The EU2012 Logistics Team and its Danish Sustainable Events Initiative (DSEI) partners has collected the IMEX Green Meetings Award 2013. It is the second time in three years that the Danes take home the prestigious award given in recognition of their focused and innovative sustainability achievements in the meetings industry.

In 2012 Denmark hosted the first ever sustainable European Union Presidency and achieved the first ISO-20121 certification in the meetings sector. The sustainable actions of the 'Danish Sustainable Events Initiative' lead to a €40million saving compared to previous Presidencies and now the legacy and learning are not only shared in a new report entitled ‘Driving Change Through Collaboration’, but have also been awarded the IMEX Green Meetings Award 2013.

Nicknamed the ‘Tap Water Presidency’ by the press, due to a determined focus on environmental and cost saving actions, the Danish government implemented an ISO20121 compliant sustainability management system for the 100 meetings which hosted 15,000 participants in Copenhagen and the city of Horsens - and it is those efforts that were acknowledged yesterday with at the annual IMEX Gala Dinner in Frankfurt.

A clear vision

Andreas Clausen Boor, Head of Logistics at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: "When we started the planning process in the midst of the financial crisis we had a clear vision to arrange the first ever sustainable, yet cost efficient, EU presidency. The entire team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with our partners at the Danish Sustainable Events Initiative embraced this sustainable approach, and put in an enormous effort to create one of the best and most innovative presidencies ever.

Without doubt, winning the IMEX Green Meetings Award is recognition of all the hard work that was put into organising one of the best, most sustainable and cost effective presidencies. But above up, it leaves a strong legacy of our vision of making the Danish sustainable approach a model for future presidencies. The Danish experience highlights the relation between sustainability, delegate experience and costs: it is smarter and cheaper to be visionary and arrange a sustainable conference than to follow the conventional path."

'Capital of Sustainable Meetings'

Steen Jakobsen, Convention Director of Wonderful Copenhagen CVB and one of the founding partners of the DSEI, added: "To us, winning the IMEX Green Meetings Award is the highest recognition of sustainability achievement in the meetings industry and it underlines Copenhagen's reputation as the 'Capital of Sustainable Meetings'. The DSEI has proven the power of collaboration and how sustainable thinking catalyses innovation. We hope this will inspire other meeting organisers to improve their sustainability initiatives."

Markus Diefenbach, International Marketing Manager - Business Tousim, VisitDenmark, said: "The meetings industry is keen to get more practical examples of how to create better events through sustainability. With the COP15 and now the EU Presidency we have two award winning examples coming out of Denmark showing how to do this whilst simultaneously sending a message to the industry that 'going green' can actually be a huge innovation-driver and cost saver."

Project Consultant, Guy Bigwood of MCI Sustainability Services, wrapped up: "Once again the Danes have demonstrated that you have to "lead" to show an example of the change that you want to see in the world. They were instrumental in forming the Danish Sustainable Events Initiative and demonstrated that by collaborating as a team and sharing a compelling vision – large and small events can be organised in a sustainable way that improves results and lowers cost! It is an honour for MCI to have been the consultant and a proud member of the team."

Outstanding business results and cautious optimism for the future. These are the main themes emerging from the Meeting & EventBarometer 2013, the definitive study on the meetings market in Germany. According to the study, 362 million participants attended meetings and events in Germany last year, 7.2 per cent more than in 2011. The number of events grew similarly by 9.2 per cent to 2.97 million over the same period. There has also been a rise in the number of suppliers operating in the sector. Thanks to steadily rising demand over the past three years, event organisers can now chose from 6,939 venues, an increase of 4.9 per cent on the previous year.

The annual Meeting & EventBarometer is the only study that researches the entire German meetings market – including conferences as well as other events. The initiators of the study are the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC), the GCB German Convention Bureau and the German National Tourist Board (DZT). It was carried out by the European Institute for the Meetings Industry (EITW).

“With 362 million delegates - that is 4.5 times the population of Germany - the German meetings industry has done more than simply improve on its own previous results. It is now also making an ever-larger contribution to the wider economy. Thanks to the increasingly international nature of meetings and conferences, the industry is now becoming a showcase for Germany as a destination as well,” said Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB.

Further confirmation of the German meetings industry’s status comes from the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) and its latest destination rankings, based on data from international association conferences. For a ninth consecutive year, Germany occupies first place on the European list. In global terms, Germany is once again in second place in 2013, behind the USA and ahead of Spain. The ICCA’s figures show that a total of 649 international association conferences were hosted in Germany during 2012, 72 more than in the previous year.

Looking ahead with cautious optimism

Within the results of the 2013 Meeting & EventBarometer there is evidence of cautious optimism over the future of the sector. A majority of the event organisers questioned expect their budgets, and therefore the orders they place, to remain constant in 2013. 24 per cent of organisers are anticipating an increase in the number of events.

Quality destinations and German business climate: the most important factors for the changes seen in 2012

According to 31.7 per cent of suppliers, factors relating to their geographical location made the most significant impact on their business during 2012. Nearly a quarter (24.7 per cent) put the increased number of bookings down to Germany’s business climate, while 23.2 per cent identified factors related to the conference facilities themselves. Germany’s comparatively strong economic position is therefore reflected in the strong results from the meeting and conference sector. “Only eight per cent of suppliers in Germany are currently seeing any effects on their order books from to the problems in the global economy. But we must keep in mind the fact that the German economy is not insulated from external issues; it is highly interconnected with the rest of the world. Ultimately, an ailing global economy is bound to have an effect on the events industry across both Europe and Germany,” warned Joachim König, President of the EVVC. Even in difficult economic circumstances, the sector must therefore continue to work hard to maintain its status as a global leader.

Moderate budget increases

Almost half of organisers say that their budgets increased moderately in 2012. Categorising events by budget size reveals that the proportion of events with budgets over €500,000 rose from 41.8 to 46.5 per cent.

Rising demand for medium-sized events

Overall, the total number of events increased by 9.2 per cent, i.e. more quickly than the rise in the number of delegates. Thus, in terms of pure numbers, conferences and events were slightly smaller on average than in the previous year. This is mainly down to a slight drop during 2012 in the number of Mega-Events with more than 5000 delegates. On the other hand, the proportion of medium-sized events, with between 50 and 250 guests, went up from 36.7 to 40.6 per cent.

Bavaria and Berlin: the most popular destinations

The federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which includes both Cologne and Düsseldorf, boasts the greatest number of event venues, followed by Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hessen. In the list of most popular destinations for organisers, Bavaria remains out in front, ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hessen. In terms of cities, Berlin is the favourite among event planners, followed by Munich and Frankfurt. Looking at the cities in combination with their wider surroundings, Munich and its hinterland moved into the lead for the first time ever, overtaking the Berlin/Potsdam region. Cologne-Düsseldorf was in third place on the list, ahead of the “Rhine-Main” area around Frankfurt.

Positive trends across all categories of event venue

In conference hotels, the number of events rose by six per cent compared to the previous year. With a 66.1 per cent market share, these hotels catered for the most events in Germany. However, since their capacity means that they generally play host to smaller seminars, conferences and conventions, conference hotels lie in second place in terms of numbers of delegates, on 18.9 per cent (+2.8 per cent). Congress centres reported greater year-on-year increases, seeing 15.1 per cent more bookings than in the previous year.

Despite this, in terms of numbers of events, their 20.7 per cent market share leaves them well behind the conference hotels. But because their average number of attendees is considerably higher than that of conference hotels, these centres are dominant in terms of numbers of delegates, with 64.3 per cent of the market. In absolute numbers of attendees, they achieved growth of 6.5 per cent. Although the figures show it to be a much smaller market, special event venues also recorded particularly pleasing results. Here, the number of events increased by 17 per cent, whilst the number of participants rose by 15.5 per cent.

Meeting & EventBarometer Germany

The Meeting & EventBarometer is the only study that researches the entire German meetings market – including conferences as well as other events – and provides a meaningful in-depth analysis of the industry. The initiators of the study are the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC), the GCB German Convention Bureau and the German National Tourist Board (DZT). In 2013, these partners commissioned the European Institute for the Meetings Industry (EITW) to place the meetings market in the spotlight for the seventh time.

Dion Bassett has been appointed Operations Director at Congrex UK with effect from 1 July 2013. She will be based in the London office.

Dion Bassett will be leaving her position as Operations Director at Kenes UK, which she has held since 2009 when Kenes merged with Confab Consulting Ltd. She has previously worked for CongressWorld as a freelancer and for Concorde Services.

During her 25 years in the conference industry, Dion has built excellent relationships with the majority of UK venues and convention bureaus and she has an extensive worldwide network of contacts in the industry. She is a member of the advisory board of The Barbican, Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue.

As a conference organiser and project manager, Dion Bassett has delivered major medical and academic meetings for clients in a large number of destinations around the world. She was key in the set-up of the British Laryngological Association and organised their inaugural meeting in December 2012.

“I have worked with Dion as a colleague, competitor and supplier”, said Rob Harrison, Chief Operating Officer of the Congrex Group. “I have always respected what she does and how she does it. She is a well-respected member of the conference industry in the UK and I very much look forward to her joining the Congrex UK team. I believe that her experience, drive and personality will help to inspire the team moving forward.”

The Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) 2013 pre-touring program has proven successful with 100% of survey respondents indicating they either plan to (83%) or may (17%) bring business to Melbourne/regional Victoria in the future.

Around 180 Hosted Buyers and media representing 25 countries in addition to Australia participated in one of 13 pre-touring options throughout the state from 23-24 February 2013 just prior to AIME, with 93% completing surveys.

The survey results also revealed extremely high levels of satisfaction across the board, with 96% satisfied with the accommodation and regional tour hosts, 94% with the transfers, 88% with the choice of pre-tours available and 87% with site inspections and meals.

Feedback from the surveys included statements such as: “I have seen firsthand the different and varied experiences I could offer delegates that they could not find anywhere else,” and “There is so much to see beyond Melbourne, which is such a bonus for any event planner and their delegates."

"Extremely pleasing to see such positive results"

Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB), Karen Bolinger, said it was extremely pleasing to see such positive results.

“Each year we work closely with our metropolitan and regional partners to come up with a pre-touring program that we believe will not only be enjoyable for our delegates, but will also encourage them to choose Victoria for their next business event,” Bolinger said.

“These results show that pre-touring is still very relevant to the AIME itinerary and more importantly, is generating business for the state, proven by the fact that 60% of respondents said they will definitely bring business to Melbourne/regional Victoria in the future as a result of the pre-touring program.

“As we know in this industry, seeing and experiencing a product personally is a much better sales proposition, especially in the case of a destination like Melbourne and regional Victoria, which offer stunning, natural attractions and premier infrastructure ideal for business events.

“I would like to thank our members for participating in these familiarisations and commend them for all their efforts in pulling together these itineraries, which have certainly paid off.”

Hosted Buyers that took part included professional conference organisers (20%), travel agents (18%), incentive travel agents (11%), corporations (10%) and more.

The pre-tour options included Ballarat; Great Ocean Road; Daylesford and Macedon Ranges; Evolving Success-Coffee Tour; Melbourne Golden Mile Walk; Mildura; Mornington Peninsula; Phillip Island; Wangaratta; and Yarra Valley and The Dandenong Ranges.

This year’s event has surpassed the show’s previous six instalments, making it the most successful in IT&CM China’s 7-year history.  Organisers TTG Events, CITS International M.I.C.E. and MP International have many indicators to go by.

First, IT&CM China 2013 is the largest and most diverse show, with an attendance of 3,000 MICE professionals from sectors including DMCs, PCOs, corporate travel and associations, including some 400 hosted delegates. Over 10,000 business appointments were conducted with more than 60 business, education and networking sessions featured during the 3 day event. IT&CM China was also the anchor event of Shanghai Business Events Week held from 14 to 19 April, which provided 8 other business, education and networking activities for delegates.

Next, delegates’ affirmation proved that IT&CM China made the right moves to enhance the value and quality of this year’s event:

• Over 85% of exhibitors expect orders from IT&CM China 2013 buyers over the next 6 to 12 months
• Order volumes are expected to reach as high as above USD 1 million for selected exhibitors
• Over 90% of buyers gave top scores to the quality of exhibitors
• Over 86% of buyers gave top scores to the quality of their business appointments.
• Over 80% of buyers felt that IT&CM China 2013 surpassed other similar events in terms of Quality of Exhibitors, Quality of Business Matching, Potential Business Generated, Networking Opportunities and being a Must-Attend Event.

Among the new initiatives that gave IT&CM China 2013 a significant boost was the larger mix of Chinese buyers (65% Chinese – 35% International) as well as a greater proportion of Corporate Travel buyers and Association buyers from across China and around the world. The 1.24 buyers: 1 exhibiting company ratio was also considered ideal.

“We are proud that our efforts to engage more of China’s buying powers to attend IT&CM China have paid off. While Corporate Travel and Association buying is still a relatively new concept for the Chinese, we are confident that IT&CM China will be a significant market force in changing this, by providing the industry with education, networking and business exposure.” said Chen Yueliang, Vice-President of China International Travel Service (CITS) Limited, Head Office. CITS is the parent company of CITS International M.I.C.E. that co-organises IT&CM China.

Another first was that exhibitors and buyers were able to schedule 100% of their appointments prior to the show via the Pre-Scheduled Appointment and Online Diary facilities. More than 90% of exhibitors took advantage of the new online diary facility, with over 60% of exhibitors achieving 80% completed schedules 10 days before the event.

In collaboration with industry partner MCI Group, the inaugural Association Day and Corporate Travel Forum on 18 and 19 April respectively drew a full audience, especially the attendance of both Association and Corporate Travel buyers. Each day featured a keynote address and forums by reputed experts in the respective fields including MCI Group, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE), Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE), American Express Meetings & Events, MasterCard Worldwide and Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

“We are extremely satisfied with this year’s results. The show’s new initiatives have proved a hit among delegates, while achieving its objectives of bringing IT&CM China 2013 to the next level. The industry can look forward to an even more compelling IT&CM China 2014 from 15 to 17 April,” said Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media. TTG Events, co-organisers of IT&CM China is a business group of TTG Asia Media.

The success of IT&CM China 2013 has also led to encouraging one-year advance booth bookings for the 2014 event, with buyer and media registrations already coming in.

ICS - International Conference Services in Copenhagen has been awarded a contract to put together an event for 7000 doctors in Denmark. The lead-time for the meeting is 14 days. The event will be a day meeting at Odense Congress Center on 28th of May 2013. ICS is coordinating and liaising all logistical aspects as well as being a sparring partner for the content.

Per Ankaer, Managing Director of ICS, said: "It is a great honour to have been chosen as event organizer for this meeting, the largest gathering of Danish doctors ever. All our staff are working incredibly hard within this short lead time to secure a successful outcome."