Commun ue ISSUE NUMBER 133 | SEPTEMBER 2021
2021 Annual Conference Key Takeaways
Future Shapers Programme Ready to Kick-Off!
A Pledge for Sustainability
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WHAT’S INSIDE
NET ZEROCARBON EVENTS
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
New Challenges, New Opportunities, Our Resilience After nearly 18 months of standstill, we are finally starting to see a return to in-person and organized events across a growing number of countries. While most of these events do indeed look quite different than they may have prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they showcase the skills of event organizers to adapt to changing circumstances, whether they are putting new health and safety protocols into practice or making substantial investments in digital solutions. Convention centers have been incredibly resilient when it comes to these challenges, playing a crucial role in finding ways for organizers to pivot – and even identifying new opportunities, and challenges that might not have otherwise presented themselves.
platforms, we must be prepared to answer questions regarding data ownership. For example, who owns behavioral data – the platform provider or the organizer? How well are participants protected, and how does this work in a GDPR environment?
Given all we’ve learned over the past several months, we must recognize that we have a great opportunity to better align our organizational goals with this new market environment. As we deal with an evolving landscape, we should reconsider how we are assigning our teams and make sure we are putting the proper people in place who can manage this new climate. This means that will we want to attract new qualified candidates, but also invest in training our existing teams and equip them with the skill sets needed to embrace future challenges that may lie ahead.
How is this covered in the contracts connecting the different parties involved? If we can anticipate these answers, we can better guide our customers to select the best possible solutions and ultimately foster better relationships in the future.
As we implement new solutions to address this changing environment, we also need to be aware of the impact of our actions. When using digital
from each other, and grow as a community – as we’ve demonstrated during the last year and a half. AIPC is here to support our partners, especially convention center managers, as you navigate the challenges on all these fronts. We are offering tailor-
“It is essential for us to embrace agility and have the willingness and ability to re-think business realities almost instantly. Adopting this mentality will allow us to deepen partnerships, learn from each other, and grow as a community – as we’ve demonstrated during the last year and a half.”
We also must recognize that the new reality in which we operate remains unbalanced and uncertain. Countries in a “good” position months ago are now struggling, and vice versa. Though much remains to be seen, whether it’s how we manage convention centers or how various changes impact our stakeholders. This is why it is essential for us to embrace agility and have the willingness and ability to re-think business realities almost instantly. Adopting this mentality will allow us to deepen partnerships, learn
made education, setting up a new talent program to nurture future leadership, defining best practices, including ones for digital solutions, conducting relevant research, and enabling networking between peers. This is what makes AIPC unique, and our Board is committed to further increasing the value offered to our global community, especially in these challenging moments. We can only achieve success with your input, support and engagement. AIPC is an association created by convention centers for convention centers. Please continue providing us with ideas so we can begin implementing, and suggestions on how we can improve things already in place. Your feedback is invaluable, and we can assure you, your voice will be heard. Greg O’Dell AIPC President
2021 Annual Conference Key Takeaways The 2021 Annual Conference(s) had 33 speakers, covering a multitude of topics – from business development to sustainability. Here is a summary of the key messages. Sustainability • Agreement that it is an industry wide priority and that it is better for the event industry to pro-actively address it vs waiting that govern- ments impose measures
Local Business Reports • Consistent message from all continents, insisting on the need for agility and customer centricity • Very different business realities, linked to different stages in dealing with COVID19 • Overall sense of optimism that the industry will come stronger out of this, despite the uncertain and unbalanced outlook
• The initiative taken by AIPC, UFI and ICCA in collaboration with the UNFCCC to come to a pledge by COP26 will be lifted to the level of JMIC to include other key stake- holders, as the full event value chain needs to be involved • At the level of AIPC: knowledge needs to be shared in how to enhance sustainability, standards need to be defined, a sustainability calculator needs to be created and a progress report should be presented at each Annual Conference • At convention center level, the different level of “maturity” when it comes to sustainability need to be taken into account when defining a roadmap
