AIPC Communique - December 2021 by AIPC: the International Association of Convention Centres

Commun ue ISSUE NUMBER 134 | DECEMBER 2021

Research Paper on Hybrid Events

WHAT’S INSIDE

Industry Pledge Presented at COP26 PAGE TWO

PAGE THREE

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

HYBRID EVENTS

AIPC and IAPCO Sign Partnership Agreement PAGE EIGHT

Preparing for a New Year of Challenges and Opportunities “In an effort to plan for the future, the AIPC community will continue navigating the landscape carefully and adapting as we already have. We expect to see the continued transformation of convention centers into multichannel, intelligent and sustainable platforms.”

As 2021 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to reflect on all that we have learned. We were optimistic that this would be a year of recovery, and while we have had many successes, we must acknowledge the reality: We are still far from a COVID-free world.

In an effort to plan for the future, the AIPC community will continue navigating the landscape carefully and adapting as we already have. We expect to see the continued transformation of convention centers into multichannel, intelligent and sustainable platforms.

Times may still be uncertain, and we continue to face many challenges when planning events as we consider factors such as scheduling, geography and impact. In certain regions – including North America and Europe – we’ve seen a growing number of organized events in convention centers throughout Q3 and even more packed agendas in Q4. However, in other parts of the world – like Southeast Asia and South America – this, unfortunately, has not been the case. Overall, the events we are seeing are smaller in scale regarding budget and attendance. Still, the one factor that has not changed, as seen particularly in continental Europe, is unpredictability.

To support our community throughout any potential unknown scenarios, we will continue to provide resources, 2022

FEBRUARY 6TH TO 11TH

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education and guidance – on a standalone basis and in partnership with other stakeholders. Regarding resources, we may pursue more opportunities like research on hybrid events. For example, we recently conducted interviews with over 30

industry leaders in collaboration with International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO). The findings presented on December 2nd at the Global Meeting & incentives Exhibition (IBTM), provide an overview of the different approaches taken, key lessons learned, and challenges left to tackle. Overall, the results demonstrate the creativity of our industry and the benefits of partnerships and sharing knowledge. This research is available to all AIPC members via the AIPC website or by request to the Secretariat. Our community also has opportunities to stay educated as we strive to return to a “normal” schedule. We will have the Academy in February followed by the Sales & Marketing Summit, the Annual Congress, and the Facility & Operations Summit. In between, on a bimonthly basis, we will organize informal roundtables and discussions on different topics with the goal of JULY 4TH TO 6TH

NOVEMBER 28TH

continuing to connect our global membership base. We’ll also provide guidance on topics relevant to our industry. For example, we recently reached an important CONTINUED ON PAGE NINE

Greg O’Dell AIPC President

Industry Pledge Presented at COP26

+ On November 10th, a panel representing the entire events industry, presented at COP26 a pledge demonstrating the ambition of all parties involved to make our industry carbon neutral by 2050. This pledge – part of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative – will now be translated into roadmaps, which will be implemented by the over 270 organizations worldwide who support the pledge. Initiated by Kathleen Warden of the Scottish Event Campus and lifted to the level of the Joint Industry Meeting Council by the G3 (AIPC, ICCA, UFI), the initiative has received industry wide support as the (growing) number of supporting organizations show. The Net Zero Carbon Events initiative aims to bring together a wide range of industry stakeholders to: • Jointly communicate our industry’s commitment to tackling climate change and driving towards net zero by 2050 • Develop common methodologies for measuring the industry’s direct, indirect and supply chain greenhouse gas emissions • Construct an industry-wide roadmap towards net zero by 2050, and emissions reductions by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, with support and guidance on key issues • Foster collaboration with suppliers and customers to ensure alignment and common approaches • Establish common mechanisms for reporting progress and sharing best practice

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NET ZEROCARBON EVENTS

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The importance of this initiative can not be overestimated. As put by Alan Steel during the presentation at COP26:

We are not doing this for ourselves, but to provide a future for our children and grandchildren.’’ To find more information and sign up to the Pledge, please visit: netzerocarbonevents.org

