The M.I.C.E. Industry in Austria November 24th 2005 Malaga/Spain Mathias Posch
Definition M.I.C.E. M eetings I ncentives C onventions E vents
Meetings (between 10 and 100 people) Corporate Meetings Board Meetings Meetings in connection with Incentives
Corporate Events in Vienna Vienna Congress Statistics 2004 Total Number Participants Overnights 1.144 68.537 161.454 Approx. Stay/person: 2,36 nights
Conclusion Business Meeting Attendants in general don t stay longer than necessary Business Meetings normally last for 2 nights on an average Organizers choose destinations for Business meetings regarding to the destinations link to the company little chance to put marketing efforts on this
Meetings in connection with Incentives High potential for regular holiday destinations Normally takes place in lower seasons Flexible Handling needed Tailor Made Programmes much appreciated Very often in connection with Team Building - Activities
Crucial points Hotels: Modern meeting facilities and Internet access in each room Constant Supervision and personal care! Give people feeling they are special (logo on printed matters, welcome gift, etc.) Programmes should be special not touristy Try to identify with the company and the aims of the incentive! (personal involvment) Treat everybody like a VIP at such meetings there are the general managers of tomorrow
Incentives in Austria Mainly 3 corner-stones: Culture: Vienna, Salzburg,... Mountains and Adventure: Tirol, Salzburg,... Wellness: Tirol, Steiermark,... Try to be unique Concentrate on 3-4 corner stones Somebody who wants to be good anywhere, is perfect nowhere
Incentives Latin: incendere = Feuer entfachen set fire Create something special! Again: Try to identify with the Company and their aims Who is the target group? (Managers? Engineers? ) What business? (EDP, Pharma,...) Incentives are for the best people of the company great potential clients
Coventions and Congresses in Austria Vienna
Marketshare congress and corporate events overnights of total Vienna overnights
International Ranking of Vienna and Austria (ICCA Statistics) 2004 Rank CITY 2004 Rank COUNTRY 2004 1 Barcelona 105 1 U.S.A. 288 2 Vienna 101 2 Germany 272 3 Singapore 99 3 Spain 267 4 Berlin 90 4 France 204 5 Hong Kong 86 5 United Kingdom 196 6 Copenhagen 76 6 Netherlands 181 7 Paris 75 7 Italy 170 8 Lisbon 67 8 Australia 145 9 Stockholm 64 9 Japan 132 Budapest 64 10 Austria 129
Why Austria? Security Good Infrastructure Service orientation Good value for money Location in the heart of Europe Culture and beautiful landscape Various Conference Facilities
Structure of the Austrian Congress Market ABCN: austrian business and convention network Local Convention bureaus (areas): Vienna Convention Bureau Salzburg Convention Burau Convention Bureau Tirol M.I.C.E. Lower Austria etc. Convention departments in local tourist offices
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client?
Who is the Austrian Congress Client? GDP: Gross Domestic Product
The Importance of Statistics Who is my potential client? What are his needs? How can he be attracted? How much is he willing to spend?
New Trends and how to react to it Congresses are looking for a home base (see ECR in Vienna) Congresses last shorter, but therefore more intense Latest technologies and Communication Methods are obligatory Core PCOs and Society Management in one Hand Associations spend less or nothing on Management of Congresses Risk Share is asked for more often
New Trends and how to react to it Congresses are looking for a home base (see ECR in Vienna) what can we do? Find out why your destination would be a perfect home-base (infrastructure, famous scientists, good hospital,...) Find out about the tradition of the congress and look how it is working for your destination Strong Convention Bureau should find out possible clients (ICCA database, networking, etc) Strong Industry to be flexible and support CVB
New Trends and how to react to it Congresses are looking for a home base (see ECR in Vienna) but why? Emphasis on scientific work, less on administration More attractive to industry Delegates mostly travel all year and appreciate a continuous setting Better rates for coninutous projects then for one-time congresses
New Trends and how to react to it Congresses last shorter, but therefore more intense what can we do? Flexible meeting Packages (do not force them to stay for a certain period) Hotels in holiday regions must accept 1 3 night bookings Chance to attract people for pre- or post-congress Stays (more time) Shorter period to get delegates to come back: show the really best you can offer
New Trends and how to react to it Latest technologies and Communication Methods are obligatory Find out what s new in the market Communicate all innovations to your partners You don t have to buy everything some technologies can be rented but you have to tell client, that you can offer Spend money on education and networking of you associates it will come back
New Trends and how to react to it Core PCOs and Society Management in one Hand- How to react to it PCOs must be well educated Assistance in Scientific Work and Society Management is requested more often Find networks: Local PCOs will lose a lot of their market share Build strategic partnerships Try to see the business in a broad context
New Trends and how to react to it Associations spend less or nothing on Management of Congresses How to react Find different ways of income ( with suppliers) Try to emphasise also on Sponsorship, Fundraising and Exhibition Management (for a certain percentage of income) The business gets tougher: All employees should be working on what they are best in perfect staff management needed Commission share: nearly obligatory try to make additional money through overriding - commissions
New Trends and how to react to it Risk Share is asked for more often How to react Are you in the position to take over risk share? Risk share just if you agree on budget mutually Risk share should include also profit-share Find out about the tradition of the congress is it likely not to make profit?
AGAIN: Identify! Clients are asking more and more for the identification with their subject Get to know doctore, scientists,... in your area that are important and/or members od International Associations Offer something specific... See example
Example Congress of Head and Neck Surgery is looking for a venue and PCO What we did: Find out who are the important doctors use any link Suggestions: How could the media be attracted: Hearing.tests for the residents in a tent next to Conference Center Find out about tradition of congress: How many days, how many delegates, lunch included?, what kind of Venue, programme structure... and create your offer regarding to what you know We found out: congress before was financially bad... So we showed, how to save money and get more sponsoring from Industry Ressources: Homepage of Society, former congress, ICCA,...
What happened? Organizers felt in good hands We got not only this congress, but the next one too and are at the moment bidding for 2 sub-congresses We became Society Management as well
Conclusion The Industry is global (Networks) The Industry is fast (Technology) The Industry is demanding (Identification)
This is our challenge to catch up and be ahead!