Start on time, don’t wait until the final briefing one week before the build-up, but include the topic from the very beginning. 2. Check: Despite good communication, exhibitors or their suppliers may not be sufficiently familiar with the regulations or try to work around them to avoid costs. Make sure you check waste behaviour on the floor, especially during build-up and breakdown. 3. Continuate: Keep repeating and checking. It also helps if you communicate the actual results, especially for repeat events, for instance by reporting the collection percentages and showing what happens to the collected materials.

Looking ahead Collection and separation is great, but the RAI is already thinking ahead to the next level. Nowadays, recycling often means something becoming a material of a lower quality – from wood to chipboard, for instance. We are looking for ways to ‘upcycle’ material; increasing the quality of the material so that it can be used as a new product. For example: textile converted into fibres for new textile, or paper/cardboard as the raw material for new high-quality stand walls. This demands an even more meticulous method of waste collection. All the more reason to continue to stimulate separating waste. What you can do today As an organiser, you can be well-prepared. Discuss the type of event you are organising and the waste streams you expect with the venue at an early stage and draw up a waste plan together. Clearly communicate what you expect of partners and exhibitors, and help them communicate this in turn to their sub-contractors.

Convention Centre Partner RAI Amsterdam is the latest Convention Centre partner to support and recognise IAPCO members. Thank you and all our partners for your valuable support. iapco.org/iapco-partnerships

PCO | September 2018

Impact Story

It’s IAPCO’s 50th birthday! Recognition

To help us celebrate, we want to hear your stories about IAPCO and its impact on your career or organisation.

share your #IAPCOimpact

STORY

Are you an IAPCO Wolfie (Wolfsberg) or EDGE alumni? Did taking part in an IAPCO Education seminar change the way you work or transform your career?

What does it mean to your organisation that it is part of the IAPCO network? Kenes Group Members of IAPCO since 1972

How does IAPCO accreditation help your business?

What was life like on an IAPCO faculty?

Why is it important that you are a supporter or partner of IAPCO? Patrizia and Andre Faculty members of Wolfsberg and EDGE

#IAPCOImpact Story Pledges at #IMEX18

We want you to get creative so use stories, add captions to your best IAPCO photos or send us a video sharing your #IAPCOImpact. When you’re done, send it to olivia@iapco.org Social Media @iapco #IAPCOImpact 20

PCO | September 2018

Impact Story

share your #IAPCOimpact

STORY

Celebrating IAPCO’s 50th Anniversary IAPCO Impact Stories that changed people’s lives

ANNE WALLIN RØDVEN Formerly Convention Director, VisitOSLO – Oslo Visitors & Convention Bureau Oslo, Norway

“Hi Guys, This is Anne Rødven from Oslo. On the first day of work as the new Convention Director for Oslo the only paper in my inbox was an invitation to bid for the Mother /Daughter Pageant in 1992 and I said to myself, this can’t possibly be what I am going to do here. I didn’t know anything about the job, what I was supposed to do, what was expected of me and it seemed nor did the people who employed me. So I had to find out a lot of things… and quickly. This was January 2nd in 1990 and luckily Øivind Lie, Congress Conference, a local PCO (who the following year became an IAPCO member) recommended that I join him at Wolfsberg, the IAPCO seminar, three weeks after I started and it was an epiphany that changed my complete insight of the job that I had taken on. Not only did I get to learn the how’s, the who’s and the why’s of our industry but I learned it from the best minds: the legendries Geoffrey Smith, Erik Friis, Tony Koesel, Martin Kinna, Jorge Castex and, of course, Sarah Storie-Pugh and many more. It also made a lasting impact on me, how these people, all very busy people, were willing to share

2015, a member of the faculty!

their knowledge and expertise to train an entire industry. It has been a leading light to me ever since.

Freshman at Wolfsberg 1990

I got to know these people well and, in the following years, I could lean on many of them to enlarge my international network and I did so to the extent that some of them might have found me a bit over-eager and fussy. But hey, I could not let that affect me – it had a great result. I kept the Wolfsberg binder for 25 years and checked every now and again to find out an elegant or intelligent way to communicate different aspects of the meetings industry whenever I would teach newcomers which, too, became an important part of my career.

The IAPCO Wolfsberg experience affected my years as Oslo Convention Director in so many ways, it was therefore a tremendous honour when I was invited some 20 years later to be part of the faculty myself. I felt that those before me, were looking down from the walls and I was very humbled to the task. I found the atmosphere of Wolfsberg much the same but luckily the rooms had changed for the better! The seminar has today moved on in an impressive way impacting new generations of meetings industry players. Good luck with EDGE everybody. I would like to congratulate you all with the 50th Anniversary, by thanking all of you good friends and colleagues for the IAPCO Experience and for being such an important part of the meetings industry for 50 years. Today life begins at 50 or some people say 50 is the new 30 - so you have just started, on the threshold of the next 50.

Good Luck Guys!”