Research Paper on Hybrid Events On December 2nd, AIPC & IAPCO released a research paper on hybrid events, as part of their alliance announced on October 25th. The document provides a unique insight on how the industry’s approach to hybrid has evolved, the challenges addressed and the ones still to be tackled, and it offers a view on the possible avenues ahead of us. The event industry is one of innovation and creativity, in a continuous search to deliver unique experiences enabling the exchange of knowledge, stimulation collaboration and driving trade worldwide. The pandemic stimulated us to go even faster and bolder. By creating and implementing digital solutions in record time, we were able to continue to connect communities worldwide. The learning curve in doing so is steep and there is still a lot to do before excellence is delivered in terms of service, business model, experience, etc. Both organizers and convention centers are still in the process of navigating through uncharted territories, learning both from each other and from other stakeholders and even other industries. This is the key reason why AIPC and IAPCO decided to create a joint research paper on hybrid events, based on input from each other’s member-communities and enriched with valuable insights from other stakeholders in the event value chain. The paper is the result of more than 30 interviews with industry thought leaders, combined with in-depth research through 30 reports and 75 articles. While the report does not have the ambition to provide the ultimate answers to all the questions related to hybrid events, it does provide unique insights on how the industry’s thinking on hybrid has evolved over the last 18 months.

HYBRID EVENTS Just How Profound a Pivot? A STATUS CHECK FOR THE EVENTS INDUSTRY DECEMBER 2021

The research paper on hybrid events is now available on the AIPC extranet!

The hybrid market, to the extent that one can call it really new, is still ill-defined, and that many clients and venues are still struggling with giving hybrid a place. It is the role and responsibility of our associations to provide our communities with insights and guidance on how to embrace this new reality.’’ Ori Lahav | President of IAPCO

Hybrid gives us opportunities to completely rethink our business models. We can become the Netflix of the events industry, by new audience discovering, bringing content in creative ways and establishing innovative pricing models. This paper is a great source of inspiration for doing so.’’ Greg O’Dell | President of AIPC

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2022 AIPC Academy Belgium

February 6 – 11 The AIPC Academy is the only comprehensive professional development program specifically serving the needs of international convention centre managers! Designed to address the critical need for centres to maintain fully qualified staff in a highly competitive industry, the AIPC Academy provides a targeted, cost-effective form of training and development along with the means to establish the kind of industry networks that facilitate future professional growth. The 2022 edition of the AIPC Academy will take place in the week of February 6th, 2022 in La Hulpe, Belgium. As you can see in the programme, the focus lies on learning by interaction. Next to lectures from global thought leaders and senior convention center leaders, there will be highly interactive workshops on topics like business model development and risk management. These will be complimented with numerous networking opportunities.

You can register via the AIPC website and in case of any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Secretariat | secretariat@aipc.org

AGENDA

Adam Paulitsch | Populous Convention centre design has to adapt to changing market expectations and event formats while also addressing owner and community demands for attractive and functional structures compatible with the host community. This session will explore the future of convention center design and how to create facilities that will remain relevant and functional through this ongoing evolution.

Lunch Break Argan Restaurant SUNDAY FEBRUARY 6

Event Design

Welcome to the AIPC 2022 Academy!

Good event design is key for delivering successful events and goes beyond the creative elements: it should include a clear strategy, excellent production and analytics allowing for actionable insights. This session will focus on the role convention centers can play when it comes to event design, covering all these elements.

Sven Bossu | AIPC

Market Outlook Report Sven Bossu | AIPC A “scene setter” for Academy discussions, this opening session will provide a global market outlook, based on recent research by AIPC partners.

Addressing Your Challenges & Introducing Team Challenges In an engaging workshop format, attendees will shares the challenges they are facing in their centres and their learning expectations for the Academy.

Welcome Reception Badian Lounge Bar

Buffet Dinner Argan Restaurant

Networking Break Leadership The pandemic definitely impacted convention center leadership. Three CEO’s will share their experience and lessons learned when it comes to leading in times of crisis and uncertainty.

Team Challenge Preparation Cooking With Your Colleagues Learn, Taste, Enjoy

MONDAY FEBRUARY 7

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 8

Starting Point: Voice of the Customer

Business Model – Adaptation and Execution

Three global event organizers will provide their perspectives on current challenges and future direction for their organizations and what that means in terms of their expectations of centres in today’s highly competitive market.

Networking Break

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Convention Center Design: Elevate to the Next Level

Oscar Cerezales | MCI In this highly interactive workshop, you will – together with your colleagues – first focus on how to adapt to a continuously changing market landscape and evolving customer requirements, using a set of tools which you can take back to your teams. The second part of the workshop will focus on execution and delivering excellence.

Lunch Break Argan Restaurant Technology: Market Landscape and Latest Trends Steven McKenzie | Ungerboeck Technology has never been as important for convention centres as it is today, whether it concerns the implementation of health & safety protocols, enabling digital events or delivering actionable insights via data mining. This session will give an overview of the market landscape and the latest trends when it comes to technology for convention centers.

