Destinations and Business events

One of the evident benefits destinations and cities gain from hosting major business events is a heightened level of publicity and image branding  that takes place.  The public relations machinery automatically kicks into high gear resulting in numerous articles (in major dailies and industry-related magazines) featuring the positive characteristics of the destination/city as a centre for regional and international business.  Its a fairly common occurence each time a major business event is held. 

The recently completed TravelRave week, which featured a number of major travel-related conventions, conferences and high-level meetings, is a good example.  Activities for the week included the ITB Asia tradeshow. Trade publications distributed to event participants and visitors included positive image-building news for Singapore (the host). One of the publications reported on Singapore maintaining its position as Asia's top convention city based on global rankings issued by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Another publication featured a case study on the successful execution of a conference held at one of the city's integrated resorts. 

This has just to do with what is reported in the media.  Have you ever considered the impact (internationally) when event participants and visitors return to their home countries, their families and places of work, and then start relating their experiences and memories of Singapore to loved ones, friends and colleagues?  That impact can be massive. This is one way of contemplating the multiplier effect. One of the most important inputs into a decision making process is recommendations received from family members, friends and colleagues. So when event participants take back happy experiences and memories, what begins to happen is impactful direct marketing for the destination and very positive inputs into decision making processes - to visit the destination or not.  And destinations enjoy these benefits for free - its free publicity, free services of a respected "consultant" promoting the destination as a must-visit place, free access to relevant market segments...

It is no wonder that the local governments of more and more cities and destinations are developing infrastructure and processes that will enable the cities to be business events destinations.  Within the Asia context, major cities in China are aggressively bidding to host international business events; the key cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Danang in Vietnam are experiencing a spate of developments in the business and convention hotel arena.....and the list goes on.

There are exciting times ahead and it will be very interesting to follow the progress of the MICE sector in Asia.  The increasing number of regional-type MICE events can only lead to an increasing number of destinations in Asia becoming more atuned to the benefits that are derived from playing host to such events.