Event professionals can easily overcome challenges and embrace opportunity by preparing themselves in advance with in-depth research on the destination, where feasible visiting the location and interacting closely with the convention bureau and other local stakeholders. To ensure the success of congresses, event professionals should take advantage of the city’s infrastructure and rich pool of resources. This evolving reality is shifting the dialogue between event professionals and local stakeholders, opening new windows for co-creation and economic development.
From November 16-18, INCON, the partnership of leading event organizers were welcomed to St Petersburg by ExpoForum. During the meeting, the partners had an opportunity to explore the excellent facilities that the city has to offer and debate relevant topics of importance to the industry. In this expert article, INCON explores one of those topics “the synergy between city and event stakeholders, which is ultimately driving the impact of international events”.
According to Carol McGury, INCON’s Co-Chair and EVP of Event and Education Services at SmithBucklin, the number one challenge congress organizers face is uncertainty. Event professionals can never be sure about the quality of the meeting facilities, service infrastructure and urban transport. With INCON’s presence in 160 destinations worldwide, it places the partners in an ideal position to offer guidance on how to harness the potential of cities when planning your next congress.
The article suggests following these 5 Steps:
- Engage with the local experts
- Leverage the value of destination marketing to attract more attendees
- Collaborate with the local influencers
- Ignite the local sponsorship opportunities
- Provide a range of networking opportunities for the attendees
View the full article or see other articles in the INCON Expert Article series.