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Technology • Overall agreement that technology will play a more important role going forward, but only for specific purposes and complimenting face-to-face • Need for standardization and guidance at the customer side
• Convention centers should play and active role in guiding organizers by getting involved in discussions between suppliers and organizers – otherwise, they might get “squeezed out”
Partnerships
Business Development
Design
• The overall trend is that the buyer- supplier relationship is evolving towards a partnership relationship, both on the convention center / service provider side and the organizer / convention center side
• Both convention centers and organizers are experimenting with different types of business develop- ment to keep existing business or attract new business – this touches upon all aspects (liability, pricing models, services offered, etc)
• End-to-end event design will become even more important to attract organizers and participants, as the customer experience will be the key differentiator between live and digital
• This is driven by the need to define a “next normal” at the level of all stake holders in the value chain, which requires an even better understanding of the objectives of each party involved in order to create an overall win-win
• At the same time, incoming RFPs are very similar to pre-COVID, indicating either a reluctance to change or the wish to go back to the 2019 situation
• The design of the facility will play a key role in creating that customer experience, but needs to be embed- ded in an overall design which involves all the customer touchpoints
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Future Shapers Programme Ready to Kick-Off! AIPC’s new talent programme – Future Shapers – was officially launched during the AIPC Annual Conference mid-July and the response has been impressive. In total we received 19 applications from across the globe! These were all carefully reviewed by the full Task Force, leading to the selection of 15 candidates which have been informed of the successful outcome.
Thank you to everyone who put forward a candidate, it was a competitive process for what will be a rewarding program and we hope that those that didn’t make it through will apply again after another 12 months of experience in their roles. Now it’s kick off time. Candidates will meet in a welcome session 15 September followed by a 12 months programme of lectures, group assignments, networking opportunities and mentoring. The full lecture programme can be found on the AIPC website, but we take the opportunity here to present the first three speakers. The first lecture will be by Cathy O’Dowd, who you will remember as the keynote speaker at the Annual Conference. Cathy was the first woman to climb Mount Everest from both the North and South sides and will share her insights into leadership for high achievers. This will be followed by an interactive workshop with Andy Green, who will guide the candidates in the creation of their Personal Purpose Manifesto: a declaration of what you want in life. It helps you prioritize what’s important
to you and what you want to achieve. Think of it as the ultimate bucket list. In addition to the workshop, Andy will also have one-to-one sessions with all the candidates. Sandy Kennedy, another star of the conference, spends his career building young people into the leaders of tomorrow. He will talk to the team about their personal journey with leadership. In parallel, the candidates will be “linked” with their mentors. Leaders from convention centers will act as experienced and trusted advisors for the candidates throughout the duration of the programme. All this will result in the group assignments, or team challenge, later this year, whereby teams will come up addressing the key challenges faced by our industry. It is a truly exiting and unique programme the group is embarking on, and we definitely do not underestimate the effort required. The candidates should have received their welcome packs by now, ready to share a coffee with their new global peers.
Key lesson learned?
An interview with the host of AIPC’s 2021 Annual Conference Julianne Jammers | Managing Director SwissTech Convention Center
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The tremendous value of serendipity. The unexpected social interactions that people live through at events are the main factor behind what we as an industry have said since the beginning of the pandemic: nothing will replace in-person meetings. Technology will certainly enrich events and help us evolve and offer more value to our clients, but being able to greet someone and share an anecdote over a cup of coffee will remain more important than anything else.
Why is Future Shapers needed?
provides hope and inspiration to our next generation of leaders.
Hope and inspiration. It’s been an unsettling time for our industry at large. We’ve all experienced team member furloughs, stand downs, reduced hours and redundancies. Lifting our high performers is more important than ever.
The power of connections. The Taskforce, and through its access to the AIPC Board, is a diverse and global composition. Sharing stories and learning from the experiences of global peers is not only educational, it builds empathy and resilience. Diversity builds better outcomes and being connected to those diverse views is invaluable.
While budgets are constrained, seeing AIPC support us with this fantastic training and development opportunity
Samantha Glass Director of Corporate Affairs and Communication | International Convention Centre Sydney FUTURE SHAPERS CANDIDATES
Stephanie Martin Senior Sales | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center, Australia Matthew Haynes Senior Manager, Live Events | ICC Sydney, Australia Sandra Rae Senior Manager, PR | ICC Sydney, Australia Shirly Shi Admin and HR Senior Manager | Shenzhen World, China Beatriz Campuzano Operations Manager | Cartagena de Indias, Columbia Montserrat Nunez New Business Manager | Costa Rica Convention Center, Costa Rica Dagmar Brozova Senior Business Development Manager | Prague Congress Centre, Czech Republic Mounira Pichori Head of International Business Development | VIParis, France Sanny Assistant Director of Operations | Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Indonesia Jacqueline Tran Energy & Sustainability Manager | Javits Center, New York Saba Al Azki Acting Events Manager | Oman Convention & Exhibition Center, Oman Genevieve Lim Director-MICE Mgt | Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Danielle Henn Customer Relationship & Quality Manager | CSIR ICC, South-Africa
What are your expectations? Strong relationships will be built. The commitment of an 11 month program will see friendships and relationships evolve that I expect will last for decades to come. The career pathways of the candidates will be escalated. The soft and hard skill components of the program have been designed to open up the potential of the candidates. Our hope is the program will support growth in their current roles and prepare them for future leadership. What has been the biggest take away so far? The quality of the response from the AIPC community has been terrific. Members were quick to put forward their top talent and offer their support through the mentorship component of the program. Thank you. We kick off this month with a cohort of 15 exceptional candidates and we hope that with a further 12 months of experience, those wonderful candidates that missed out this time, will be back for another shot in 2022. At ICC Sydney, we ran a competitive process internally and, judged by our HR team and CEO, we selected the strongest candidates based on their applications to the program. Our directors nominated 10 potential candidates and all applied for a chance to be put forward by ICC Sydney. We’re now using their applications to support their professional development as part of our internal high performers program.
Belinda Haas Marketing & Sustainability Manager | Swiss Tech Convention Center, Switzerland Dawn Lauder Head of International Conferences | SEC, UK
Engagement with colleagues? We could all witness a very engaged group and in particular a genuine, general interest on how others were doing, how we can learn from each other and that we will overcome this crisis together as an industry.
Experience as a host? We truly enjoyed hosting AIPC’s Annual Conference this year – hosting is our reason to be. We cherish our fantastic, ongoing collaboration with the AIPC
team and much appreciated the possibility to contribute to the program. Good restarting place – organizing – lessons – enthusiasm.
Advice for the next host?
Support by the partners?
It is such a privilege to know that we will all meet at the Centro de Convenciones de Costa Rica in San Jose, next year.
We are forever grateful to the partners for their incredible support. Insights – inputs form leaders in their domain. Gala Systems and Skyfold sponsored our memorable Gala soirée with a visual feast and Ungerboeck and the Costa Rica Convention Center kindly organized the lunches.
Coming back to our key lesson learned: make sure to plan enough time for networking!
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A Pledge for Sustainability
+ The impact of climate change is becoming clearer by the day. During the summer, we were confronted with extreme heat waves, floods, and drought, causing the loss of lives and destroying houses, infrastructures and crops. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report published mid-August was equally clear on the consequences of global warming and provided some hope: it is still not too late, if we decide to act now. The COP26, taking place early November at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow is the moment where the world can say: it stops here. And the event industry needs to be part of this commitment. During the AIPC Annual Conference mid-July, sustainability was high on the agenda. The three of us were on several panel discussions with representatives of both the industry and the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the conversation continued during coffee – and lunch breaks. The message was clear: sustainability is not just an option anymore. Convention centers, organizers, suppliers and exhibitors which do not have a net zero plan will struggle to attract customers and investors in the nearby future. At the same time, we need to acknowledge the efforts already done by the event industry worldwide and ensure that all parties involved in defining sustainability policies are fully aware of these efforts. Achieving net zero in our industry is however an objective which can only be met if all the stakeholders in the value chain commit to achieving it, hence the need for an industry wide initiative. The UNFCCC already has such initiatives in other sectors, like sports and fashion – resulting into detailed roadmaps towards net zero with key milestones and measurable objectives to report upon. In their view, the events industry could be the next chapter and the conversation was started with UFI, ICCA and AIPC – three global trade associations, representing a substantial part of the events value chain. These three associations created a steering group, composed of nine CEOs from organizations representing organizers, venues, exhibitors, and suppliers. This steering group was complemented with an operations group, which took on the endeavor of defining a roadmap towards an industry commitment which is both inclusive – an element which is of very high importance to the UNFCCC and a key success factor – and ambitious when it comes to meeting the net zero objective. By mid-August, the pledge was drafted and ready to be shared with the full event industry for further input.