Networking Break Deep Dive on Hybrid Events Wee Min Ong | Marina Bay Sands In December, IAPCO and AIPC released a joint research paper on hybrid events, covering everything from rationale to building blocks. In this session, you will hear how to make hybrid events work, based on real case studies and lessons learned from the last two years.

Team Challenge Preparation A Belgian Dining Experience Featuring Regional Specialities Argan Restaurant section IV

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 9

Sustainability: Status 3 Months After COP26 At COP26, the events industry pledged to become Carbon Zero by 2050 and also articulated how this will be achieved. What does this pledge exactly entail and where are we 3 months later? And what are global players already doing to become carbon zero? This session will provide a clear view on what carbon zero exactly means, the process to be put in place and actions already taken by global stakeholders.

Networking Break Sales & Marketing Regaining the heart and confidence of delegates and exhibitors to participate to organised events will

require a different type of sales & marketing plan. This session will provide you with 3 different and interconnected perspectives: organizer, destination and venue.

2 | An interactive crisis mini-game to run your crisis team (or separate individuals) through a number of risk-based assignments under increasing pressure.

Lunch Break Argan Restaurant

3 | A debriefing session to help you capture mini-game learnings, capped off with a Top 10 ‘To Do’ list.

Operational Excellence: Lessons From COP26 Mark Bannister | Technical & Operations Director, COP26

Lunch Break Argan Restaurant Team Challenge Presentations

COP26 was the biggest COP so far, with over 40,000 participants from across the globe. In order to accommodate COP26, the Scottish Event Campus has to double in size, ensure operational excellence and make sure the event could take place in a safe and secure way. This session will give insight in the challenges addressed and key lessons learned.

Teams will present their Challenge responses to Academy colleagues and faculty with Academy faculty providing feedback and reaction in response.

Networking Break

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11

Finance & Performance Tracking

Closing Roundtable

Like any business operator, centre managers need to be able to measure and demonstrate performance and a return on owner investment; however, centres have some unique requirements based on their broader roles in their communities. This session will deal with a series of topics related to convention centre financial management and performance measurement.

Sven Bossu (facilitator)

Team Challenge Preparation Buffet Dinner Argan Restaurant

Networking Break Special Academy Final Dinner Brasserie 135

While centres around the world have many challenges in common, these manifests themselves in very different ways in various parts of the world and a healthy exchange of perspectives brings different experiences to bear on key issues. This session will provide a dedicated opportunity to focus on a series of areas selected by participants for special attention in a facilitated workshop format as well as a final opportunity to raise any outstanding areas of interest.

Formal Closure THURSDAY FEBRUARY 10

Risk Management & Crisis Communications Glenn Schoen | Boardroom@crisis This interactive session aims to provide the participants with a toolkit to deal effectively and efficiently with crisis and the related communication and is composed of the following elements: 1 | A knowledge-transfer component bringing lessons learned, latest insights, and basics on what to prepare for, including in the area of crisis communications.

Sven Bossu | AIPC The Week in Summary and AIPC Academy Certificate Presentation This final session will summarize both the learnings and the outcomes of the week. At the conclusion, participants will be awarded their Certificates of Participation as recognition of their efforts throughout the week.

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Barcelona

AIPC Facility Operations Summit

Hosted by the CCIB, AIPC held its Operations & Facilities Summit the day before IBTM officially opened its doors. Oscar Cerezales, Chief Strategy Officer at MCI, took the 21 participants (from 11 countries!) on an interactive journey, which proved to be both energizing and exhausting. For many of us, it was the first time that we come together again as an industry, providing the perfect opportunity to re-connect and share knowledge. Therefore, we took a slightly different approach to designing the programme. This summit was an energizing and highly interactive one-day workshop, and specially for this meeting, Oscar designed a set of 7 exercises, grouped in 4 modules: context, client, adaptation, and execution.

Coffee and other energizers were available through the day and the lunch and closing cocktail catered for the much-needed serendipity.

The participants – split in small teams – first looked at the changed market landscape (context & client) and then transformed these observations into calls-for-action which they could take back to their teams. Visually, the day looked as follows:

“The workshop was very interesting and truly tailored towards convention centers”, commented Martina Candillo, Director Congresses & Events at Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center. This was echoed by the other participants and confirmed via the satisfaction survey.

As a result of this positive feedback, a similar workshop will be organized at the Sales and Marketing Summit, which will take place on April 24th, the day before IMEX Frankfurt will open its doors. More information will be made available closer to the event.

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Mark Your Calendars for AIPC’s 64th General Assembly

MAY 6

The 64th General Assembly of AIPC will take place on Friday, May 6th and will be fully digital. Detailed information provided closer to the meeting.

