PACIFIC WORLD AND STI EUSKADI JOIN FORCES TO DRUM UP MICE BUSINESS FOR BASQUE COUNTRY

Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com), a multinational specialising in MICE planning and logistics, has recently signed an agreement with STI (Integrated Tourism Services), a firm providing a full range of PCO (Congresses, conferences, exhibitions) and MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences and events), with the aim of attracting, developing, promoting and managing congresses in the Basque Country’s main cities.

As a PCO, Pacific World is focus to strengthen relations with Convention Bureaus in Spain and other destinations with PCO potential including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Athens, Lisbon, Porto as well as other cities in Europe and Asia that offer good flight connections, superb infrastructure and attractive options for social programmes.

Pacific World, which forms a part of the TUI Travel Group, has over 30 years of experience in the meetings and event industry, during which it has planned and staged over 3,000 events delivering high levels of excellence as a result of its powerful international network. 
In addition to combining Pacific World’s global know-how with STI’s local knowledge, the latter will also help the former to build up a local presence in the Basque County.

As an international MICE operator, Pacific World will also include recommended Basque destinations in its portfolio, with a focus on Bilbao and San Sebastian as congress and meeting destinations. 

Pacific World will also contribute to the agreement with its acknowledged experience in the submission of congress bids; in addition to the necessary human and technical resources to choose and submit bids for local, national and international events.

This agreement is based on the interest of both parties in developing the Basque Country as a destination specialising in congresses and corporate meetings, as well as exhibitions and incentive trips, both at a national and international level.

The agreement signed by Pacific World and STI will require close cooperation with local institutions, promotional bodies, specialised public companies, corporate associations, universities, research centres, and institutions related to the industry, with the aim of involving all the region’s stakeholders in the promotion of the Basque Country as a MICE destination.

For more information please visit: www.pacificworld.com

Congrex and CIMGlobal form powerful alliance in India

Conferences & Incentives Management Pvt. Ltd. (CIMGlobal) in India and Congrex announced that they have entered into an exclusive Cooperation and Execution Agreement for events taking place in India.

The new agreement is a powerful combination of Congrex international expertise and CIMGlobal’s market knowledge and experience in India. Congrex and CIMGlobal have already initiated bidding processes for conferences and events scheduled for India in its dynamic markets.

CIMGlobal has 15 years experience in delivering meetings, events and conferences in India and is a leading player in the Indian national and international conference market. CIMGlobal operates out of its HQ in New Delhi as well as offices in the major Indian cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmadabad and Chennai. “We are very excited to work alongside Congrex in this new initiative. Their professional history, expertise, and strength within the industry is one that we know to be an important asset to support our mutual growth in the Indian market and beyond”, commented CIMGlobal founder and Managing Director Prasant Saha.

The exclusive collaboration will secure a new presence in the Indian market for which Congrex and CIMGlobal can together provide professional management services for international associations, corporations and governmental organisations on an extended scale in one of the world’s most important growing markets.

The Board of Directors of Congrex Holding BV, represented by Diana Feo de Tamayo, Chairman and Donald M Hellstedt, Director, commented: “We are very confident that the new alliance with CIMGlobal is a coming together of professionally complementing partners. We respect the important work that they have done in the Indian marketplace and what they have contributed to the industry there in 15 years. Our new collaboration is the natural next step for both our organisations and we are sure that it will bring mutual growth and development.”

VOK DAMS wins gold at the US Ex Awards

VOK DAMS was awarded the gold award in the category “Best Press/Media Event” with more than 800 entries from all over the world competing in 28 categories at this year’s Ex Award. 

The judging panel awarded the gold award for the Volkswagen hybrid event “Think Blue. Spritsparathon 2011″. Here, participants could qualify in six regional competitions for the grand German finale – all based on their fuel-conserving driving and their knowledge around the environment and sustainability. The project was advertised not only in industry magazines such as ADAC Motorwelt and via a homepage but also via mobile and digital media, especially social media.

The international judging panel particularly praised the effective hybrid event character of this project.

CRN membership increases by 18%

Membership of the Congress Rental Network (CRN), a worldwide network of top quality event industry suppliers, has increased 18% in the last two years. It has also seen interest in membership grow with a significant increase in the number of application it receives.

CRN now has 42 members across 40 countries around the world. The most recent countries to join include Singapore, Mexico and Chile, as well as its latest member from Russia. CRN’s core operating area is Europe but it has been encouraged by the number of companies applying to join from outside this region, particularly those from Latin America and Asia.

To maintain its position as the leading network of congress systems suppliers, potential members undergo an in-depth vetting process which includes analysis of their business structure, technical knowledge and customer services. CRN membership provides a wealth of benefits including additional marketing and networking opportunities and access to other member companies with which they can share technical knowledge. Above all though, due to the strict entry criteria, membership provides credibility.

CRN chairperson Panagiotis Podimatas comments: “As one of the leading providers of congress system services it is crucial to have members in countries across the world. We recently appointed new members from Belgium, Ukraine and Russia, and we always welcome applications from new companies, particularly those from countries where our business is growing. However, we pride ourselves on offering first class services so any potential members must meet our strict entry criteria. If a company is successful in its application it is recognition of its expertise and position as a world class supplier of congress system services.”

VOK DAMS granted Golden Award of Montreux for Škoda World Dealer Conference

The project which has already received multiple awards both nationally and internationally also convinced the renowned judging panel of the Golden Award of Montreux, who awarded it the gold medal in the most important category “Corporate Events”.

The Golden Award of Montreux, the international Festival for advertising and multimedia, is an award competition for advertising and marketing that has been taking place every year since 1989 in the Swiss town of Montreux. This international “Advertising and Multimedia Festival” is one of the most significant competitions of the industry. The judging panel consists not only of renowned experts from advertising, but also of artists, advertising and marketing managers as well as professors of different academic disciplines.

With the acclaimed dealer event „New Power Škoda“ that was designed and implemented by the event specialists based in Wuppertal, Germany, Škoda heralded a new era in its company history. Dealers were invited to a two-day World Dealer Conference in Prague. A unique event experience in which more than 5.000 trade partners from more than 100 nations came together in the Czech capital to get to know and experience the new vigor of the brand.

www.goldenawardmontreux.com

Etherlive appoints new team members as London 2012 projects gather pace

Chris Mooge and Michael Jones have joined Etherlive to support the company’s activities in the capital for the London Media Centre during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Chris and Michael will be based at Etherlive’s Chippenham head office before transferring to the capital where Etherlive will manage the IT infrastructure at the main One Great George Street venue and a number of associated locations.

Chris joins after 7 years at the VT Group and Babcock International; he brings significant engineering experience and troubleshooting capabilities to complement the existing team. Michael has been appointed as a client support engineer having enjoyed a career with high-profile brands Fujitsu and Specsavers.

Etherlive will provide a state of the art infrastructure, enabling high-speed internet, IPTV and VoIP telephony to hundreds of workstations and edit suites catering for thousands of journalists expected to be welcomed at the London Media Centre during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This service will be responsible for transmitting hundreds of thousands of hours of video content, voice calls, and inter/intranet connections. 

Tom McInerney, director at Etherlive said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris and Michael to Etherlive. They will both add a wealth of expertise to our London division at a crucial time, allowing us to ensure the best possible communications delivery for the world’s media during the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’.”

Etherlive are a leading provider of technology services for the events industry with customers including the Southampton Boat Show, World Triathlon, Goodwood Estate, Masterpiece, and WOMAD Festival.

From 18 to 20 April, Estonia will host the “Meet Estonia 2012” fam-trip, attracting participants from 11 countries across Europe.

Organised jointly by Enterprise Estonia, Estonian Tourist Board and Estonian Convention Bureau, the event will give 43 professional event planners and association representatives a taste of what Estonia has to offer as a meeting destination.

In addition to visiting the main conference and event venues, modern conference hotels and unique historical sites, the visitors will have a chance to experience an active incentive programme that includes a night-time tour of Tallinn’s Old Town and a traditional Estonian-style party. The opening event will be held at historical Tallinn Town Hall, where the guests will be greeted by Mr Arvo Sarapuu, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn.

This is the third time that the Meet Estonia fam-trip is taking place. The Marketing Director of Estonian Tourist Board (Enterprise Estonia), Mr Tarmo Mutso, says that the number of meeting planners interested in participating in the Meet Estonia fam-trip has continued to grow every year. It is also rewarding to recognise that the previous trips have already resulted in actual cooperation and more events choosing Estonia as their next meeting destination.

“Estonia is a new and exciting destination, where conference infrastructure is fully up-to-date, and which offers good value for money. We are also a compact destination, where free Wi-Fi is available nearly everywhere. Therefore, we believe that Estonia has a lot to offer for international meeting and event organisers” added Kadri Karu, Managing Director of the Estonian Convention Bureau.

During the trip, international meeting planners will also have a chance to attend a workshop with local suppliers, and a large number of them will take part in post-tour visits to the university town of Tartu or the seaside resort town of Pärnu.

The programme “Promoting Estonia as a Tourism Destination” is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

ABTS Global Expansion Continues with the newly formed Meetings & Conventions Department in Belgrade Serbia

MIAMI, Florida, April, 2012 – ABTS Convention Services, (ABTS) a global company headquartered in Miami with offices in Rome, San Francisco and Belgrade which exclusively represents over 15 major U.S. medical associations, announces the expansion of a newly formed Meetings & Conventions department in its Belgrade location.

“We are very proud to extend our company’s established meetings and conventions services to Serbia, which represents one of the largest and fastest growing markets in South East Europe,” said President, Davide Veglia. “Our services now offer another dimension of reach, language and culture in this reformed and booming region to continue development of support for our global clientele.”

The Belgrade office has been the center of IT operations and as the company has continued to evolve, ABTS has now added an international meetings & conventions team. The newly created department will enable the company to position itself more strategically in the global market to service its growing roster of medical industry clients and continue to grow their attendance at U.S. based medical meetings.

VOK DAMS strengthens competence for automotive events

The Agency for Events and Live-Marketing VOK DAMS enhances its competence in conception, planning and realization of events for automobile manufacturers with the automotive expert Marc Hartmann (38).

Marc Hartmann was self-employed in the fields of car-handling for a long period of time and will complement the VOK DAMS Wuppertal team as a Senior Project manager.
Thereby synergies in driving experience, vehicle logistics and driver service can be used more consequently and enrich the agency’s offer of extraordinary conception and professional realization for automotive events and trade-fair appearances

The field of driving experience is mainly about research, elaboration and organization of routes; Layout and production of road books; Application of test drives as well as vehicle management.
Vehicle logistics predominantly is about preparation of cars, the technical support of exhibition and display cars and the organization of car transportation.
Driver services contains among other things VIP shuttle services on events and trade fairs; fleet management and valet parking.

„As a full services agency we offer our clients among strategic consulting, conception and experience-oriented realization also several services like implant, guest management and car-handling.“, says Colja M. Dams, CEO VOK DAMS, „I’m happy that with Marc Hartmann we found an experienced specialist for car-handling service.“

Pacific World appointed official agency for IFRA Expo 2012

Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com) has recently been appointed as the official Destination Management Company (DMC) for IFRA Expo 2012, the leading international exhibition for the newspaper industry and its suppliers, which will take place from 29-31 October 2012 at the Feria de Madrid.

Around 10,000 visitors from over 90 countries across the globe are expected to attend the event including leading heads of the newspaper world: CEO’s, IT Directors, Business Development Directors, Technical Heads and Editors in Chief IFRA Expo 2012.  As the official partner, Pacific World will manage flights, accommodation, excursions, tours and networking events for the annual gathering of the media indistry.

Pacific World – the world’s leading global DMC working with over 30 destinations across 13 countries aims to guarantee operational excellence in delivering to customer satisfaction by bringing “the Art of Destination Management” to the world.
Furthermore, Pacific World will grow its existing Event Management and PCO competence centres by investing more resources into new areas.

After 30 years in business, Pacific World expertise is the total management of meetings, incentives, events and especially, complex and big logistics.

As the official Destination Management partner for EIBTM, the leading global event for the meetings and events industry – Pacific World manage accommodation, transportation and other destination services. The exhibition held in Barcelona attracts over 15,000 leading industry professionals to the city each year.

For more information please visit: www.pacificworld.com

VOK DAMS.Consulting publishes “User generated Incentive” study

Customization is the No.1 success factor for incentive programmes – this is the most important key finding of the current trend study of VOK DAMS.Consulting, the consulting agency of the event specialists of VOK DAMS. A total of 142 marketing managers from 58 companies were interviewed for the study.

The study supports the point that also in the field of incentives, the digital networking and with it the user generated content, acquire an increasingly important role. Only the feedback the internet-based communication channels enable, guarantees an individual approach. The integration of social media and the direct exchange become more and more decisive criteria.

Next to customization, constancy is another important success factor for incentive measures. 41% of the respondents indicated that they already perform each measure over a longer period of time; a trend, clearly away from individual activity.

Hence, the way to future success is clearly predetermined by the incentives of employees: Orientation towards the individual needs of the participants, execution of the measures over a longer period and enduring motivation and involvement.

The study provides informative content for the development of incentive measures in the coming years. The clear trend to user generated incentive has to be taken under consideration in the conception and implementation. VOK DAMS offers a solution to this, through its Präm.Kom system that addresses the needs of every individual participant.

The study, as well as, the former ones, are available on www.facebook.com/vokdams or upon request by email at info@vokdams.de.

“AIM Group International approaches South African MICE market”

March 2012 – It was a quite unusual experience for the South African group of professionals in Budapest: from the hot summer in Cape Town to the coldest European week of the last twenty years, swimming outdoors surrounded by snow with an outside temperature of -12° C …

That incentive program of a major South African company started in Budapest, continued in Bratislava, the surprising capital of Slovakia, and ended in the magical Prague: an intense program marked by the special atmosphere of three Central European capitals and the quality of service of AIM Group International.

Other incentive initiatives of South African companies (banks, insurance and investment companies) are instead directed towards Portugal: not only Lisbon, but also Cascais, Coimbra, Douro Valley and Porto allow to design tailor made programs and to take advantage of new and high profile venues. 

The South African MICE market is growing and AIM Group International, thanks to its strong presence in Europe, represents a privileged partner, able to offer customized programs, creativity and constant service quality in the best destinations on the continent.

amiando launches Green Ticketing @SXSW

Munich/Austin –March 14, 2012 – amiando (www.amiando.com), one of the leading online registration and ticketing tools worldwide, announced today that it launches amiando Green Ticketing at this year’s SXSW interactive festival.

amiando’s online event management software allows event organizers and delegates to be more environmentally-thoughtful. Not only is amiando’s online registration system completely paperless, amiando now allows delegates to buy CO2 certificates in order to compensate for their carbon dioxide emissions impact that is caused by their travel to and from the event.

Green events

Green events adopt environmentally friendly measures wherever it is possible. The main goal is to reduce their carbon footprint, which is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the particular event. There are multiple ways to make an event greener such as saving energy, recycling, paperless online event management systems and the minimization of carbon dioxide emissions for travelling delegates. amiando takes responsibility and supports this idea: It provides event organizers with an online registration system that minimizes the environmental impact that results from an event and its delegates.

Paperless registration

amiando’s online event management systems allows for a complete paperless and environmentally friendly attendee registration process. All information and documents including the registration confirmation and tickets are sent via email automatically. Furthermore amiando’s entry management software allows the validation of registered attendees without the need of a printed ticket.

Compensate your carbon dioxide impact

Attendee travel to and from an event accounts for a large majority of the overall carbon dioxide footprint of an event. amiando now allows attendees to compensate their CO2 impact by offering the chance to buy CO2 certificates when registering for an event. The price for each CO2 certificate depends on the individual attendee’s travel distance as well as the type and the length of the event. The compensation amount is used for reforestation projects in Costa Rica that compensate for the attendee’s calculated carbon dioxide emissions. Organizers and sponsors can have a share in making event management greener by paying the total cost for compensating the event’s carbon dioxide footprint.

“Event production and attendee travelling make events a relevant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. As the tool of choice for thousands of event organizers we see it as our responsibility to act environmentally thoughtful. Therefore we are very happy and proud to help both event organizers and delegates to reduce an event’s carbon footprint”, says Felix Haas, CEO amiando.

Visit Geneva Motor Show with VOK DAMS App

The agency for events and live-marketing VOK DAMS in continuing its successful app series with an update of the Geneva City Guide. On the occasionof the 82ndInternational MotorShow in Geneva the communication experts offer a free city guide for iPhone or iPad.

TheInternational MotorShow in Genevastarts on 06/03/2012 with two press days and ends on03/18/2012. So visitors of the Motor Show can experience the city as the VOK DAMS application provides them with information on hotels, restaurants, attractions, insider tips, and other hot spots in Geneva.

TheGenevaGuidecontinues theexistingseriesof VOK DAMS applications.The live-marketing experts have already createdguidesto citiessuch as Beijing, Shanghai, Detroit, Paris and Berlin.

Under the key word “VOK DAMS” the Geneva-Guide can be found in the App Store as well as its predecessor or directly via this link: http://itunes.apple.com/de/app/geneva-guide/id420926965?mt=8

HRG signs ONE Nordic as new client

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), the award-winning international corporate services company, has won a contract with ONE Nordic to manage the company’s business travel following a competitive tender. Based in Malmö, ONE Nordic is Scandinavia’s leading turnkey supplier in energy technology and contracting and employs approximately 1,500 people. 

Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority Join ASAE as Strategic Partner

WASHINGTON — Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) has joined ASAE’s group of Alliance Partners in the Strategic Partner category. This program provides the industry partner community with opportunities to align itself with ASAE and the association industry through customized marketing platforms.

“We are excited to have RSCVA as a Strategic partner,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. “Reno is quickly becoming a popular destination for association meetings and events, and this new partnership gives Reno a great opportunity to raise awareness with the association professionals who are looking for a great place to host their next event.”

“All of us at Reno Tahoe USA are delighted to be joining ASAE as a Strategic Partner in 2012,” according to Christopher Baum, president and CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority. “The Reno/Sparks/North Lake Tahoe region is one of America’s best kept destination secrets, and we look forward to working closely with the ASAE team to help make sure that Reno Tahoe USA starts getting its due as a truly affordable area with incredible natural beauty, top quality convention facilities, world class meeting hotels and almost unlimited activities and attractions.”

UMBRIA CONGRESSI, THE UPCOMING UMBRIA CONVENTION BUREAU, IS BORN

Financed 30% by private funds and 70% by regional public funds, it is an example of mixed public-private partnerships which is unique in Italy as yet. It was founded by consortia UmbriaSì (made up by Confcommercio and Federalberghi Perugia) and Umbria Export (Confindustria), and represents the totality of the local MICE industry. Strong expansion plans in the short and medium term.

Breaking news from the meetings industry of Umbria – the green heart of Italy – and from the entire Italian Mice industry as well: the Umbria Convention Bureau is born. It is now configured as a private consortium named Umbria Congressi, but in a few months, through agreements with public institutions, it will even formally assume the format of a Convention Bureau.

Founding members are two consortia: UmbriaSì (established fifty-fifty by Confcommercio – the Italian traders’ association – and Federalberghi Perugia, the local association of hotel owners), improving the image of the area and enhancing the incoming, and Umbria Export (by Confindustria, the Italian industrials’ federation), whose core business is the study of personalized services for regional companies planning to root in foreign markets.

Umbria Congressi is a mixed public-private partnership. It raises its funds 30% from privates and 70% from the Regional government within the national funding programme for underdeveloped areas.
Twenty-five structures adhere to it, detailed as follows: 19 accommodation facilities including hotels and resorts, four Professional congress organizers, one travel agency and one catering company.

The bureau is directed by a five-year lasting board, which is chaired by the hotelier Valeria Guarducci. It also includes, as Vice-President, the hotelier Giampiero Bianconi, and as members the congress organizers Maria Luisa Basili and Maria Pantini, as well as the hotelier Fabio Tulli. Destination manager is Elena Ronconi.

Here follows a statement of the President about the short and medium term objectives of the newborn Umbria Congressi: «Our consortium was founded both to promote the maximum integration of the meeting industry in our territory, in line with what the founders already do in the leisure segment, and to communicate to the Italian and the international demand for congresses that Umbria is the ideal location for any kind of events. It is a small but beautiful region, full of means for many types of trips (religious as well as artistic, farm or mountain holidays), and is perfect for team-building activities and outdoor incentives. The prejudice according to which it has little to do with business tourism is thus just a prejudice».

«In the medium term we also have the goal and the will to turn even formally out to be a Convention Bureau, which practically we already are, thanks both to the suppliers’ chain represented by the two founding members and to the wide coverage that we guarantee to every area of the territory. The contacts with the public agencies (regional and municipal government) are in progress. In the upcoming months we feel confident to be able to sign an agreement with them».

«Umbria can easily accommodate high-level events, just like the other Italian regions, with the plus of extremely competitive prices. Some of our members offer congress halls for 600-700 people, not to mention the great historical dwellings for which we are justly famous, which, equipped with the latest technology, can easily host hundreds of delegates in a fascinating juxtaposition of ancient and new.

We are working with the airport of Perugia and with the national railways to further facilitate the accesses both from Italy and from every part of Europe. In the meanwhile we are creating more and more relationships between the players in the area, thus setting a really complete industry chain. We have strong support from all sides, and I would like to quote the Mantignana’s Bank of Cooperative Credit, which gave a meaningful contribution, symbolizing the trust we enjoy from large sections of the local entrepreneurship. We couldn’t have dreamt a better start-up».

James Bond Secretion Mission: Operation Eurocontrol

TreaT is a professional agency known for their creativity and unique tailor made experiences.

Over the last 10 years TreaT produced a great variety of events and welcomed over 100,000 people to Maastricht and surroundings.

As 2012 is also the anniversary of the Treaty of the European Union, TreaT designed a new challenging city game: James Bond Secretion Mission: Operation Eurocontrol.

Discover all hidden secrets of beautiful Maastricht in one afternoon. For more information about James Bond and/or other activities, please click here.

HRG demonstrates technology enhancements at Business Travel Show

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG)  announced the newest version of HRG Online™ at the Business Travel Show at Earls Court in London.

Already in use by travellers around the world, HRG Online is HRG’s self-service online booking tool designed to manage data and drive value in travel spend. New features further boost transparency and incorporate a number of policy checks to ensure travel arrangements adhere to corporate guidelines, including:

• advanced waitlist functionality to reduce time and effort spent on sourcing flights by combining waitlist segments to a confirmed itinerary
• ability to reserve specific Eurostar seating through integrated booking platform to reduce time and effort spent
• lowest fare policy rules for rail travel to allow travel managers to enforce policy and guarantee that travellers always select the best possible ticket price
• maximum fare price restrictions for air, rail and car orders to allow travel managers to enforce policy and guarantee that travellers do comply with maximum fare restrictions

HRG’s team will also be exhibiting HRG i-Suite, HRG’s web-based portal that integrates a self-service reservation tool, data consolidation and reporting, expense management and traveller tracking capabilities, as well as the recent HRG i-Suite mobile application. The mobile application provides immediate access for travellers on the move.

Paul Saggar, HRG’s Director of Technology and Product Development, said. “As always, we’re eager to show clients how we’ve further developed HRG’s already strong portfolio of travel technology built in-house. We consistently assess our service offering to ensure that our technology is leading the market by servicing clients’ global needs, whether that be a more seamless user experience, more spend transparency or tighter security measures.”

The Wimbledon Experience awarded overseas tours and corporate hospitality contract at The Championships

The Wimbledon Experience has been awarded a new five-year contract by The All England Club to provide overseas tours at The Championships, Wimbledon, from 2013 onwards.

Widely regarded as a highlight in the sporting and social calendar, The Championships already sees thousands from all over the globe entertained by The Wimbledon Experience, with inbound visitors to London’s All England Lawn Tennis Club representing 45 countries in 2011.

The Wimbledon Experience’s appointment continues to build on a close partnership with Wimbledon that dates back to 1982.

Teams have been placed in offices in the USA, UK and Japan to respond to cross-continental enquiries from reservations to press requests.

A range of tours offer the exclusive guarantee of official reserved seats on Centre / No.1 Court for the whole day’s play.

The Wimbledon Baseline Tour and The Wimbledon Championships Tour combine the comfort of London’s top hotels with hospitality at the All England Club, including transfers to and from Southfields, the London Underground station serving the tournament.

The Wimbledon Semi-Finals Tour, The Wimbledon Finals Tour and the Wimbledon VIP Tour all also include a 3-course meal from Michelin starred Chef Albert Roux, resident for the duration of The Championships.

Andy Vinsen, Commercial Director for The Wimbledon Experience’s parent company, Keith Prowse said, “We are truly delighted to have been awarded the contract and we are looking forward to continuing our long and successful relationship with Wimbledon. We welcome this opportunity to continue to innovate, build and deliver an experience expected by tennis fans visiting the world’s premier tournament.”

Mick Desmond, Commercial Director of the All England Club, said: “After a very competitive tender process we are delighted to award a new five-year overseas tours contract to the Wimbledon Experience as our senior partner in this field. We have worked closely with the Wimbledon Experience for 30 years, during which time they have consistently delivered top quality customer service at The Championships.”

Kenes Group Appoints Luc Hendrickx as Chief Operating Officer

On February 1, 2012, Luc Hendrickx joined Kenes Group as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Global Operations. Luc will also serve as member of the Executive Board. Luc will be responsible for the operational development of the regional and national offices (Kenes Asia, Kenes India, Kenes Turkey, Kenes UK, Tilesa-Kenes Spain, JZ Kenes Brazil and Kenes Latin America) and for corporate governance.

Luc joining is the highpoint of a long and fruitful professional friendship between him and Kenes – dating back to the early 1980s.
Luc is a congress management professional with unparalleled experience and expertise.  Over the last two decades, Luc served in two of the most respected international medical scientific societies. He led the in-house strategic development and operations of the European Cancer Conference (ECCO) and the World Diabetes Congress. Luc was also Executive Director of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), where he was responsible for governance.
Luc is also the founding President of the Board of the Association & Conference Forum  (AC Forum), an international network of association and congress executives.

By bringing Luc into the Kenes Group family, the company is ensuring that the promise to its clients, to deliver top level congress management support, is delivered – anywhere, anytime.

The high standards expected from committees, speakers and delegates means that Kenes must be diligent in following through on its promise to be the most effective way to build and maintain medical scientific knowledge and professional networks.

When Luc is not travelling for Kenes, he will be working from Antwerp, Belgium.

To see Luc’s video message, please click here.

Panagiotis Podimatas re-elected chairman at the Congress Rental Network (CRN)

Mr. Panagiotis Podimatas was re-elected as chairman of the Congress Rental Network (CRN) for the following year, having already successfully served the past two years as chairman of the organization. The voting took place during the Annual General Meeting which was held in January 2012 in Chile, where he received votes of confidence that reached the 86%.

Mr. Panagiotis Podimatas is Managing Director of P.C.Podimatas Audiaviasual S.A. and founder of three companies belonging within that network, in Romania, in Serbia and of course in Greece.

This global network has 42 members in 40 countries from all around the world, and has a vital role on the development of the Conferences and Corporate Meetings market. CRN has undertaken momentous events, such as the Czech Presidency of the European Union, the Climate Change Conference COP15 in Copenhagen and at the moment the Denmark Presidency of the European Union.

Mr. Panagiotis Podimatas was born in 1965, in Athens. He studied Economics at the University of Athens and his expertise in the field of audiovisual equipment and coverage of events and conferences, includes major events such as the Olympic Games -Athens 2004, the Summit of the European Union of 2003 in Halkidiki, of 1994 in Corfu, of 1989 in Rhodes, the opening ceremony of the Acropolis Museum, the conference of OSCE and many others. What is more, he is Vice-president of the council of the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers (HAPCO) having a vital contribution to the Greek conference tourism.

VOK DAMS successful at US Gala Awards with ŠKODA

The multiple international awarded Event Škoda World Dealer Conference was able to convince the jury of event award “Gala”. It was awarded in the category MOST OUTSTANDING SPECTACLE.

5,000 dealers from more than 100 countries experienced “The New Power of Škoda” at the two-day World Dealer Conference 2011 in Prague. The challenge was enormous! The aim was to present the new strategy, the new logo, a new CI, a new showroom design and seven prototypes in the new Škoda design to all dealers at the same time. And all of this before it was announced to the general public worldwide.

For the “Big Bang” concept, one of Europe’s largest arenas – the O2 Arena in Prague – was not big enough. A new concept was necessary!

The planners took the keywords from the briefing, “surprising and fresh”, seriously and designed a horizontal separation of the entire 2,500-sqm arena at a height of five metres.

The opening up of the “floor” virtually by pressing a button became a powerful symbol of the brand’s new beginning and a commitment act at the same time, because the opening of the floor was triggered symbolically by a “Power Button” that filled with energy generated by the statements of the management and the corresponding “keys” as well as by the powerful, acoustic interaction of all 5,000 dealers.
The presentation of the new showroom design was likewise impressive and authentic. An extra showroom for the actual “showroom” was built, where all 5,000 invitees, divided into groups, could walk inside to experience the brand’s new look.

The Gala Award was conferred during the major ceremony of the Special Events Show in Tampa, Florida.VOK DAMS, one of the international leading agencies for events and live-marketing, was awarded this year already for the fourth time in a row with this prestigious award – the second time for a ŠKODA Event.

Interest in VOK DAMS study “Hybrid Events” confirms trend towards virtual elements in live-marketing

The trend towards hybrid events continues to be on the rise – that is the daily experience of the event specialists of VOK DAMS, one of the internationally leading agencies for events and live-marketing. Not only the increasing interest in hybrid elements expressed in client briefings, but also the great popularity of the VOK DAMS study “Hybrid Events – Innovation Trend in Live Communication” is proof of that.

 VOK DAMS has coined the term to describe the combination of real events and virtual elements. The simple formula is: hybrid events = live + MoSoLo* (*mobile applications/social media/location-based services). This integrative combination of live-marketing and MoSoLo before, during and after an event fosters an efficient increase in achieving one’s goals through user involvement.

 In addition to the definition of hybrid elements, the study also provides practical examples of how awareness of and involvement in events can be increased significantly. It is especially this added value that explains the requests for the study, which have reached four-digit numbers. The study “Hybrid Events” is available at www.facebook.com/vokdams

Travel Managers Continue To Focus on Cost Control

CWT Reveals Trends and Priorities for 2012: Travel Managers Continue To Focus on Cost Control

Helping Customers Better Understand the Business Travel Landscape 

AMSTERDAM – January, 2012 - Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a global leader specialized in managing business travel and meetings and events, today published its Travel Management Priorities for 2012 report, based on an international survey of 290 travel managers. The report highlights the main changes likely to affect travel programs and looks at global trends and differences between regions.

Travel managers’ top four priorities focus on cost control
The top four priorities for travel managers in 2012 concentrate on driving air and ground transport savings, improving travel compliance, optimizing hotel spend and online adoption. In an evolving market, these areas represent opportunities even for the most mature travel programs. To achieve these objectives, travel managers use a wide range of measures, including improving communications on travel policy and compliance (previous CWT research shows that only 50% of travelers are familiar with their company’s travel policy), helping employees to better understand online booking processes, and mandating the use of preferred suppliers. Communication on preferred suppliers and booking channels will be particularly important as travelers use mobile applications more and more.

Travel managers’ priorities and planned measures vary according to region 

CWT research pinpointed some variations in results, depending on the region in which travel managers are based. For example, travel managers in Asia Pacific place a greater focus on optimizing hotel spend compared to other regions, reflecting the challenges they face with particularly high occupancy rates in this market. With the number one priority for Europe, Middle East and Africa being air and ground transport savings, one of the measures travel managers are planning is managing the trade-offs between air and rail as high-speed rail networks expand. Travel managers in Latin America also accord the highest importance to driving air and ground savings. Meanwhile, North American travel managers cite traveler compliance -an ongoing challenge- as the number one priority.
In an uncertain economic environment, travel managers need to monitor changes closely to ensure they are getting the best deals from suppliers and the right performance from their travel program. The CWT report also highlights key market trends affecting travel programs worldwide in the coming year, such as the continued growth in travel spend for Asia Pacific, the increasing use of mobile solutions in business travel and the sharp uptake in a strategic approach to meetings management.

Quotes regarding Travel Management Priorities for 2012 attributable to Christophe Renard, VP CWT Strategic Marketing and Business Intelligence

• “CWT is helping travel managers navigate through a difficult year by giving them access to recommendations on how to manage priorities such as cost control.”
• “Top priorities vary slightly depending on the region covered by travel managers. Those responsible for North America, for example, accord more importance to helping travelers adhere to travel policy. Meanwhile, those responsible for Europe, Middle East and Asia or Latin America identify the same priorities as the total sample with a greater focus on driving air and ground savings.”
• “Global travel managers tend to identify and implement more measures to drive consolidation and standardization of the travel program, given their role as orchestrator of the travel program across the different regions.”
• “In 2012, moderate price increases are expected on the whole, with some stronger variations between countries and travel categories. This cautious market context is reflected in travel managers’ priorities, which focus largely on cost control in all regions.”

Quotes regarding 2012 Business Travel Trends attributable to Nick Vournakis, VP Global CWT Solutions Group

• “I’m in touch with global clients on a daily basis – this study reflects their concerns and explains why we are seeing an increasing number of companies coming to us, across all practice areas, for advice on how to best organize their travel program and push their travel spend even lower.”
• “We are expecting the travel spend to be even more complex in 2012 – additional fees, surcharges and credit card booking fees charged by airlines and other suppliers are making it very difficult for buyers to efficiently and accurately compare the full cost of travel between suppliers.”

VOK DAMS Berlin enlarges team

VOK DAMS Berlin settlement enlarges its team. Marieke Fiona Wittneben supports the experts for institutional events of Director Dr. Frank C. Wintgens.

 30-year-old Marieke Fiona Wittneben is qualified management assistant in event organization and studied Marketing and Communications. She has long experiences in event business.

At last Marieke Fiona Wittneben worked as Manager Live Communication for Flaskamp Ummen and realized projects for clients like “Rolls-Royce”, the “Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology” (BMWi) or the “Vertretung des Landes Brandenburg beim Bund”.

 At VOK DAMS Marieke starts as a project manager and will look after clients of the Berlin settlement.

 „Mariekes competencies – especially with institutional events – is a win for VOK DAMS Berlin.”, says Dr. Frank C. Wintgens, Director at VOK DAMS Berlin. „We are happy to have her on board.”.

euromic begins 2012 with Annual General Meeting in Jordan

BRUSSELS, January 2012: – euromic, one of the world’s premier associations of destination management companies, met on January 13 – 15, 2012 for their Annual General Meeting in Aqaba, Jordan. The gathering provided euromic’s members and World Affiliates to welcome new members, set strategies and plans for the coming few years, discuss association and industry issues with clients and media representatives and get re-energized for the year ahead.

“’We are very happy with the successes achieved during our stay in the remarkable country of Jordan’,” says Mr. Giancarlo Carrera, President of euromic. “’Our strength as an association is derived from the combined local knowledge of our members and affiliates, and it is at our annual meetings where we can share and learn from one another’.”

Jordan was selected by euromic as the host country for the recent meeting as a gesture of solidarity in response to the last year’s situation in the Middle East. Euromic’s 1999 annual meeting was held in Amman and the return to Jordan for the 2012 meeting is a testament of the association’s commitment to the region and their members who operate there.

The event, organized by Ghada Najjar of Karma House (euromic’s Jordanian member), was an incentive-style meeting which featured visits to many of Jordan’s top sights, including Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum, and was generously supported by the Jordan Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board, Royal Jordanian, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and the Mövenpick Hotel & Resort Aqaba. A highlight of the visit was a cocktail reception at Wadi Rum, where a grand piano was brought in to entertain guests while the sun set over the desert.

His Excellency Mr. Nayef Al Fayez, The Minister of Tourism & Antiquities and Mr. Abdelrazzak Arabeyet, Acting Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board joined Mr. Carrera in presenting trophies of appreciation at a gala dinner to a few of euromic’s clients and media supporters who traveled from cross the world to take part in the annual strategic meeting. The Mövenpick Hotel ballroom was transformed into a replica of Fort Aqaba for the ceremony, generously sponsored by Mr. Issa Ayyoub, the Chief Commissionaire of ASEZA. Mr. Hussein Dabbas, CEO of Royal Jordanian, and Mr. Peter Hoesli, General Manager of the Mövenpick Hotel Aqaba also lent their great support.

First Alliance Online Booking Tool for Conventions Travel

FRANKFURT, Germany – January 24^th, 2012 - Star Alliance, the way the Earth connects, has become the first global airline alliance to offer online booking and ticketing to convention delegates. The new booking tool allows the convention organisers to direct their participants to a dedicated online booking and ticketing site for all air travel contracted under Star Alliance Conventions Plus.

Newtours and Venue Italia merge to create Italy’s largest destination management company

Newtours Venue Italia is poised to become Italy’s foremost destination management company, providing increased responsiveness to customer demands
and the scale to address new opportunities in the growing Asian market.

Newtours and Venue Italia dmc, two of Italy’s foremost destination management companies, have announced they are joining together to create the
leading company of its kind in Italy.

“To be competitive on the global market, destination companies need to be more solid and better structured,” explains Newtours CEO Giuseppe Lepri. “On
both our sides, clients are asking us to be ready to meet ambitious new challenges that we can now provide by being a more powerful and comprehensive partner.”

“The complementary nature of our companies means that we can provide a streamlined organization with attentive, motivated people and a smart sales
team – all in-house,” adds Venue Italia CEO Claudia Pelosin.

Newtours and Venue Italia dmc each had its own experience, capacity and specialisations. So the specific know-how of the two brands now covers the
full range of the MICE industry: pharma, automotive, insurance and financial. Clients can call on Italy’s most comprehensive offer of congress
and association management, product launches, incentive and reward-trips, conventions and special events.

Newtours Venue Italia, which will be based in Milan with operating offices in Florence and Rome, now ensures that clients get faster assistance. A
further reason for the merger is the ability to expand its presence in the Far-East and emerging markets where interest in Italy is currently very high.

This major new venture opens up exciting new horizons for everyone involved.

VOK DAMS strengthens Guestmanagement

Due to the increasing demand in the area of delegate management – especially in southern Germany – VOK DAMS has built a second guest management unit in Munich.

VOK DAMS won Jens Gottschlich (34) as head of this team.

The studied Business Informatics worked last for 7 years at Maritz / Grass Roots where he has built up and headed the guest management team.

At VOK DAMS Munich he starts working with a dedicated team of project managers and software developers and thus important key account projects.

Guest management is one of the most important tasks in event management.

Professional guest management at corporate events is starting from the creation of invitation mailing lists, creating invitations, capture the feedback, innovative online registration systems, the hotel and travel reservations up to create more flexible reporting and the name tags on the spot.

Here, Jens Gottschlich will introduce especially its competences in the field of process optimization with cross- discipline and interconnected view of all event processes and involved parts.

Andrew Waller Appointed President Europe, Middle East, Africa and Global Partners Network for Carlson Wagonlit Travel

AMSTERDAM, December 20, 2011 – Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a global leader specialized in business travel and meetings and events management, announced that Andrew Waller, currently Executive Vice President United Kingdom, Ireland and the Mediterranean (Spain, Italy, Egypt, Greece and Morocco), is appointed President CWT Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Global Partners Network, effective January 1, 2012. Waller succeeds Håkan Ericsson who is appointed President CWT North America and Latin America.

Waller, a British national, will become a member of the CWT Executive Team and will report to Douglas Anderson, CWT President and CEO.

Waller joined CWT in 2005 as Executive Vice President UK. Responsibility for Ireland was added to his role in 2008 after he led the acquisition of CWT’s Irish partner agency, Executive Travel. He has recently taken responsibility for the Mediterranean region.

“Under Andrew’s leadership, his team has delivered impressive results for our customers and for the business. I am confident that with his experience and drive, he will lead the EMEA region with the same passion,” said Douglas Anderson.

Prior to joining CWT, Waller was Managing Director of Silverstone circuits and led the promotion of the Formula One British Grand Prix. Before that he held senior management positions with Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts UK, Norwegian Cruise Lines, British Airways and Hertz.

VOK DAMS China reviews on a successful year and enlarges Team

The event experts of VOK DAMS China can draw a positive balance at the end of 2011. For 2012 the branches of the live-marketing experts enlarged their team. In Shanghai Mark Wesseling will support the team and in Beijing Rainie Ma will begin work.

38-year-old Wesseling previously worked for Concept X where he was responsible for strategic conception and consulting. All in all he has 12 years experience in live-marketing.
Already in 2011 Wesseling realized an Employee Event for Tecis for the VOK DAMS Shanghai Team and overtakes in 2012 further project responsibilities as a senior project manager.

Rainie Ma, 29 years old, has longstanding experience in the field of event marketing as well. Furthermore she worked as an Art Director on several international film productions. Among other things she was responsible for the British pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.
In the Beijing Event team, she develops concepts for customer events within a rapid pace at the start of 2012

“I am happy that we are able to strengthen our team after we had a very successful year 2011.“, says Ulrike Ellmann, General Manager at VOK DAMS China. “Mark as also Rainie bring a broad amount of experience within diverse expertise to the agency.
That helps to improve the quality of our branches in China even more.“.

Future Convention Cities Initiative shares the green spotlight at COP17

Business events, their economic and legacy impacts found a place amongst the discussion of carbon emissions, climate change and environmental politics alongside the 17^th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, when Future Convention Cities Initiative (FCCI) member cities showcased their model of “co-opetition” and a new perspective on the business events industry.

Exhibiting in the uShaka Marine World, FCCI member cities were represented by Sydney, Seoul, and Toronto and host city, Durban. The group welcomed visitors to the pavilion where they profiled the seven destinations including meeting and conferences facilities, and advances and achievements in sustainable industries.

Inaugural Chair of the FCCI and Chief Executive Officer of Business Events Sydney, Ms Lyn Lewis-Smith opened the exhibition at a breakfast function with the MEC for Economic Development and Tourism KZN, Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu. The function was attended by local mayors, municipal officials and high profile public entities eager to gain insight into the work of the FCCI.

At a cocktail function later that evening, Ms Lewis-Smith also formally introducing the FCCI and the industry-leading research the group is undertaking into the social legacies of business events to 120 leading South African and Kwazulu-Natal tourism stakeholders.

“Formed earlier this year, the FCCI is a group of seven leading business event cities: Abu Dhabi, Durban, London, San Francisco, Seoul, Toronto, and Sydney. The group embodies the global nature of the business events market, which was traditionally Euro or US centric, but now encompasses Asian, African and Middle Eastern destinations,” said Ms Lewis-Smith.

“The pavilion in Durban, alongside a high profile global business event such as COP17, was an ideal platform to raise awareness of our industry and the benefits it delivers communities, economies and countries.”

Mr James Seymour, CEO of Durban Kwazulu-Natal Convention Bureau, said, “The Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism requested that we invite the other member cities of the FCCI to visit Durban in the last week of COP17 to raise awareness of business event legacies, and their value to the local economy and community.”

“The FCCI will be taking Sydney’s Beyond Tourism Benefits research global next year. This is an important step in understanding the true flow-on legacies of business events and their role in economic development – jobs, education, international collaboration and trade.”

