Antwerp. In sunny weather, 200 international convention centre managers enjoyed a fascinating programme and the extraordinary ambience of a “room with a zoo”. The sobriquet of the Queen Elizabeth Centre is a reference to Europe’s oldest zoo, the aquarium of which provided an imposing venue for the welcome reception.
Dr Linda Yueh, a professor at the London School of Economics, focused on the impact of global disruption on the world’s economy in her keynote speech. Given that Asia’s new middle class and the growing demand in developing countries are the primary drivers of world trade, she questioned whether Europe is investing enough. With or without Brexit, the global economy is now slowing down after growth peaked in 2018, she asserted.
In a panel discussion, Rod Cameron, CEO of the Association Internationale des Palais des Congrès (AIPC) asked how resilient and well prepared key customers of convention centres are. “The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) currently organises 12 conventions for its 96,000 members in 120 countries. The relevance of the events is unaffected by a recession,” declared ESC CEO Isabel Bardinet. She has observed how younger members are receptive to a more experience-focused approach. “We are going to turn our conventions into an emotional experience,” said Bardinet (see p. 20).
Jurriaen Sleijster of MCI also recognises a strong demand for experiences among delegates. Convention centres have to take that into account, he believes. “We have to evolve from providers into partners,” declared Chantal van Es of the financial services company SWIFT. The AIPC’s latest survey confirms the trend towards a greater focus on experiences: “72 percent of all delegates say they enjoy events more when they have more of a festival character,” says Michael Hughes of the market research company Red7Media.
“We have a new format and are inviting people to be active participants. The aim is to get a return on engagement,” said AIPC president Aloysius Arlando, CEO of SingEx Holdings in Singapore, at the start of the second day of the conference. Based on the results of a survey of the delegates asking them to assess their venue’s growth potential, six small groups were formed based on “six dimensions of growth”. Each of the participants then studied ideas presented on a flip chart. They then marked on charts the extent to which their venue had already implemented them.
“This is about thinking, something that often isn’t done enough these days,” said Oscar Cerezales, explaining his “brain share session”. The CEO of MCI Asia Pacific got the participants to visit “stations” on different themes, where they worked with a particular focus, and clever quotes got them thinking. “I particularly like ‘Quality is the best business plan’ from the former creative director of Disney,” said James Rees, the director of conferences and events of ExCel London and president of the ICCA, who who expressed satisfaction about the agreement between the AIPC, ICCA and UFI on working together. “All three associations have a global presence and can create joint standards and possibly exploit synergies for the purpose of further training,” said Rees. Like ExCel London, many venues are members of all three. Among the new AIPC members in 2019 are the Algarve Congress Centre, the Budapest Congress Center, the Buenos Aires Convention Center, the Costa Rica Convention Center, and the Resorts World Convention Centre in Singapore.
Concrete issues such as the reasons for a customer return rate being too low were also discussed in small groups. Julie-May Ellingson, CEO of the Cape Town International Convention Centre, recommended more detailed management of customer relationships while highlighting the added value for events that return.
The Cape Town International Convention Centre won the 2019 APEX Award for its strategy for saving water. The pressing issue of sustainability mentioned by Dries Herpolaert, the director of the hosting venue, in his opening speech was thus lent due emphasis. The award for excellence went to the ADNEC in Abu Dhabi for The Hive, an innovative space designed to stimulate creativity, and the first of its kind in the Middle East. The AIPC Annual Conference 2020 is from 28 June to 1 July at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur.