AGENDA DIGITAL MAY 6TH 2022

The AIPC 2022 Innovation Award approach to any aspect of convention centre management, operations or marketing.

InAw We are delighted to announce that the Innovation Award will be “relaunched”. The winner of the Innovation Award will be announced at the 2022 Annual Congress. The AIPC Innovation Award reflects AIPC’s mission of “Encouraging and Recognizing Excellence in Convention Centre Management”. It is made for specific projects or initiatives that represent “innovation” in the true sense of the word; that is, the development of a new, more creative or more effective

Participation in the AIPC Innovation Award program is only open to AIPC members in good standing. In order to apply for the Innovation Award, members submit the completed application form to the AIPC Secretariat office no later than April 30, 2022. The application form can be obtained at secretariat@aipc.org. All completed submissions will be supplied to the President’s Panel for rating according to the evaluation criteria and making recommendations for the award. The evaluation process and final results will be audited by two AIPC members appointed as program auditors by the AIPC Board in order to ensure the integrity of the process. The Panel will select a short list of applicants from which the overall

Innovation Award Winner will be chosen. Short-listed applicants will be asked to participate in the Pecha Kucha Presentations and Innovation Award Poster Program at the 2022 Annual Conference, by preparing a posterformatted description of their innovation and assigning an individual to “host” the poster and answer any questions during the poster session to enable Member colleagues to choose the Delegates Choice Award. The emphasis in judging applicants for the AIPC Innovation Award will be on how effectively the innovation addresses its stated objectives, which may be to improve efficiency, increase marketability, effect cost savings, achieve environmental goals or improve market position. Amaze your colleagues with your centre’s creative thinking and get the recognition you deserve! PAGE SEVEN

AIPC and IAPCO Sign Partnership Agreement

October 25th 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between IAPCO and AIPC, with the aim to establish a strategic partnership around three axes, all focusing on creating a better, in-depth understanding of the activities of the member organizations: research, visibility, and education. Julianne Jammers, Board Member of AIPC said: “Alliances will be important to our industry. As IAPCO is an organization of our clients this should be a step to getting closer in terms of understanding common challenges and managing expectations.” This was echoed by the President of AIPC, Greg O’Dell: “The pandemic has clearly demonstrated that the best way to grow as an industry is to learn from each other. A structured and structural collaboration with IAPCO will definitely support this process.” When it comes to research, IAPCO and AIPC will conduct a joint yearly research activity, the results of which are of benefits to the members of both organizations. The first activity covers the different aspects of hybrid events and the results have been shared with the IAPCO and AIPC members early December. As for visibility and education: IAPCO and AIPC will create different forums, allowing to exchange knowledge on specific topics of interest to the member associations and will also leverage existing communication channels to facilitate that exchange.

2022 Annual Conference Change of Plans As part of our preparation for the 2022 Annual Conference, we did a member survey, asking whether our members would attend the face-to-face meeting and/or the digital meeting, and if not, what the reasons would be.

Ori Lahav, President of IAPCO said: “Having clear understandings and an appreciation of stakeholders’ objectives will remain of utmost importance as IAPCO members continue to drive economic recovery of cities and knowledge-exchange between communities. The strategic collaboration with AIPC will further enhance the value of services PCOs and Convention Centres deliver to their clients. Research will provide the needs assessment; education will provide us with the tools and visibility across our networks and our own communities will strengthen relationships and drive results. We are thrilled to establish such a valuable partnership with AIPC.”

IAPCO and AIPC have a shared ambition: raise the standards of service to excellence! This collaboration is another step of making this a tangible reality and the teams of both organizations are looking forward to co-creating value for the respective memberships.

As a result, we have decided to push Costa Rica to a later year and to take the 2022 Annual Conference to Budapest, Hungary, where it will be hosted by HUNGEXPO. The key reasons were reduction of travel time/budget for the majority of the AIPC members. It was a difficult decision to make, especially given all the support provided so far by our colleagues in Costa Rica. However, we do believe that at the end, this will result into a better outcome for both Costa Rica and AIPC.