Ms Maureen O’Crowley, Vice President, International Marketing at Seoul Tourism Organization said, “Seoul was proud to host the first FCCI action forum in March 2011. The Durban meeting was the second FCCI gathering in 12 months. This frequency demonstrates the commitment of the group to growing and cementing their alliance, and the benefit that we all get from our form of ‘co-opetition’.

Tara Gordon, Vice President, Meeting and Convention Sales at Tourism Toronto comments, “The FCCI collaborates to shape and accelerate the strategic development of our business events industries. This was an opportunity to not only share insights, but also for more established member destinations to support a fellow member – a newer business event destination – that is proactively developing their local industry. Durban did a great job hosting COP17.”

Whilst in Durban, the FCCI representatives were also welcomed to join a group of 30 international media as they toured the Isimangaliso World Heritage Site and Hluhluwe Imfolosi Game Reserve. This provided a valuable opportunity to discuss the FCCI and the far-reaching social legacies of business events with the high-profile media present in Durban for COP17.

Volkswagen’s “Think Blue. Spritsparathon 2011.” – A Hybrid Event Made by VOK DAMS Hamburg

Volkswagen and VOK DAMS proved that the latest event trend of “hybrid events” allows you to be successful, communicate on a wide range of platforms as well as contribute to the topic of “sustainability and raise awareness of environmental issues.

 With “Think Blue.”, Volkswagen accepts its responsibility for ecological sustainability. Everybody can make their contribution: Volkswagen with fuel-saving and low-emission solutions; people with their eco-conscious behaviour.

To get as many motorists as possible onboard, or into the Golf BlueMotion, the “Think Blue. Spritsparathon 2011.” was initiated. In six regional competitions, the participants could qualify for the big finale in Germany – by showcasing their fuel-saving driving and their knowledge about the topic of sustainability. The project was promoted not only in the usual media with a wide coverage, such as the car magazine ADAC Motorwelt and a homepage, but also in mobile and digital media, especially social media.

At the big finale in Germany, a rally from Wolfsburg to Berlin with many interactive “sustainability stops” culminating in a grand finish that received much media attention at Potsdamer Platz, the national winning team, who could keep their Golf BlueMotion, was determined. Here, cooperation partners, such as the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), provided information about the topic of sustainability at different stands and an event programme offered people of all ages the opportunity to experience the topic firsthand.

The winning team of the “Think Blue. Spritsparathon 2011.” also qualified for the international finale, the “Think Blue. World Championship 2011.” in which teams from 10 countries will participate. This event will also be overseen by VOK DAMS Hamburg. Together with the social media specialists of VOK DAMS.Consulting and the agency “trommsdorff + drüner”, who created Volkswagen’s interactive platform mythinkblue.de, VOK DAMS Hamburg were responsible for the concept and its execution as well as the idea generation including the social media activities for the competition.

SERBIA: Fastest Growing Destination in Europe Goes Mobile!

Serbia Convention Bureau (SCB) takes great pride in the fact that Serbia is the fastest growing meeting destination in Europe as per latest ICCA statistics. The figures show that Serbia has made a tremendous jump in terms of the number of events organized, taking into consideration three main criteria: number of participants, rotation and regular occurrence. This sharp increase, especially in Belgrade as the major congress destination in Serbia, is mainly through the common efforts of all industry partners who have been united in one common goal – promotion and marketing of destination.

Since its establishment in 2007, the SCB has been progressively marketing Serbia as MICE destination, with the main goal to position it as a leader in South East Europe. ICCA statistics reveal that Serbia is climbing the ranks faster than any other European destination. In 2010, Serbia hosted 46 meetings to take the 43rd position in the world. Just three years earlier, Serbia had only 11 meetings and was in 64th place.

Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, now ranks 28th among the approximately 200 convention destinations listed for Europe with 33 international congresses in 2010. Belgrade is now hosting a similar number of meetings as cities like Glasgow, Florence, Goteborg and Hamburg – Appendix 1.

Bureau CEO, Milos Milovanovic said that the marketing efforts and the visibility of the Serbia destination team have shown that Serbia is on the right track. “The convenient location, with excellent accessibility; perfect facility package (the main convention center is connected to major hotels); good value for money; growing number of new hotels; a variety of incentive programs and tours; Serbian versatile and organic gastronomy; hospitable people, and fun – these are just some of the attributes Serbia has already been acknowledged for”, said Milovanovic.

Keeping pace with the latest IT, the SCB has been widely promoting Serbia destination using digital and social media tools. At the ICCA Congress held in Leipzig, Germany, the presentation of “Serbia Destination” Mobile Application was highly acknowledged, while Serbia has been recognized as a leader in applying the latest IT in the destination promotion, and developing the first Mobile App for meeting planners in Europe – Appendix 2.

The recently published Serbia Meeting Planner’s Guide had served as a starting point for developing of “Serbia Destination” Mobile App, optimized for all platforms. Once downloaded, the App operates off-line, and it helps meeting planners and delegates understand all capacities and potentials while planning, organizing and attending their event in Serbia. The Easy-to-use interface and search engines help browsing the contents for suitable solutions. Special feature provides planners with possibility to inform the delegates according to the specific requirements of the event. “Serbia Destination” Mobile App has been integrated into the official SCB Facebook page, and together with the mobile website, represents a step forward in digital destination marketing.

The MPG guide is a must have document not only for the meeting planners, but for an average visitor, too. It is available and fully downloadable from the SCB website at www.scb.travel. And for the App, well look for the QR codes – they are everywhere!

IAPCO: Yes, Bidding has Changed!

All parties at the recent IAPCO Seminar at EIBTM, chaired by Philippe Fournier, IAPCO President, were in agreement. Anne Rødven, VisitOSLO [Convention Bureau], Ben Hainsworth, European Society of Cardiology [Association] and Michel Neijmann, K2 Conferences [PCO] spoke to the packed hall of over 120 exhibition visitors.

More obvious changes in the bidding process were the move from glossy bid books to on-line submissions and the demand for ever increasing subsidies, subventions, donations to assist the event’s bottom line. But perhaps less obvious was a fundamental principal of selection. “The mind-set has changed” said Ben “selections are made on the basis of looking at the Association’s point of view, rather than just a destination. The selection is political and strategic and objective assessments are made”.

Anne stressed the financial changes. “20 years ago, there was a move to fight against the competition from cities providing subventions. Now it is a fact of life, some associations will only go to a city where there are financial incentives. And” she added “VAT, its %, can be the deciding factor”.

CSR was not felt to influence the process. “CSR is a standard now”, commented Michel, “Bids are expected to include information in terms of both legacy and carbon footprint”. The consensus was that the selection process was not impacted by such considerations.

And the current buzz, social media? Today, when, in many meeting formats, the decisions are made by the older generation, use of social media was limited; however, this is an inevitable change as the decision-making players alter. But, here and now, the reputation, or indeed perception, of a destination can be changed in minutes by active traffic on social media which might well affect the selection decision. It can of course benefit the actual event, and therefore good social media skills identified within the bid can enhance the overall submission.

Core PCOs can help considerably in the process, and are often influential in the selection. They push the destinations and the convention bureaux to provide the best deals and the best solutions for their association clients. “Core PCOs have become an integral part of the selection chain”, summed up Philippe, “Yes, Bidding has changed. Nothing is taken lightly, associations have to be seen to be objective and they need to make the right decision. Core PCOs, yes IAPCO Core PCOs, help that process”.

CRN uses latest technology for staff training to maintain standards in tough times

As part of its commitment to staff training, the Congress Rental Network (CRN), a worldwide network of top-quality AV and Simultaneous Interpretation (SI) specialists, is using the latest online technology to improve the skills of its members’ employees for minimum cost.

As economic uncertainty continues around the world, CRN wanted to ensure staff at all of its member companies would benefit from ongoing training without incurring the cost penalty of sending people to Bosch headquarters in Holland. And by holding regular webinars, employees can improve their skills in all areas CRN operates in. It is the latest development in CRN’s commitment to training – it recently introduced a schedule that ensures all technicians are re-accredited every six months.

Panagiotis Podimatas from PC Podimatas in Greece, chairman of the CRN, says: “With more than 1,100 staff across the network we are arguably the world’s largest provider of technical services to the event industry. It is critical staff at member companies are trained to the highest standards in order that we continue to provide a first class service. The CRN has a history and reputation as the worldwide voice of SI and AV expertise and we are determined to maintain that position.”

CRN members are specialists in congress equipment hire, with experience in installing and operating state-of -the-art equipment for event organisers in countless venues around the world.

q.media and Congrex join forces in joint venture agreement for the Gulf region

q.media (Qatar Media Services), the Middle East’s leading media agency and leading conference management company, Congrex have announced a major joint venture agreement.