PCO | September 2018

Inside Story

IAPCO MEMBER INSIDE STORY

WHEN THE IMPOSSIBLE BECOMES A FACT

IAPCO Member Inside Stories highlight events of excellence

How innovative thinking can solve venue limitations?

which are brought to you by accredited members to showcase

Event name: 40th Asia Pacific Dental Congress &

quality, initiative, innovation, creativity and success.

109th PDA Annual Convention www.apdc2018.org Dates/Location: 7-11 May 2018, Manila, Philippines Pax: 15300

Quality

Innovation

KEY FACTS

Company Name: Kenes Group

Best practice

Venue capacity 8000 pax

Company Website: www.kenes.com

Target number of participants over 14000 pax with actual participants onsite 15300 pax

Members of both organisations of over 19000 pax

THE CHALLENGE The challenge with co-locating the 40th Asia Pacific Dental Congress (APDC) and the 109th PDA Annual Convention (PDA) came from the selected destination, Manila, having only one large purpose-built venue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SMX. It is designed to host up to 8000 people, where the expectations were for over 14000 to join the event, based on the 2017 experience of PDA. Avoiding queues in the registration area and ensuring a safe flow between halls were the big questions to address. The most problematic was the ground floor to be used for the registration area. Two registration desks with 13 counters were fitted next to each other. But welcoming so many people on day one was still impossible. The team created a system for early distribution of RFID and barcode equipped badges, successfully reaching 9000 delegates. With two early registrations announced: one during the set-up day and another starting on day one at 5:30 in the morning, the queues in this area were reduced to a minimum with only 1200 people registering onsite. For the smooth flow between floors and halls, 40 security guards overlooked the safety and traffic control in all key entrance and exit points. An ideal solution was to use the sets of escalators on each side of the building

PCO | September 2018

in a single direction, up or down, however this modification was not possible. Thus, the onsite team coordinated the guards on lining people and monitoring the crowds on the respective escalators. First all halls were emptied of people and only after the delegates for the next sessions were allowed to go to the upper floor and enter one of the 13 halls used. Thanks to the collaboration of all parties this important for the region congress was a success and a logistical accomplishment were delegates focused on learning and networking and not on the limitations of the venue.

Members’ News

Smart tool supports Fellows’ complimentary attendance IAPCO Member: ICOM for Organisation, Marketing and Research, Egypt Key Facts • 5000+ fellows complimentary attendees • in 44 medical events • within 6 months • covering 8 medical specialties Continuing ICOM’s role in supporting medical education for young doctors in Egypt and the Middle East, the company’s management set up an important initiative this year; ‘Continuing Medical Education for Young Doctors and Fellows’.

A number of work teams were formed who created a robust system to select the young doctors for the events and to find financial support for the cost of their attendance and registration as well as the technical logistics system which effectively confirmed both their participation and their presence. The various teams in the unified system, ‘Nominations Platform’ as it was named, managed to exceed the level of 5000+ fellows and young physicians from different governorates of Egypt and a number of Middle Eastern countries in 44 conferences/activities during the first half of 2018.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) engaged with KW Conferences as the Events Services Consultants to the Bank’s 3rd Annual Meeting. KWC operated as the Co-ordinating Office for the Bank in India to liaise with the Ministry of finance, Maharashtra, Industrial Development Corporation and its PCO.

The Concept of Disruption New topics as the world changes IAPCO Member: AFEA Travel and Congress Services, Greece

• Exploring the Concept of Disruption • 7th Annual International Conference of the SNF (Stavros Marchios Foundation) • 21-23 June 2018, Athens The main objective of this initiative was, and is, to support Fellows to attend several impressive workshops and conferences in many sub-specialities, letting them gain interactive experiences and complying with all codes and rules of ethics for pharma companies who supported their attendance, and all in a smart way.

on KWC - Empowering Collaboration

The Conference explored one of the most discussed concepts of our time, that of Disruption. The 21st Century is quickly evolving into an era defined by global disruption, as socio-economic changes and ground-breaking technological advancements are seemingly having a major impact and are turning upside down standard modes of operation, models and assumptions in every area of life, including the field of philanthropy.

Tian Hua, Manager, and Weiwei Zheng, Lead Secretariat Assistant, AIIB, with Monimita Sarkar, MD, and Rashmi Kamboj, Marketing & Sales Head, KWC.

Sir Danny Alexander, Vice President and Corporate Secretary, AIIB, with Monimita Sarkar, MD, Rashmi Kamboj, Marketing & Sales Head, and Arjun Narne, Director, KWC. ADB Seminar KWC’s involvement with intergovernmental meetings in Asia continues with their lead of the IAPCO Training Seminar for the Asian Development Bank in September. The first for over a decade of IAPCO training at the Bank, the faculty will consist of Arjun Narne, Director of KWC and Mathias Posch, IAPCO President, President of ICS Canada.

PCO | September 2018

Destination Melbourne

Visit www.melbournecb.com.au and www.mcec.com.au

Trend-spotting with an economist

“The Economic Outlook and The Big Trends – Some Implications for the Meeting and Events Industry” opened with the Chief Economist of Baillieu Holst, Darryl Urbanising middle classes, the Gobbett, providing a bird’s eye view accelerating pace of technological of economic trends. The Conference innovation and its market Company’s Jan Tonkin then led a application, and political, social and wider audience conversation with regulatory change, were just some of Darryl that canvassed the implications the big emerging trends explored in for the future of our industry. a thought-provoking session at the recent Meetings and Events Australia Jan said the MEA event was a great (MEA) conference in Melbourne. example of what could be gained from collaboration and inviting external views from other disciplines as part of “constantly scanning the horizon for those trends that generate new opportunities and equally, may challenge existing Jan Tonkin with Darryl Gobbett business models.”

PCO | September 2018

Changing Faces Anne Jamieson moves from MCEC Anne leaves Melbourne’s MCEC to join the Saxton Speaker Bureau in a CEO role, and is replaced at the Centre by Frank Scifo, as interim Director. Frank joined the MCEC in March 2017, from which time he has been enjoying leading a team of 12 in this multi-faceted role which includes responsibility for the successful delivery of over 650 events per annum at the MCEC. A new addition to the HCB’s conventions team Karine Serra has joined the Hamburg Convention Bureau’s Conventions unit. A graduate event manager with a focus on business tourism, Karine Serra is filling the previous role of Nele Aumann, who has been serving as head of the Conventions unit since March 2018.

Feature – Design for Engagement

Designing the Future of Association Events By Kim Myhre, Managing Director, MCI UK and MCI Experience One of the challenges that seem to be consistently shared by nearly every association event planner is finding a way to balance what is perceived to have worked in the past with what needs to change for the future.

A new interdisciplinary approach that engages a much wider range of skills and disciplines is the future of experience design.

As with most membership-driven associations, change can be difficult to embrace and there is a reassuring sense of comfort gained by staying with a ‘tried and tested’ event approach. It is simpler and sometimes easier to stick with traditional, familiar formats and approaches to congress design than try something new.

One idea now practiced by a growing number of event planners is the use of a more structured planning approach called Design Thinking. IDEO, the global design firm that developed Design Thinking defines it as “a human-centred approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”

What we do know is that association audiences are changing. They are getting younger, they are technology-enabled with access to information and networking from the device in their pocket rather than needing to wait for an annual event, and they are more demanding. Time is at a premium. Relevancy, value of content and the quality of the experience all play a pivotal role when attracting audiences to an association event. Changing audiences ultimately means that event formats must evolve. Relying on the traditional approaches and expertise that the events industry has been using for years to design event experiences, will not be sufficient to create the next generation of event experiences.

The process is a straightforward five-step model.

So, what’s a forward-thinking association event planner to do?

In practice, design thinking is a set of planning principals that enables you to move from the traditional approach to event planning towards a more structured, attendee-centric, insights-driven and strategic way of planning events. In Design Thinking the focus is on the people and experience. It is a human-centred approach to event planning that helps us to get a deep, empathetic understanding of our attendees’ wants and needs, whilst encouraging creative consideration of a wide array of innovative event experiences and solutions.

The chief benefit of using a process like Design Thinking when planning event experiences is that it puts the attendee experience at the centre of event planning. The question that must be asked is, “how can we create an engaging, meaningful, memorable and sharable event experience for our audience?” Whilst we now live in a world where the potential power of event experiences has never been greater, the future of these experiences will need to be more personalised, authentic, engaging, and enjoyable. Traditional event planning approaches that focused primarily on logistics will need to reflect a changing audience. Design Thinking enables us to imagine a future for successful association events with legacy and systematically achieve that vision.

PCO | September 2018

Feature – attendee experience

WHY THE ATTENDEE EXPERIENCE MATTERS IAPCO Member: Congrex Switzerland Engagement is one of the key themes in the digital era and is equally important in the conference management and event planning industries. If a conference cannot generate engagement, it will impact the attendees’ ability to retain information. The human attention span is notoriously short, and if meeting planning does not account for this, we can quickly fall into information overload. Moreover, the digital era is underpinned by a culture of participation where content is generated by audiences as well as for audiences. This is crucial to engagement and the overall quality of the attendee experience. Here we look at the seven principles of boosting conference planning and delivering an engaging conference experience.

1. Design to avoid overload: Do not let your meeting planning efforts go to waste, therefore organise the programme so that there is a gap between “heavy” sessions. Keynotes are often scheduled towards the end of the day, but when looking at information processing, it would be better to plan them early in the day, when the audience is likely to be more receptive. This is most effective if the event lasts several days. 2. Get creative with breaks: The general understanding in the event planning industry is that breaks equal “time off”, when in fact they are not an interruption but a continuation of the event’s overall mission for delegate engagement. Do not be afraid to get creative and consider including team-building activities in

small groups, short walks or bike rides, short meditation sessions, encourage attendees to write on a “gratitude wall”, etc., in short be innovative. 3. Design for participation: Traditionally, participation is seen as merely a job for committees, speakers or the conference management team but, to increase conference attendee engagement, it needs to be extended to the audience. To do this, use live polls, surveys and gather feedback before, during and after the conference using social media and event apps. 4. Design for interaction: Conferences have a somewhat impersonal nature as they draw together hundreds or even thousands of attendees. You can

ON CONGREX SWITZERLAND When thousands of people gather at a conference, appropriate security measures are essential to mitigate potential risks. But security doesn’t mean you cannot serve with a smile and let the delegates have an exceptional congress experience. high security at EAN 2018

PCO | September 2018

always time for a smile

Feature – attendee experience counter this by including peer-to-peer learning activities in small groups, or digital Q&A sessions with speakers. It is also vital to create a sense of community before and after the event. Online communities can be easily formed via social media platforms or by using event technology, such as event apps. 5. Design for co-creation: Events should be planned around creating opportunities for expression. An interactive programme is the first step, but you should also give attendees freedom to co-create. For example, provide a well-researched conference hashtag and let them generate unique content, then curate it, so attendees’ contributions are displayed at the end of the meeting. And remember that the conference hashtag can also help sustain engagement after the event. 6. Design for achievement: Designing for achievement is one of the principles of learning and has been applied to gamification, both of which are relevant to event planning. The goal should be ensuring that attendees go home feeling that their attendance was useful and valuable. To do that, include some form of problemsolving in group activities, or rethink the material so it focuses on offering solutions to problems attendees face in their professional lives.

7. Design for alignment: Then engagement will follow. Information designer Jorge Arango offers an exciting solution to the endless search for engagement by saying engagement is not an end in itself, but the result of what he calls “an alignment strategy”. To create this strategy, ask yourself “What are the attendees’ professional goals?”, “What are the organiser’s goals or mission?”, “How is all this relevant to my industry sector?”. Taking it even further, ask yourself how to align the event’s mission with the society’s goals. Conclusion Conference engagement is a challenge but is not impossible. Using the right event technology tools, implementing feedback strategies such as live polls, reconciling goals and expectations and remaining authentic should be top priorities. Admittedly, this learning process takes time and effort. If you want to increase conference attendee engagement and craft a conference experience that captivates the audience, why not get in touch with a meeting planning expert?

CONFERENCE PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL INORMS GALA

Principles which can be applied to deliver an engaging conference experience • Design to avoid overload • Great creative with breaks • Design for participation • Design for interaction • Design for co-creation • Design for achievement • Design for alignment

Edinburgh, June, the location for the 7th INORMS (The International Network of Research Management Societies) Congress, embraced numerous social activities, the highlight of which included the formation of an INORMS delegate choir. Delegates were invited to participate in a choir where they were provided with a professional music director and accompanist who coached and rehearsed with them for 2-3 hours until they were up to concert-standard and ready to open the INORMS Gala Dinner.

PCO | September 2018

Destination Latin America

Visit www.riocvb.com.br

FIEXPO The FIEXPO Latin America trade show took place in Santiago de Chile in June, and involved almost every country in the continent. IAPCO at FIEXPO Expanding IAPCO’s reach into Latin America was an important part of the strategic plan for 2018. FIEXPO has been on the radar for IAPCO for

some time now and with EDGE Guadalajara in August, it felt like the perfect opportunity to actively participate for the first time, increasing exposure in the region and to promote the seminar.

PCO | September 2018

The hosts of IAPCO EDGE Guadalajara, BTC, Mexico kindly agreed to represent IAPCO. Marcela Torres delivered an interesting seminar on technology trends and digital marketing to a packed room of meeting professionals. The exhibition stand, which was manned by Francia and Marcela, was very busy and created lots of potential leads for new members in the region and potential students for the forthcoming seminar. Bco Congresos launches first “Next Generation Summit” The Next Generation Summit, a forum in Spanish designed for young professionals of the meetings industry in Latin America, was successfully launched by Bco Congresos during FIEXPO. The full day programme was designed by André Vietor and Juan José García, two industry leaders themselves, with the support and expertise of well-known faculty members from the region including Arnaldo Nardone, Pablo Sismanian, Eduardo Chaillo, Daniel Palomo and John Martínez, among others.

The purpose of the Summit was to prepare future industry leaders under the age of 30 to develop and grow the business events sector in Latin America. The participation was

limited to 25 enthusiastic professionals from different backgrounds who had to apply and go through a selection process. The response exceeded expectations and the waiting list created to join the Summit underlined the success of this first edition. Among a number of trendy and vibrant topics discussed, one highlight was the session titled “Attractive, but not sexy enough!”. Participants brainstormed areas where Latin America scores low in comparison with other geographical regions, and discussed measures to be taken to close the existing gap.

Getting to Know

GETTING TO KNOW…

BUSINESS TRAVEL CONSULTING IAPCO talks to Alejandro Ramirez Tabche, CEO of Business Travel Consulting, Mexico

How many members of staff comprise BTC and where are your offices? The success of each event is achieved by the daily work of a multidisciplinary team of 98 people; located mostly in Mexico City and a small part in Guadalajara City.