Over 60% of respondents indicated that they would not attend the face-to-face meeting in Costa Rica, due to current More detailed information on the Conference incertitude related to COVID, budget or travel restrictions. will be provided in January.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

AIPC and Convention Centers of Canada Continue Alliance

Preparing for a New Year of Challenges and Opportunities

FRO

SEA

SON ’S G MT REE HE TIN AIPC GS TEA M

During the Annual Conference of the Convention Centers of Canada (CCoC), hosted by APEX Award winner Shaw Center (Ottawa), Barry Smith, CCoC’s Executive Director and AIPC agreed to prolong the strategic alliance forged between the two associations at the end of 2020. As a result, the Canadian community of convention centers will continue to benefit from a joint membership for 2022.

milestone regarding sustainability at COP26 in Glasgow. Based on input from the AIPC community and others, a panel representing different stakeholders from convention centers to organizers presented an industry pledge: to become carbon neutral by 2050. Using a process driven approach, we will consider the different environments in which our members work but have one clear, tangible, and measurable goal for all involved. In the coming months, we will develop a roadmap to provide the organization’s guidance on how to create detailed action plans. Your support is crucial to making this a reality. Please consider joining us in this pledge, which can be found HERE. Lastly, we know that as we deal with continued unpredictability, implementing company-wide transformations to address challenges, like sustainability pledge, will require great talents. That is why AIPC launched its new talent program, the Future Shapers, which consists of 14 participants from across the globe – who are ready to rise to the occasion. We are currently entering the second phase of the program, defining solutions for the various situations the AIPC community may face. These will be presented at the Annual Congress and I am sure you will be amazed by the creativity and drive of our Future Shapers. As we wrap up another challenging year, rest assured that our AIPC community is prepared for the new opportunities on the horizon. We look forward to our continued partnership and hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season. Greg O’Dell AIPC President

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PARTNER INSIGHT | SKYFOLD

Even beyond its physical distancing and hygiene measures, architects are increasingly seeing how the COVID-19 pandemic is transforming strategic design.

ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE DES PALAIS DE CONGRÈS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONGRESS CENTRES INTERNATIONALER VERBAND DER KONGRESSZENTREN

TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH AIPC VISIT

www.aipc.org THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT | Gregory A. O’Dell

President & Chief Executive Officer, Events DC

Strict pandemic safety measures have necessitated increased square footage to accommodate fewer people, and many events now require more breakout space and meeting rooms. Companies and organizations of all stripes are now actively searching for economical and creative ways to get it, and one question keeps coming up: instead of simply looking to acquire additional space, what if more space could be “found”? Could a convention center, for example, expand its usable space without actually adding costly new square footage? The answer was a resounding “yes” for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where a clever design idea and 17 Skyfold partition systems captured 4,460 m2 of new flexible meeting space within the original building’s footprint Retrofitting and renovation became the ideal alternative to the costly scheme of building an expansion facility across the street alongside a new hotel project where estimates came in at many times the convention center’s final budget of $14 million. Skyfold Inc. is uniquely positioned for the design needs of the current challenges posed by the pandemic, and for our emerging, post-pandemic world. Long the acoustic leader in verticallyfolding, retractable walls, Skyfold offers so much more than simple space division. The Skyfold system specializes in innovative, custom, electric, and premium multipurpose space solutions that re-define how any space is used. Their easy-to-use, self-retracting system and vertical motion give users the ultimate in flexibility when quickly dividing or expanding spaces. PAGE TEN

The walls chosen for the convention center were all Skyfold Classic with an STC rating of 51. When deployed, the Classic51 becomes a stylish acoustic barrier that divides the convention center space without unsightly floor or wall tracks, nor any need for laborious manual intervention. And when not in use, the wall simply disappears into the ceiling, allowing for maximum floor space. The benefits of Skyfold technology allowed for a much more flexible interior to be created for the convention center, making two large registration areas easily convertible to part-time meeting rooms, resulting in a gain of about 20,000 square feet each – whenever needed. “We saved millions of dollars by retrofitting within our existing center instead of building new, additional meeting space,” said Gregory O’Dell, president and CEO of the Washington Convention and Sports Authority (WCSA). “This also improves our ability to host larger simultaneous or overlapping events.” The possibility of constant transformation, along with the ability to “adjust” spaces for specific tasks, not to mention being effortlessly combined with independent, simultaneous functioning in each zone, simply made Skyfold the premium choice for ensuring that the Walter E. Washington Convention Center would become an example of innovative and creative thinking during a time when it is needed most.

www.skyfold.com

VICE PRESIDENT | Peter King

Chief Executive Officer, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre TREASURER | Julianne Jammers

Managing Director, SwissTech Convention Center, Lausanne

Juliana Lopez President Grupo Heroica, Colombia

Taubie Motlhabane CEO of the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa

Christian Folden Lund CEO Bella Center, Denmark

Panittha Buri Managing Director BITEC, Thailand AIPC MANAGEMENT

Sven Bossu CEO sven.bossu@aipc.org Nadège Mullier secretariat@aipc.org AIPC CORPORATE PARTNERS 2021

CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD