Brand new edition of travel trade guide for European City cards puts the spotlight on 40 destinations !

Brand new edition of travel trade guide for European City cards puts the spotlight on 40 destinations!

Targeting travel operators and intermediaries, this new edition of the digital brochure presents you with all you need to know about 40 city cards from 23 countries!

The guide has been put together by a collaboration of 40 city tourist offices working under the auspices of the European City Cards Knowledge Group. As well as offering a succinct overview of how the cards can work for you, the e-brochure provides much practical information, including details of commissions and contact details for each and every city. With the help of the brochure, the travel trade is able to make optimum use of city cards so as to create new business and at the same time enhance the customer experience.

Olivier Occelli, chairperson of the European City Cards Group says: “this e – brochure is trendy, cost effective, practical for the readers, and most important, easy to forward. You just scroll on the document and follow the links you are interested in.”

City Cards are a great way to see the sights and save money!

The cards offer free and/or discounted admission to leading visitor attractions, combined in many cases with public transport options, as well as discounts at shops, bars and restaurants. It is a truly perfect way to discover a city.

40 cities in one!
The cities and City Cards you can find out in the e-brochure are: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Bratislava, Brugge, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dijon, Dublin, Geneva, Ghent, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Helsinki, Innsbruck, Krakow, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Nürnberg, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Reykjavik, Split, St Petersburg, Stockholm, Tallinn, Turku, Valencia, Vienna, Vilnius, Zagreb, Zaragoza and Zürich.

The e-brochure is available for free and on http://www.europeancitiesmarketing.com or by directly contacting individual cities.

City Cards are also available on http://www.europeancitycards.com, and their mobile phone applications are downloadable for free at the Appstore and at the Android Market.

Election of first member from Asia to IAPCO Council in 20 years

PRESS RELEASE FROM IAPCO
March 2013

Election of first member from Asia to IAPCO Council in 20 years

Kayo Nomura of Congress Corporation, Japan, was unanimously elected as a new member of the IAPCO Council at the recent General Assembly in Dublin, and becomes the first elected Council member, in the last 20 years, from Asia. Although she formally joined Congress Corporation in 2001, Kayo’s career in conferences and events traces back to December 1997, to her first involvement in a large-scale international conference – the Third Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP3), in Kyoto, Japan. This relevant meeting is better known as the ‘Kyoto Protocol Conference’.

Since that meeting, Kayo counts herself fortunate enough to have been involved in many different types of conferences during her career. “In this business, I enjoy accomplishing each individual project, respectively, through which I can meet people in a diverse range of fields and acquire a variety of expertise,” she said. “And now I would like to try to give back and contribute more to the industry, in particular to IAPCO. I have a true Asian background and I hope I can bring some new perspectives to this wonderful association, which I cherish so much. I am delighted to be elected to Council to achieve this aim.”

In other changes to the IAPCO Council, Roslyn McLeod, arinex, Sydney, stepped down after 11 years’ service; Nicky McGrane, Conference Partners, Dublin, was officially elected to Council following her previous year as a co-opted member, as co-host of the 2013 Dublin Annual Meeting. Sarah Markey-Hamm, ICMS Melbourne, was co-opted to Council as the host of the 2014 Melbourne Annual Meeting & General Assembly. All other Council members remained in post or were re-elected.

PCOs must move towards forming Strategic Partnerships with Clients, say Industry Leaders

PRESS RELEASE FROM IAPCO
March 2013 | PCOs must move towards forming Strategic Partnerships with Clients, say Industry Leaders

Professional Conference Organisers must move towards forming high-level strategic partnership with clients, said international business tourism leaders during a major Dublin conference.

Delegates from six continents and representing over 32 countries attended the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) General Assembly & Annual Meeting, which took place in the Westbury Hotel, Dublin. Representing businesses that manage conferences for 1.2 million delegates per year, the delegates of IAPCO are seen as the leaders in the field, contributing €3.71 billion to business tourism worldwide.

‘I believe everyone who attended this Dublin meeting left with at least three to five new pieces of knowledge that will change the way they do business’ said Gonzalo Perez Constanzo, President of IAPCO ‘Be it in our thinking behind the scope of services we provide, the recognition of our profession, and of course the invaluable exchanges with colleagues over the few days. It was a terrific learning experience and, of course, a wonderful chance to experience the incredible Irish friendliness!’

After the conference, delegates were asked that after visiting Ireland would they consider bringing a conference to Ireland themselves. 89% of respondents said that they would which, considering the size of business managed by the attendees, promises to generate significant revenue to the Irish economy.

‘It has been a real success, both in terms of showcasing Ireland, and also in helping to move the industry forward. Our collaborative approach has been a real eye-opener to our visitors, and throwing the spotlight on Ireland will hopefully help us increase the revenue generated through business tourism’ said Nicola McGrane, Managing Director of Conference Partners, who co-organised the conference with MCI Dublin and Keynote PCO. ‘We designed a programme that the delegates could actively participate in and contribute to and as a result, we have real outcomes to bring back to our businesses that will help us continue to contribute significantly to the Irish economy.’