The new joint venture, which comes into effect immediately, calls for Congrex to develop and deliver conference services together with q.media globally. The signing follows on the heels of the successful delivery of the World Arabian Horse Organization conference, which was held from November 1 to November 8, 2011 in Qatar.

The partnership is currently actively pursuing and delivering on a variety of prominent events of local, regional and international significance. A joint Congrex and q.media team have been appointed the Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) for the 8th World Chambers Congress. The event, hosted by Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) and World Chambers Federation (WCF) takes place in Doha in 2013. The event will bring together over 2000 delegates from Chambers of Commerce from around the world and aims to strengthen business ties within the wider Africa and Middle East region.

Commenting on the impact of the agreement, Congrex Chief Executive Officer, David Wade-Smith said, “This joint venture is a perfect example of how a partnership approach always works best. I am absolutely certain that Congrex’s efficient and imaginative conference service delivery will contribute to the already highly acknowledged service portfolio of q.media.”

q.media Group Media General Manager, Jaber Al-Ansari said, “As the largest media provider in the State of Qatar, and one of the largest in the region, we are continually seeking international partnerships to improve our level of service and place Qatar on the global media and advertising map. We strongly believe that together q.media and Congrex has the potential to thrive.”

q.media is at the forefront of providing a wide range of global clients services in production, media sales, print, outdoor media as well as events. Founded in 2004, q.media has offices throughout the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia and Australia. In Qatar, q.media is the sole media representative of Al Jazeera Network, Qatar TV and Qatar Radio.

Parthen Meeting Services presents: Edison

This December, live at the EIBTM in Barcelona, Parthen Meeting Services will give a preview of its new online registration software called Edison. From the 29th of November until December 1st, you can drop by their stand (O280 & P240) and learn more about this online software package.

Jaap Bakker, Managing Director at Parthen Meeting Services, tells us what makes Edison different than other software packages. “It’s a unique, efficient and price attractive package, perfect for everyone who needs to organize an event. Easy to use, no strings attached and no hidden fees. The fact that Edison has its own currency, you buy and pay with credits, makes it different than other online registration software. And that’s only one feature of many more…”

Agile
In less than six months Parthen has developed the first part of Edison. They started with a blank sheet, a great knowledge and 22 years of experience in congress registration. They are working in a way called ‘agile development’, which is, in a nutshell, a method based on short cycles and incremental development, which allows them to deliver a new product/version every thirty days. Summarized: Edison will get even better over time and will fulfil the wishes and needs of the market.

HTML5
Edison is made with the latest HTML technology, HTML5. Many of you heard about HTML and some of you know how to use it. HTML makes it possible to view websites in an organized way so that your brain can understand it. It is technology, which helps us to design and produce user-friendly software. And Edison claims to be user-friendly; Parthen even tells us it’s ‘dummy proof’. Jaap Bakker: “The use of Edison does not require support. Support is available though, but you will be charged for it. The promise is that you will only pay once for support, which means that you never pay twice for a question asked earlier. We also log those questions and all answers.”

Presentations will be held at stand 0280, from 10:30 am until 15:30 pm.

“Eurospine 2011: engaging 4000 participants with the latest networking technology”

Milan, 25 November 2011:   Travelling from every corner of the world, 4.000 participants descended upon the pavilions of MICo, one of the leading European conference venues, during the month of October 2011.   Orthopaedic and neuro surgeons, neurologists, physiotherapists and other specialists came from 81 countries to attend EuroSpine 2011.  EuroSpine is an annual congress of the European scientific society dedicated to the prevention and the treatment of vertebral pathologies.  This annual congress is managed by AIM Group International.

Eurospine 2011 benefited from a wide variety of participation of sponsors and exhibitors.  140 companies of highest specialisation exhibited and contributed to make this congress “THE” European event in the field of the vertebral surgery.   In addition, the communication channels during the conference utilised the latest technologies and modern methods of reaching the conference attendees.   Through an active participation on Twitter from the attendees themselves and a continuous flow of information leading, during and following the conference, the participants, speakers and exhibitors were highly enthusiastic about the enormous networking and learning opportunities that these communication activities provided for them.

In addition, an application for smartphones, providing all information, scientific program and videos has been made available to all participants and aided to increase the participation to the scientific session, the exchange of the experience and the sense of community.   This result has been achieved also with the help of audience response systems during the interactive sessions.

An up-to-date information about the latest trends of research and clinical practice was provided by “Spine Times”, the conference’s daily newspaper available both on-line and printed.

VOK DAMS Wins Seven EuBEA Awards

VOK DAMS has won seven awards at the “European Best Event Awards 2011”. The agency for events and live-marketing was awarded for its creative ideas and implementation of the Škoda World Dealer Conference, the Geberit Top Meeting and the E-Plus Partnershop Conference.

The European Best Event Award is an annual award dedicated to celebrate outstanding live communications projects. Set up in 2008, it is the first award that honours European projects in particular and has developed quickly into an international competition for live-marketing and events.

Gold, Bronze and the Special Event Award for Škoda World Dealer Conference

Client: Škoda

Project: “World Dealer Conference”

Category Best Congress/Convention – Gold

Category Best European Awards – Bronze

Category Best Product/Service Launch – Bronze

Category Special Prize for Outstanding Event

5,000 dealers from more than 100 countries experienced “The New Power of Škoda” at the two-day World Dealer Conference 2011 in Prague. The challenge was enormous! The aim was to present the new strategy, the new logo, a new CI, a new showroom design and seven prototypes in the new Škoda design to all dealers at the same time. And all of this before it was announced to the general public worldwide.

For the “Big Bang” concept, one of Europe’s largest arenas – the O2 Arena in Prague – was not big enough. A new concept was necessary!

The planners took the keywords from the briefing, “surprising and fresh”, seriously and designed a horizontal separation of the entire 2,500-sqm arena at a height of five metres. The opening up of the “floor” virtually by pressing a button became a powerful symbol of the brand’s new beginning and a commitment act at the same time, because the opening of the floor was triggered symbolically by a “Power Button” that filled with energy generated by the statements of the management and the corresponding “keys” as well as by the powerful, acoustic interaction of all 5,000 dealers.

The presentation of the new showroom design was likewise impressive and authentic. An extra showroom for the actual “showroom” was built, where all 5,000 invitees, divided into groups, could walk inside to experience the brand’s new look.

The set design made the magnitude of the event palpable. For the business meeting, all 5,000 invitees took their seats on the stands that were arranged around the 340-sqm stage. The stage was equipped with large lifting mechanisms for showcasing the vehicles and a floor that functioned as the roof for the evening event.

Gold for Geberit Top Meeting 2011

Client: Geberit

Project: “Top Meeting 2011″

Category BtoB Event – Gold

The Geberit Top Meeting 2011 was a dreamlike love story of discovering, losing, searching and finding in four acts.

On three different days and at three different venues, 2,800 invitees experienced a poetic dream. The company’s vision was interwoven with culinary delights. Thus, the motto took shape: a love story of discovering, losing, searching and finding in four acts.

Each act represented a brand value:

1st Act Innovation Create quality of life

2nd Act Partnership Share quality of life

3rd Act Know-how Enable quality of life

4th Act Reliability Sustainable quality of life

The fifth brand value “quality of life” was immanent in everything. A space design on four levels, a wild chef and an innovative media concept stood in contrast to the classic early summer’s night dream – surprising, entertaining, innovative, sensual and optimally suited to the brand.

Silver for E-Plus Partnershop Conference

Client: E-Plus

Project: “The Day of the Truth”

Category Best Staging/Set Design – Silver

With a real fight, E-Plus showed its partners on “The Day of the Truth” that together they are in the right corner of the boxing ring.

The E-Plus Partner Congress 2011 became “The Day of the Truth”.

It is common to play with the strong symbolism of boxing, but E-Plus meant business! The heart and highlight of the event was a real fight: Cross, Jab & Punch.

The opponent was chosen: Maurice Weber – a professional boxer from the team of World Champion Felix Sturm. Prior to the event, the guests could go to the event website and apply there for the live fight.

Two candidates were shortlisted and trained at the gym of the Sturm team for one week. Then the final contender was chosen: Christian – the BASEMAN – Ricken would get into the ring in February in the boxing arena that was especially erected for the event.

Together with Sonja Kraus, the most popular German boxing ring announcer Roman Roell hosted the fight and the event.

The entire event, including the information during the plenum, the press conference, an exhibition and the party, were all integrated into the fight. Another highlight of the event was the live interview with Felix Sturm.

In addition to the awards for their projects, the live-marketing experts of VOK DAMS won a silver award for Best Event Agency and shared the joy with Škoda when the Czech automobile manufacturer won Bronze in the category “Best Event Company”.

Geneva Convention Bureau and Congrex Switzerland sign partnership agreement

The Geneva Convention Bureau (GCB) and the conference organiser Congrex Switzerland have signed a three-year partnership agreement. With direct membership, Congrex is continuing to pursue its market development strategy in a targeted manner.

Over the past few years, Congrex has organised numerous congresses in Geneva and knows the region’s infrastructure extremely well. The city of Geneva boasts over 15 conference and seminar centres and offers an exhibition area of more than 120,000 m2.

“The partnership agreement with the GCB is an important step towards implementing our market development strategy. Geneva is not only one of the cities worldwide that holds the most international congresses; it is also where the headquarters of numerous international associations and the UN are located”, states Alain Pittet, Regional Managing Director, Congrex Schweiz.

Congrex is delighted about the new cooperation, as it will now be able to benefit from the professional services that the GCB has been providing for years.

Now at concept store Browns: Kuoni at Thomas Erber’s ‘Cabinet de Curiosités”

Following its successful appearance at Thomas Erber’s ‘Cabinet de Curiosités” held last year at colette in Paris, Kuoni is once again exhibiting with two extraordinary journeys. This year from 22 November to 23 December 2011, Erber will be presenting an exclusive yet very personal collection of luxury fashion, design, art, photography, jewellery and travel at concept store Browns, the revolutionary home of style in the heart of London. In doing so, Thomas Erber – one of the leading lights of style in the modern age – addresses those looking for that something special and for whom luxury is defined by the highest quality and individuality. Together, Kuoni and Erber have designed two unique trips to Uruguay and Namibia exclusively for this exhibition.

As travel partner and guest at Thomas Erber’s ‘Cabinet de Curiosités” at Browns in London, Kuoni will be presenting two trips to South America and Africa. First is a romantic road trip along the coast of Uruguay, that fascinating country at the end of the world where there is still so much to discover and in which many mysterious and wonderful encounters await travellers. Kuoni is also offering a family adventure trip to Namibia, characterised by unspoiled, awe-inspiring nature and proper safaris, and throughout which the locals show their guests the most spell-binding features of their country as trusted expedition partners.

These journeys reflect the understanding of authenticity, luxury and spirit of adventure shared by the most discerning, for whom only the truly extraordinary, individual and contemporary will do.

Thomas Erber has commissioned such ‘items” for his ‘Cabinet de Curiosités”, inviting 31 designers and artists each to prepare an exclusive piece that expresses their creative power. This has given rise to an incomparable collection of luxury items that have shaped the style of our times. Works by iWoodesign, José Lévy, Manolo Blahnik, Quintessence and Tooshie can also be seen at Browns.

Further information on the ‘Cabinet de Curiosités de Thomas Erber” is available at www.kuoni.com/CDC or starting 22 November 2011 directly at www.lesvoyagesdethomas.com and www.brownsfashion.com .

PortAventura: the nerve centre of the 47th RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA

• PortAventura Convention Centre and all its facilities have been the centre of operations for the 47th RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, held from the 20th to the 23rd of October.

• Franck Barbaras, Director of PortAventura Business & Events and the PortAventura Convention Centre: “We’re delighted that this important race has once again been completed with absolute success”

Vila-seca/Salou, November 2011. The 47th RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España 2011 was the penultimate race in the FIA World Rally Championship. PortAventura and all its facilities have been crucial for holding the race: as on previous occasions, the large central car park at PortAventura held the Assistance Park for this important race, also significant because it adds points for the two most important support series, the PWRC (Production) and the SWRC (Super 2000), for which it has been, respectively, the penultimate and last race to gain points.

It should also be noted that the PortAventura Convention Centre was chosen as the venue for the teams and media from all over the world. The Harvard Room was the official site for the Spanish and international media; the Damascus Room hosted personnel involved in the race’s management, timing, security and safety. The race’s logistic warehouse was located in the impressive Alexandría room, while the Hotel Caribe provided accommodation for the members of the teams, drivers and organisation. This hotel, together with the Hotel PortAventura, also held the catering services on the days when the race was being held.

“The RallyRACC is decisive for world rankings, so that being able to host the teams at our facilities, as well as the fans of this sport, is of great satisfaction for the whole area of PortAventura Business & Events, which has strived to ensure that, at all levels, the event was a resounding success” pointed out Franck Barbaras, Director of PortAventura Business & Events and the PortAventura Convention Centre who also took the opportunity to congratulate the winner after an exciting finish: Sebastián Loeb (Citroën team).

The HBAA is to expand its reach into the EU with the launch of an International Charter

The International Charter aims to outline how international hotels and venues can benefit from the buying power of the UK’s most influential agencies involved in the procurement of meetings, events and business accommodation.

Unlike many other European countries, the UK is recognised for having a distinct business model that differs from universally accepted TMC terminology. Unlike global agencies who consolidate air and ground transport, along with corporate accommodation spends – the UK has a tier of intermediates whose sole premise is to consolidate corporate meeting and event budgets and maximise buying power. Hotel booking agents (HBAs) are widely acknowledged in the UK as the preferred option for corporate clients to strategically manager their meetings programmes.

Under their representative trade association, the HBAA, agencies are looking to widen their scope and drive awareness into key outbound markets; specifically Europe, Middle East and North America.

The HBAA’s International Charter aims to drive awareness amongst overseas hotels and venues on how to deal with UK agencies and thereby benefit from the association’s buying power that exceeded £2.3bn per annum.

The Charter represents a mark of integrity and understanding of the relationship between the UK agency and overseas property. The Charter covers response times to enquiries, commission levels and payment terms.

The HBAA is made up of the UK’s leading agencies, many of who have overseas offices in key financial cities and are booking significant groups into overseas markets.

The Charter has been created in response to growing demand from agencies booking outbound business. It also reflects the call from international hoteliers and venues to benefit from the UK corporate spend.

Steve Ockerby, chair of the International Charter Committee said: ‘We have been delighted with the amount of interest that overseas venues have shown. Everyone recognises that meetings and events are no longer confined purely to the UK and that a working practice needed to be put in place to clarify and strengthen the relationships between UK HBAs and overseas hotels and venues.

Robbert-Jan Meinardi, area sales director at Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, Noordwijk, The Netherlands said: ‘We were one of the first hotels to sign up as we see huge demand and revenues from the UK outbound market in to our hotel. This is a very important development for the sector and especially the HBAA and Europe’s hoteliers. Since adhering to the Charter it has paid dividends and we have already seen €70,000 of confirmed business from a large corporate, had we not signed the charter we would not have been considered by the agency.’

Korea Prepares to Launch 2012 Korea Convention Year

-2012 Korea Convention Year declared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization

-All qualified conventions, meetings and incentive travels held in Korea between 2012 and 2015 will receive maximum government support and incentives.

Seoul, Korea – Since the turn of the century, Korea has achieved an enormous growth in meetings and convention industry by ranking 8^th in the number of meetings and conventions by Union of International Associations in 2011. In recognition of the enormous value of the meetings and convention industry, the Korean government has been nurturing and fostering this sector as one of strategic and new-growth industries In order to boost the country as one of the top five convention destinations in the world, the Korean government has declared the upcoming year as the 2012 Korea Convention Year.

Various programs by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization in cooperation with seven MICE Alliances in regional convention destinations have been planned with the goal to provide better services and support to MICE participants and organizers. In addition, the 2012 Korea Convention Year has been strategically scheduled to overlap with the final year of the Visit Korea Year 2010-2012 campaign to boost the number of inbound tourists to Korea.

During the 2012 Korea Convention Year, government support and incentives for events held in Korea will increase up to twofold for qualified meetings, conventions and incentive tours. Convention centers and hotels will offer discounts on meetings venues up to 30 percents off the published rates. Hotels will offer up to 40 percent discounts on rooms, complimentary room upgrade and welcome amenities for designated guests. Complimentary site inspection trips may also be arranged for qualifying organizations and special discounts for the organizer of the meetings and conventions as well as their participants are also available on the two flag carrier airlines: Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. Incentives like traditional performances tickets, souvenirs, tour programs and more may also be provided for qualified events.

In addition, the 2012 Korea Convention Year joined forces with the Korea MICE Alliance, which a union of regional convention bureaus, destination management companies and professional congress organizers, so that each city’s unique incentive plans are maximized for participants in any of the nine convention destinations all across Korea. On a national level, Korea Tourism Organization will increase financial subsidies to the organizers of MICE events.

To qualify for the Korea Convention Year’s incentive program, conventions should meet the Union of International Associations (UIA) meeting standards while incentive tours and corporate meetings should have more than 100 participants. The event, which may take place between 2012 and 2015, is required to confirm that Korea will be its host country during the year 2012. Events with more than 500 participants from the Asian region only or those with more than 1,000 international participants may qualify for airline discounts.

According to UIA, 464 conferences took place in Korea in 2010 – a remarkable 34% increase from 2009 – elevating the country to the eighth position in the world for the number conferences hosted. Korea is aggressively pushing to become the top five convention destination in the world and expect the 2012 Korea Convention Year to become the driving force behind this goal.