Let’s think as the founder of Alibaba: “I am not a technological man. I only look at the technology through the eyes of my clients, with normal eyes”; this phrase represents the ability of putting yourself in the shoes of your client, to understand and anticipate their needs.

How and when was the company set up? They say that the will is one of the virtues of man. Once upon a time, a young man had the vision to create ideal scenarios to gather professionals, through congresses, conventions, seminars, etc. Today almost 30 years later, Business Travel Consulting has established itself as one of the 10 best meeting planners in Mexico; becoming a professional company that brings together professionals.

In the last 3 years, what has been the most successful meeting you have organised and why? An event can be considered successful due to different factors; either the number of attendees, the impact it generates on the audience that participates, the economic benefit that the client can obtain, among other reasons.

What are your current challenges? The use of technology represents a great challenge, it is an element that has revolutionised the meetings industry; if you do not know how to use it in your favour, it can become a great obstacle to reach your customers.

In this case, we can say that one of the most successful events we have had was 67TH IAC (International Astronautical Congress), which took place in Guadalajara City from September 26 to 30, with the participation of more than 3500 people. With participants from more than 70 countries, this congress represented a great opportunity, not only for those experts in the sector such as space

agencies, research centers or specialised companies, but also for educational institutions that managed to bring closer children and young people to a huge universe of possibilities. One piece of advice for running a PCO business? Business Tip? Quote? “The mind works like a parachute; it only works if we have it open” - for us, there is no better phrase that describes meeting tourism, since it is an industry that needs to get out of the established dogmas to achieve its development and growth. Why/ how do you value being an IAPCO member? Being a member of IAPCO has been a great growth opportunity for Business Travel Consulting, as it has not only allowed us to improve the way we provide service to our clients but also, to exchange experiences with other members and learn from different perspectives regarding the organisation of a congress. Anything else we have missed that you would love to tell us… Whatever you do, always seek to be the best.

PCO | September 2018

Education – EDGE Guadalajara

FIRST IAPCO EDGE IN LATIN AMERICA The daily life of our lives sometimes does not allow us to see the impact of each of our actions; being a part of meetings tourism sometimes does not allow us to see that we do more than organise events: we are creators of experiences and memories. From the 6-8 August almost 60 industry professionals (PCOs, DMCs, CVBs, venues, association and hotels), gathered in Guadalajara, with the objective to create community and

transform this industry with “out of the box ideas” and actions. Nicola McGrane, Mathias Posch and Oscar Cerezales were in charge of this educative experience during three days of collaboration, disruptive thinking and the innovation of new business models, with the aim to build a more competitive industry for Latin America.

¨ ...Words and ideas can change the world.... “, The society of dead poets Thank you IAPCO for your trust in Business Travel Consulting (BTC) to energize this seminar, as well as to all the event partners that contributed to this important event: Guadalajara CVB, Expo Guadalajara, PSAV, Hard Rock Hotel, Santo Coyote Restaurant, Mundo Cuervo, Standex, Sin Fin de Servicios and Traduccion Integral. Are you standing on the edge of the future?

KNOW YOUR FACTS Date: 6-8 August 2018

Destination Hosts: Guadalajara CVB

Destination: Guadalajara

Media: EventosLatinAmericanos

International Faculty: Mathias Posch, Canada Nicola McGrane, Ireland Oscar Cerezales, Singapore

Venue: Expo Guadalajara

No. of Participants: 57

Scholarship Winner: Sandra Padilla

IAPCO Hosts: Business Travel Consulting

CMP Points: 14.25

And thanks to:

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“Both Maria José and I wanted to once again say how great the Edge Seminar was and how much we have learnt. We can’t wait to speak with our team about everything we have learnt and start making the adjustments. You have given us so much, thank you.” Maria José Gómez and Dalma Paimann of Guadalajara CVB.

Education – EDGE Guadalajara

Top l-r: • meeting architecture at its best, work and chill out • training, faith in the team ….. and fun! Second row l-r: • a taste of Mexico, sponsored by Santo Coyote Restaurant • back to work – the teams prepare Third row l-r: • the bidding exercise – a team on stage • drawing to a close, Nicky and Mathias learn the Tequila process Left: • final moments, sponsored by Mundo Cuervo – Tequila!

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Education - Scholarship

Albert Cronheim Scholarship The Albert Cronheim Scholarship was created to acknowledge the contribution made by Albert to the creation of the IAPCO Educational Programme, begun in 1976. The Scholarship covers registration fees for an EDGE seminar and up to 4 nights’ accommodation. Criteria and application information can be viewed online: www.iapco.org/iapco-education/ edge-seminar One of IAPCO’s six Core Values is “Learning is essential, therefore education is at the core of the [IAPCO] Association and everything revolves around it”. Our most recent recipient of the Scholarship was Sandra Padilla who attended EDGE Guadalajara.

What is EDGE? EDGE – Experts in Dynamic Global Education - IAPCO’s education is varied to embrace the training requirements of members of the meetings industry. The IAPCO EDGE Seminars are all in depth seminars around the organisation of international association meetings, designed by PCOs for PCOs and those wanting to have a complete understanding of the international associations’ meeting marketplace. EDGE Advanced focuses on MICE education at managerial level. EDGE NEXT SEMINARS:

23-25 January 2019 The Hague (open to all) 21-23 January 2020 Munich (open to all)

IAPCO Sharp EDGE Seminars are short sharp education seminars delivered as part of a trade show/ association meetings with content compiled by IAPCO in consultation with any other party involved to meet today’s trends and hot topics. SHARP EDGE NEXT SEMINARS: IT&CMA, Bangkok IMEX America, Las Vegas ICCA, Dubai IBTM World, Barcelona IAPCO’s virtual education platform – web-EDGE – caters for those wanting to learn on a variety of topics from their base. Who was Albert Cronheim?

IAPCO Bespoke Seminars are developed in collaboration with local stakeholder organisation, i.e. CVB, Convention Centre, where programme content is tailored to the destination’s educational requirements. BESPOKE EDGE NEXT SEMINARS: 12-14 September 2018 Manila (by invitation only) 22-26 October 2018 Durban (by invitation only) 5-7 December 2018 Macau (open to all) 7-9 December 2018 Tokyo (by invitation only)

Sandra with Mathias and Nicky at recent EDGE Seminar

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Albert was one of four founding fathers who came together to share their knowledge and experiences, and as such, founded IAPCO, 50 years ago. He was President of the Association from 1973-1975, and Chair of the Training Academy for over 10 years.

A Moment with Council

60 seconds with…Ori Lahav Kenes Group Vice President Client & Operations

Ori, Vice President IAPCO

Joined IAPCO Council - Feb 2017 Tell us about what you are working on at the moment for IAPCO and Kenes

What is your personal philosophy/ quote?

Tell us something that might surprise us about you?

I would divide my answer to internal and external:

I spend hours playing FIFA on my XBOX ……

Internal – “Always believe in yourself!!”

…..and am a Deadpool fan!

External – “A good criteria for measuring success in life is the number of people you have made HAPPY”

Any advice for someone joining the events industry, as a PCO?

What would you do for a career if you were not an eventprof? Since I’m a big fan of electric mobility I would aim to become VP Marketing at TESLA.

It’s important to establish a good global network of industry professionals – we are in a unique industry - we support one another even when we sometimes compete. Follow Ori day to day on Twitter @lahavori

In IAPCO I’m involved in several projects: our Association App, the new Outreach EDGE Programme and supporting different marketing efforts including the recent rebrand. I’m also privileged to speak at a few EDGE seminars and other educational opportunities. For my day-to-day work, I’m focusing on having satisfied clients while delivering flawless congresses and, no less important, happy employees. What is the best book/ online resource you have/ currently use/ recommend? For every manager I would recommend reading “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni (thank you Mathias for the recommendation). And for fun reading I would recommend “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari.

PCO | September 2018

Ambassadors

Meet the IAPCO Ambassadors of the Asia Pacific Region A brand ambassador is a person who is hired by an organisation or company to represent a brand in a positive light and by doing so help to increase brand awareness. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the corporate identity in appearance, demeanour, values

Ambassadors have become a familiar representative of cities, events, associations and other sectors of the meetings industry,

and not least IAPCO. We are proud of the ambassadors that represent IAPCO, both at the regional level and in council. Let’s meet the Ambassadors of the Asia Pacific Region:

JAN

KAYO

SARAH

JASON

ANTHONY

Jan Tonkin, The Conference Company, New Zealand

Kayo Nomura, Congress Corporation, Japan

Sarah Markey-Hamm, ICMS, Australia

Jason Yeh, GIS Group Taiwan

Anthony Wong, AOS, Malaysia

Council Member

Ambassador

Member since 2012

Member since 1999

Member since 2003

Member since 2013

Why is it important you are a member? Jan explains: “Members have the benefit of being continually exposed to best practice and thought leadership in the business events world. IAPCO delivers that exposure through its own conference, its training programmes, its publications and articles and the doors it opens to connections and conversations with a wide range of business events professionals. Both the knowledge and the network we have acquired have made a significant contribution to our ability to grow and improve our service over time. “Being an IAPCO member now for five years, we’ve been emphasising how important it is to maintain the quality standards of the meeting industry”, added Jason.

and ethics.… a positive spokesperson, an opinion leader or a community influencer.. [Wikipedia]

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What are the current challenges in the meetings industry in either your country or in Asia-Pacific as a region? Said Anthony, “As most countries in the Asia-Pacific region now recognise the economic value of the meetings industry, bidding for international congresses is becoming increasingly competitive where often international associations now just want to see the money on the table without looking at the service being provided by professionals”. Jason, of GIS, endorsed Anthony’s view, “The meetings industry in both Taiwan and Asia-Pacific does not yet have a general agreement on a quality standard for meetings. Currently, factors such as the budget remain the first priority for many when organising a meeting”.

Commented Sarah, “Providing clients with value for money, an area where many fall short. We believe it is critical to be relevant in the meetings landscape whilst ensuring clients receive the highest quality of professional services at the best value.” A different concern was raised by Jan, “It isn’t a new challenge nor, I think, is it one affecting the Asia-Pacific region specifically,” she commented, “but recruiting people into the business events world, upskilling them and inspiring them to make their career continues to be a concern. Just the right mix of communication skills, cultural intelligence, empathy and technology know-how, to name just a few attributes, are needed as well as a laser-like customer service focus. The talent pool is growing but not fast enough!”.

Ambassadors

On Education The ambassadors have all been highly active in education and training, taking responsibility for Seminars and Annual Meetings in their own countries, attracting audiences both from within the region and globally. Who did what? GIS: EDGE Seminar 2017 and EDGE Advanced 2018 AOS: EDGE Seminar 2017 The Conference Company: Annual Meeting 2008 and EDGE Seminar 2015 Congress Corporation: Annual Meeting 2018 ICMS: Annual Meeting 2014

But why is it important for the region to host such education? “By organising the seminar, we get to build better relationships with the government sectors and suppliers”, said Jason. “The 49th IAPCO AM/GA in Tokyo 2018 was the most successful networking event which I have undertaken on behalf of IAPCO. It was the right timing for Asia as

a whole to be recognised as one of the key destinations of the meetings industry”, commented Kayo. Her view was endorsed by Sarah, “By hosting an Annual Meeting, in this case in 2014 in Melbourne, my home town, you expose members and potential bringers of business, not only to the facilities and excellence of a city, but also to give them a true taste of the city and the country in just a few short days.” “Hosting an EDGE Seminar strengthens the region’s capacity building efforts”, added Anthony. “We hosted EDGE KL 2017, attracting attendees from countries as far afield as UAE, France, Australia as well as Asia.” “I have hosted three events, and all three reinforced for me how powerful face-to-face meetings can be and I am very heartened to see the appetite growing for more educational opportunities in the region”, concluded Jan. As an ambassador, what do you feel is your greatest strength in representing IAPCO in Asia-Pacific? Sarah, as CEO of ICMS, “a boutique PCO who has been in business for the last 47 years, and as such our networks have depth and breadth. This ensures that our experience and shared information amongst members, and other sectors of the MICE industry in the Asia Pacific region, as part of an international forum of exchange, is wide.”

“As an IAPCO Ambassador, one of our objectives is to improve the service quality of our fellow industry partners and with this in mind, we encourage these partners to join IAPCO where many openings exist in terms of education, business networking and cross border opportunities as long as one puts in enough effort to see them to their fruition.” commented Anthony. By being so involved in such a major activity as the Annual Meeting in Tokyo in February, Kayo says “I am now in a better position to be recognised as one of the friendly/ familiar faces among the members in Asia, in addition to serving as a council member over the past five years, and thus representing the direction of the board in the region.” Jan sums it up: “I really enjoy being able to spread the word in the region about how vibrant and interesting the business events world is and to encourage PCOs and meetings’ organisers within associations to attain IAPCO’s accreditation standards. I’ve been lucky enough to do that in face-to-face environments, speaking on behalf of IAPCO at regional industry events and contributing to IAPCO’s Asia-Pacific training programmes”, and concluded, “It’s a fascinating region, with so many different cultures, and the growing appreciation by governments of just how important the sector has become is very reassuring.”

PCO | September 2018

Members news in brief

The Power of the Bear

Name change for GIS

ERASMUS recently welcomed to Athens, Sir Arnold, also known as Pompe Power, the teddy bear that travels around the world, to keep children company who have Pompe Disease. He was one of the … invited guests at the 4th Congress on Paediatric Nursing, which gathered nurses devoted to paediatric care for a 2-day programme packed with lectures, workshops, round tables and oral presentations on hot topics related to child medical care. Keep globetrotting Sir Arnold!

General Innovation Service Co. Ltd, known as GIS, and based in Taiwan, has changed its name to GIS Group Global Co., Ltd. a name which better reflects their international positioning. Founded in 1991, GIS Group Global joined IAPCO in 2017 and stands by their maxim “Every moment inspires!”.

ERASMUS celebrates their 25th anniversary, and ten years as an IAPCO accredited member.

Alain Pittet new ED at EGA Alain Pittet, former IAPCO council member, moves from Congrex Switzerland to join Ega, a leading PCO, IAPCO member, in Italy, as Executive Director. From the new branch in Switzerland, Alain will lead

a working group dedicated to the development of the international association congress business including association consultancy to help scientific communities to develop and grow. Claudia Maria Golinelli, Vice President and CEO of Ega says: “I am very happy that Alain will be part of our team. With his experience and his managerial skills united to Ega’s international reputation and best practices, associations will be able to count on an innovative and reliable partner.” Ega is a family company which is planning the future with the entry of Gaetano Maria Dieni who is representing the third generation and the protagonist of this strategic decision.

l-r Gaetano Maria Dieni, Emma Aru, Claudia Maria Golinelli, Alain Pittet

ON A NEW MEMBER OFFICE: JUDY LANE ICS JL International Conference Services, is the specialist for legal and financial conferences within the ICS family. This year the company – spearheaded by industry veteran Judy Lane – celebrated its 25th anniversary in beautiful Wales. Team Members from all parts of Europe joined Judy and ICS

PCO | September 2018

Chairman Mathias Posch to look back at past achievements while preparing the company for the next 25 years. With a mix of legal professionals and seasoned PCOs, JLICS will keep focusing on its Core Business around the globe. The next

conference for JLICS is the International Bar Association Congress with more than 6000 delegates at the brand new Nuvola Conference Center in Rome this fall. JL ICS is one of IAPCO’s new category Member Offices.

Opinion

“PCOs must change their value proposition” IAPCO Member: AIM Group International Patrizia Semprebene Buongiorno,

How can PCOs face the urgent challenge to recognise the value of services offered to clients, avoiding a mere price competition? Is it possible to raise the PCO-client relationship, basing it on long-term competitive value sharing? Patrizia Semprebene Buongiorno, Vice President of AIM Group International and an expert international speaker, gave a stimulating lecture session in Bologna at the PCCO Academy, the training programme for events professionals organised by the Italian industry association Federcongressi&eventi. “PCOs nowadays, if they want to be competitive in the market and perceived as a relevant partner by clients, must raise the level of business discussions with clients and continuously find new opportunities for value creation,” said Patrizia, “otherwise they will be compared only by the price of services and thus will easily lose clients and business opportunities”. In a highly competitive market, it is necessary to give more value to services to avoid being perceived as a simple commodity. “The question to be answered is this: is commodity killing PCOs or is it that PCOs are not renovating their products and the way they promote them?” she asked. The first means to achieve these goals is a deep understanding of the client needs and expectations: “First and foremost a PCO has to identify

“The question to be answered is this: is commodity killing PCOs or is it that PCOs are not renovating their products and the way they promote them?” its strengths and the areas where, for each particular client, it is able to deliver outstanding value,” added Patrizia. “Then, and this is of the utmost importance, listen carefully to the client’s needs, history, problems, challenges, business model and expectations (even those which initially might not be clearly declared by the client); and finally, to be totally customer-oriented”. During the lecture session Patrizia also outlined the importance of open, clear and full discussions with the client: it is key to ask themselves and the client the right questions regarding the event, to be able to implement the most appropriate solutions. “PCOs must convince clients that it is worthwhile to buy the best value and to recognise that it is not how little you pay, it is how much you get. Added-value may be more expensive than services, but worth the price,” she concluded.

Top Tips To effectively attract and retain association clients • Demonstrate the competitive advantage offered to clients • Deliver tangible benefits, both quantitative and qualitative • Focus on long-term goals, based on trust and on a common strategic approach • Improve upselling, offering more high-value items • Learn from past experiences (successes and problems) • Propose innovative solutions, in terms of event format, fundraising, participants’ engagement, etc. • Be responsive and proactive as an extension of the association

PCO | September 2018

Emirates

Source: Emirates

Emirates expands its network in Italy, signs codeshare agreement with Trenitalia • 27 train stations in Italy now part of Emirates’ global network • More convenience and connectivity for passengers travelling to and from Italy • One single ticket combining rail and flight PRESS RELEASE - DUBAI, U.A.E. - 1 AUGUST 2018 Emirates and Trenitalia, Italy’s national railway company, today announced a new codeshare agreement which will enable Emirates customers from across its worldwide network to discover new destinations across Italy.

“Emirates already flies more than 1.6 million passengers to and from Italy every year. With this codeshare agreement, we’re connecting Italian regions to our global network, significantly boosting the Italian tourism industry,” added Mr Frach.

With just one easy-to-book ticket, travellers will be able to fly on Emirates and reach some of Italy’s most picturesque cities and towns using high speed, modern and comfortable trains that leave from Emirates’ four Italian gateways Bologna, Milan, Rome and Venice.

“The agreement signed by Trenitalia and Emirates is a pivotal step towards the increase of effective and comfortable integration between train and airplane,” said Gianpiero Strisciuglio, Director of Trenitalia Long Haul Passenger Division. “Our customers will now be able to buy one single solution for their train and flight journey, departing and arriving from 27 Italian stations and enjoying the comforts and the best commercial facilities offered by Trenitalia and Emirates,” he added.

“This codeshare agreement with Trenitalia opens up new possibilities for our customers and complements our current services to Bologna, Milan, Rome and Venice. With Trenitalia, travelling to the Far East from Foggia, or to Padova from Sydney has never been easier,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West.

PCO | September 2018

Customers can now start booking their codeshare trips via Emirates’ website and travel onwards to these destination and benefit from the convenience of holding a single

ticket. First Class and Business Class passengers will automatically be booked in First Class on board Trenitalia’s trains. Over the last 25 years, the links between Italy and Emirates have become stronger and stronger. With eight daily flights to four gateways: Bologna, Milan, Rome and Venice, Emirates has become an important contributor to Italian trade and tourism. The airline has also been a proud sponsor of AC Milan since 2010 as well as a main sponsor of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia tennis tournament.