Over 34% of the General Assembly’s delegates were first-time attendees, indicating the attractiveness of the conference’s venue and theme, with approximately 80% of the delegates coming to Ireland for the first time. The successful Irish bid was a collaborative effort on the part Ireland’s top conference companies, with funding support being provided by Fáilte Ireland. The General Assembly showcased the successful co-operation of these stakeholders in Irish meetings industry.

‘This co-ordinated strategic thinking between the Irish business tourism industry was certainly an aspect of the Irish story that we wanted to tell’ said Jean Evans, European Manager – Association Relations, MCI Group. ‘The last decade or so has seen the indigenous industry make great leaps forward and I think IAPCO delegates went home with plans to start doing the same.’

The programme’s theme, ‘Riding the winds of change – new strategies for PCOs’, highlighted the increasingly strategic nature of PCOs partnerships with clients, moving away from the logistical partnerships of the past. Managing Director of Keynote PCO, Noel Mitchell commented ‘We’re no longer just providers; we’re partners’.

Delegates’ testimonials also attested to the success of the IAPCO General Assembly in Dublin. The social programme included an Irish Dancing flashmob, where 100 delegates spontaneously started dancing in the streets of Dublin, a particular success. Georgina Alexopoulou, of Erasmus SA in Greece commented that ‘It was a truly enjoyable meeting with a perfect balance of learning, networking and having great fun among our peers. Everything, from the hotel facilities and the location to the stunning tastes of Ireland and the team feeling during all activities was really unique’.

ABOUT IAPCO: Meeting Quality
The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) was founded in 1968, is registered in Switzerland and represents today more than 115 professional organisers, meeting planners and managers of international and national congresses, conventions and special events from 40 countries. IAPCO members organise in excess of 6600 meetings annually, totaling some 2.285 million delegates and representing an economic impact in the region of 3.71 billion euros.

IAPCO is committed to raising standards of service among its members and other sectors of the meetings industry. Today IAPCO membership offers a unique quality assurance, since entry into membership of IAPCO is by meeting strict criteria and by continuous quality assessment.

The high quality standards are secured by means of continuing education and interaction with other professionals. The ‘Wolfsberg’ Annual Seminar, The Meetings MasterClass and the Annual Meeting & General Assembly of its members are the highlight events of IAPCO.

EUROPEAN EXHIBITOR PRESENCE QUADRUPLES FOR GIBTM 2013

EUROPEAN EXHIBITOR PRESENCE QUADRUPLES FOR GIBTM 2013
GIBTM 2013 (www.gibtm.com), the leading event for the meetings, incentives and business travel industry in the GCC Region, has witnessed a substantial increase in European exhibitors signed up to take part in the show.

The increased presence in suppliers attending from Europe has been supported by the introduction of a specialist European exhibitor pavilion and ‘Market Focus Spotlight’ networking sessions, which will take place on 26th March at 8:30am.

New European exhibitors already confirmed to attend GIBTM include Serbia Convention Bureau, Circuito Ascari, The Marmara Collection, Adile Sultan Sarayi Palace, Athens Convention Bureau, Georgian National Tourism Agency, Madrid Convention Bureau, and Cnidus.

Hungarian National Tourist Office who will also be attending, returning to the show for their third year commented, “We have exhibited at GIBTM since 2011 and it has given us the perfect introduction to key stakeholders from both the Gulf region and from Asia. Through GIBTM we have been able to arrange quality meetings, which have resulted in us introducing Hungary as a new destination to MICE industry professionals in the Middle East. We are very much looking forward to attending GIBTM 2013,” concluded Aniko Ferenczy, Director, Hungarian Tourism PLC.

Recent research conducted by Reed Travel Exhibitions confirmed an increase in the number of Middle Eastern buyers, who specified a direct interest in placing outbound business into Europe. In addition to this 65% of MENA buyers surveyed also reported an increase in events placed over the next 12 months, and 54% reported an increase in budget.

Lois Hall, GIBTM Exhibition Manager, Reed Travel Exhibitions commented, “We are delighted with the level of interest from European buyers this year. Exhibiting at GIBTM provides the perfect platform for European exhibitors to build profitable relationships with MENA buyers and showcase themselves in this sector of the industry. We already have a significant number of European exhibitors singed up for GIBTM 2013, most of which are attending the show for the first time.”

“Air links between the Middle East and Europe are also improving, making Europe a much more feasible destination for Middle Eastern meeting planners. Direct flights are available from Abu Dhabi to several European airports including; London Heathrow, Paris, Dublin, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam and Geneva,” Hall concluded.

GIBTM 2013 takes place on the 25th – 27th March, 2013. More information on the event, exhibitors, hosted buyers’ required qualifications, partners, networking and educational opportunities is available at http://www.gibtm.com

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