European cities are strategizing the DMO of the future

European cities are strategizing the DMO of the future

At the European Cities Marketing Meeting in Gdansk, February 22-25, 2017, European cities will debate the future role of the City Marketing and Tourism organisation. Industry thought leaders will challenge the attendees. Ideas and insights will be shared on how to create best value for the city, industry partners and the visitors. These experienced city marketing experts will share their most precious insights and learning for a full conference on the future of DMOs.

Speaking about the next ECM Meeting, Ignasi de Delàs, ECM President, said: “Here is the thing: just over the last 10 years, digitalisation and globalisation of travel have forever altered the patterns and the practice of urban tourism. New technology has radically changed the behaviour of consumers and empowered them with a world of insights, resources, tools and experiences that outmatches any old classic tourist information centre. Together we will search for new models and modes of tomorrow. We might not find the silver bullet or a model that will fit all. But we are confident that Strategizing the DMO of the Future is the meeting that will give attendees lots of inspiration and empower them and their team to start their own transformative journey.”

Among key speakers, Frank Cuypers, Senior Strategist at DestinationThink.com and Dr. Roger Carter, CEO of TEAM Tourism Consulting will provide opening keynotes about the future of the DMO. DMOs have to redefine their role and the meaning of marketing in order to stay relevant. But how do DMOs should reengineer themselves in a disruptive marketplace, where the only constant is change?

The next day Chris Fair, President of Resonance Consultancy will explain in his keynote what he believes in: DMOs need to morph to DMMOs – Destination Marketing and Management Organisations in order to align with the trends that will shape travel and tourism tomorrow.

See how Tel Aviv decided to put technological innovation at the heart of the city’s destination strategy. How Copenhagen rebooted its DMO. The Polish strategy for CVBs that consists in Creating Value & Business! Or Germany‘s example of collaboration with neighbour cities and their joint benchmark initiative and market approach to international markets.

Also, participants will get the latest from Aalborg, Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Ghent and Dublin in our series of City Showcases where ECM colleagues share their answers and offer all the inspiration needed.

The conference will be moderated by Philippe Vignon, CEO of Geneva Tourism & Conventions.

More information and programme can be found on: http://www.europeancitiesmarketing.com/

NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

ibtm america held last week at Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort Nashville, exclusively connected the US and international meetings industry through a mix of business, education and networking. Kicking off with Discovery Day, where over 500 attendees experienced downtown Music City and the legendary Honky Tonks, the private event continued at the Gaylord Convention Center with some 5000 one-to-one mutually matched business appointments and 18.5 hours of networking opportunities over 2.5 days.

Tailored to the US market, the event was dominated by North America, Mexico, Canada and Caribbean suppliers that included hotel brands, convention centers, incentive destinations, CVB’s, NTO’s, Cruise Lines and tech suppliers. Each exhibitor has an all inclusive, uniformed Meeting Pod, which just requires their own branding so that clients just show up, sit down and start their business meetings.

First tier cities this year included NYC & Company, Greater Miami CVB, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and Detroit Metro CVB as well as Great Fort Lauderdale the destination for ibtm america in 2017. Some 2/3rd of exhibitors returned from their success at last year’s event.

Alex Michaels, Director of Sales for Virginia’s Blue Ridge “loved the privacy of the meeting pods” adding “We have been non-stop since Wednesday. I have really had a chance to have enough time with each buyer to explain about us and who we are and all in private. The mutual match has given me real appointments and planners who are already interested in us. I really believe I have met some great contacts for my business”.

This year’s international exhibitors included Costa Del Sol Convention Bureau, Valencia Region Tourist Board, Busan, Visit Flanders (Belgium), India Tourist Office, Turespana and Dubai Business Events.

Ishrat Alam – Tourist Information Officer, India Tourism confirmed the success of the event: “We have attended every year since the beginning of this event. Last year we picked up many leads but 2 of them will definitely turn into business in 2017. We know that any MICE business leads can take up to 2-3 years to make happen, but this has always proved to be a great ROI and it has given us the opportunity to really explain our experiential high end incentive and meetings products face to face. The mutual match appointment system is very good indeed.”

The Hosted Buyer program included 86% domestic USA and 14% international, (based on the research among exhibitors) including Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UAE and UK.
Exhibitor’s had requested planners from the corporate sector, as well as incentive planners as their priority – the first time this sector was at the event – associations and agency made up the rest.

Thomas L Fagan, Jr, PE, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said of his attendance: “We are the world’s largest not for profit association. In 2015 we had 1300 meetings worldwide. I am here looking at various hotels, venues and CVB’s and have found a number of opportunities. I had 18 serious appointments of which some will wind up getting business placed. We are looking at events up to 5 years ahead – it used to be 10 years but the lead time has now shortened. I have been to ibtm america for the past 3 years – it works for me”.

The top 5 products of interest identified by Hosted Buyers for their appointments this year were Conference and meeting venues, resorts and spas, destinations and non-hotel special event venues. Planners represented blue chip companies such as American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, National Association of African American Studies, Global Cynergies, Wells Fargo, The International Ecotourism Society, Herballife International, Maritz and many others.

The show floor had new features this year with a focus on Technology, displayed around a central hub that also enabled more connections to be made over breaks in the appointments schedule, the TechCollective showcased latest and emerging technologies, from start-ups and entrepreneurs highlighting new ideas for the industry through live demonstrations.

“Building a community for this industry is a key ingredient to the success of ibtm america and this year Nashville bought everyone together for a southern style US meetings experience. The mutual match system of appointments was refined still further to produce the highest quality of real business prospects, resulting in some great praise from our exhibitors and buyers. Designing a system that allows both buyers and suppliers to choose who they want to meet with from the outset of their journey with us, and then making this happen has produced some remarkable results and 100% of appointments that each party wanted to have for their diary – nearly 30 over the 1.5 business days”.

Continuing to rotate ibtm america to the country’s top meetings cities, The Hilton Diplomat Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale will be the home of the event next year. Having received top honors from TripAdvisor and Orbitz, the property was also named a top 100 Meeting Hotel by Cvent.

ibtm america will take place from June 14 – 16 2017
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Vancouver Tourism

Vancouver Tourism | April 2012

WESTJET ANNOUNCES DIRECT FLIGHT BETWEEN VANCOUVER AND CHICAGO
Starting May 14, Canadian airline WestJet will offer daily, non-stop service between Vancouver and Chicago. With O’Hare International Airport serving as a major hub for both domestic and international flight connections, the new route is expected to facilitate business and leisure travel between Vancouver and key destinations not only in the U.S. but also worldwide. Passengers travelling on WestJet’s new route, as well as on the airline’s new service between Calgary and Chicago, will fly on the company’s own Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft (service to other Canadian destinations, including Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, are provided on partner American Airlines’ code-share flights). Introductory, one-way fares from Vancouver start at $169 (plus taxes and fees).

TOURISM VANCOUVER NAMED ONE OF CANADA’S BEST CVBS
Tourism Vancouver has been named one of Canada’s top three Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs) in Meetings + Incentive Travel magazine’s 16th annual Market Report study.

Every year, Meetings + Incentive Travel conducts what is widely considered the most comprehensive survey of Canada’s meetings and incentive travel industry. During the survey process, the publication polls its primary readership – comprised of executives and managers, meeting planners, travel agents and others – and aggregates data into categories including corporate, third-party and not-for-profit/association.

The 2011 survey featured a new, open-ended question in the Reader’s Choice Section asking which Canadian CVB exceeded readers’ expectations and best catered to their group’s needs in the past 12 months. Tourism Vancouver was named among the top three Canadian CVBs to have exceeded planners’ expectations.

HOW TO “VANCOUVERIZE” YOUR NEXT MEETING
Looking for a way to WOW your delegates and infuse your meeting with authentic Vancouver flavour? Our expert Meeting and Convention sales and service team has unique ideas to share with meeting planners on how to do just that. This month, Nicole Havers, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, shares one of her ideas:

“There is no better way to get acquainted with an area than by flying over it. The Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre is located at the Vancouver Convention Centre, so it’s extremely convenient for convention delegates to step out of their sessions and onto a scenic flight seeing tour.”

Whistler Air specializes in scenic tours complete with commentary from the pilot telling passengers all about the history, geology and features of beautiful British Columbia. To make this pre or post activity even more irresistible, Whistler Air is currently offering convention delegates a 15% discount. Call toll free 1-888-806-2299, or visit www.whistlerair.ca for more details.

To find out more ways on how to “Vancouverize” your next meeting, email Nicole at nhavers@tourismvancouver.com.

BC EVENT MANAGEMENT WOWS IBEW DELEGATES
Tourism Vancouver has a wide array of talented member businesses that can contribute to your next successful meeting, including Canada’s record holder for national and global industry awards and nominations, BC Event Management. BCEM President David Clark believes it’s important for meeting planners to include an unforgettable reception in their programs because it adds great value to the overall convention experience and assures delegates will attend the next convention knowing they can expect top entertainment as well as business sessions.

Last September, BCEM managed the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Conference’s First District gala reception – and this event had it all: a foyer pre-show; a 150 foot custom programed MegaVideo screen; a suspended artist producing a theme painting; a 35 foot tall marionette lifting up cirque performers; a cast of hundreds of percussionists and dancers of the main show with pyro-confetti accompanying the show’s finalé; a world class fireworks show in the harbour; a fire jugglers/fire performers show on the Vancouver Convention Centre Terrace; and finally a top dance band to close out the night.

This production took home two awards at the 2012 Canadian Event Industry Awards on March 30, 2012, including top prize for “Most Outstanding Event” (in top budget category) and “Best Entertainment Production.” View the awe inspiring opening gala event video here, and start imagining what BCEM could do for your next event.

WORLDMUN CONFERENCE CONCLUDES AND COMMENDS TOURISM VANCOUVER
“It has been quite a 2-year ride for us, but the conference came to a great conclusion and was an amazing success! We’ve received a lot of very positive feedback, almost universal, particularly from returning attendees who have been calling us the “best ever” WorldMUN conference. ‎For instance, “WorldMUN 2012 was as great as expected, which is big, because nothing is ever as good as expected. It was phenomenal.” They loved the city, and they loved our event. The weather wasn’t too bad either, it was relatively mild and dry for a Vancouver March.

We’ve been resting for the past week or so since it ended, but I just wanted to say that we really appreciate all the help we’ve received from Tourism Vancouver throughout the entire process — all the emails, contacts, hotel lists, airfare assistance, visas, information, meetings, etc., and of course those maps and city handbooks! Thank you so much.

Here is a video of the finale of our Closing Ceremony from last Thursday at Jack Poole Plaza, with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron and fireworks display.”

Kenneth Chan
Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Host Committee
World Model United Nations 2012

VANCOUVER NAMED WORLD’S BEST WEEKEND ESCAPE BY OUTSIDE MAGAZINE
In its annual Travel Awards, Outside magazine named Vancouver the world’s Best Weekend Escape. The awards honour the best destinations and experiences across all seven continents, as determined by the publication’s global network of correspondents. The list includes the world’s top new adventures, exotic retreats, on-time airlines, scenic islands and more. Vancouver won for its West Coast delicacies and range of outdoor activity offerings, including “some of the best skiing, mountain biking, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, hiking, and climbing on the planet.