NET ZEROCARBON EVENTS
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Sven Bossu | CEO of AIPC Senthil Gopinath | CEO of ICCA Kai Hattendorf | CEO of UFI
A lot was learnt in the process. The draft pledge evolved from an eight-bullet action list to a four pillar, process driven commitment. The pledge also takes into account different realities across the globe, when it comes to – for example – switching to reusable energy. And the pledge has the vocation to lead by ambition and statistics, demonstrating progress made in a clear and tangible way. In a nutshell, the proposed pledge comes down to the following: 1 | Develop a plan to achieve net zero by 2050 2 | Collaborate with the other stakeholders in the value chain to drive change 3 | Measure and track scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 4 | Report on progress made
These are very ambitious and much needed commitments, reflecting the very nature of the event industry: driving excellence by collaboration. We also realized that we needed an industry wide platform to get an industry wide commitment. Therefore, JMIC, the Joint Industry Meeting Council, will host the initiative and serve as the platform to collect your input and make the pledge a truly SMART one: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound. Being the global umbrella organization for the events industry, JMIC is the right host for an endeavor of this size. As always, the success depends on the parties joining. But this time, there is no doubt about the cause, so there is no excuse not to join. Sustainability is the single biggest issue we face, and we can – if we act now – make a real difference. So go to the JMIC website, sign up and make it happen. We can. www.themeetingsindustry.org
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www.netzerocarbonevents.org
AIPC Academy 2021– Going Digital
Digital
October 3 - 8
As you know, the AIPC Academy is a unique professional education, combining lectures from global thought leaders with group assignments and networking – all focusing on sharing knowledge and growing as a team, while being physically together in a beautiful environment. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 edition of the AIPC Academy was postponed from February to October, and given the continued travel uncertainty – for both speakers and participants – we decided to have a digital only version for 2021, with the “classic” version returning February 2022. This digital version will focus on education and will be composed of a set of 8 lectures which will be made available to participants to watch at their best convenience. Participants to the 2021 Digital Academy, will be entitled to a discount when participating to future “on-site” Academies for the same amount as this year’s registration fee of 200 €. For more details and to register READ MORE HERE.
Gold for CTICC The CTICC’s 2020 Internal Audit score qualifies for certification at the Gold level with an Average Aggregate rounded score of 3.97. While this does not exceed the score achieved in CTICC’s original 2013 application, maintaining a score this close to 100% compliance is a remarkable feat. The Internal Audit points total is just 4 points away from 100%. To reach a perfect Average Aggregate rounded score of 4.00 would require only that the Centre’s practices be migrated to suppliers. It is noted that the Centre’s management has set goals to achieve that. We would love to see them reach this goal and anticipate their success in doing so! We congratulate CTICC’s management and staff on this achievement and are hopeful they can achieve 100% compliance on the next re-certification.
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PARTNER INSIGHT | IMEX AMERICA
“Events are what makes our community come alive” – business events community set to gather at IMEX America this November “Our team has had a strong start in planning our landmark live show and the global range of suppliers and buyers already confirmed is an integral part of this.” Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, details the growing momentum in the run up to IMEX America this November. She continues:
We’re working closely with Mandalay Bay – our new venue – and host city of Las Vegas to ensure an experience that’s safe, comfortable and of real business value as well as delivering a classic IMEX touch of fun. Face to face events are, after all, what we do best and what makes our community come alive.’’ The international business events sector is set to gather at IMEX America from 9 –11 November in its new location of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, preceded by Smart Monday, powered by MPI on November 8. The excitement around the return of IMEX America continues to increase with a growing list of exhibitors from around the world already confirmed and preparing to do business. They include destinations Greece, Vienna, Jamaica, Hawaii and Atlanta; venues Marriott International, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Associated Luxury Hotels International as well as Worldwide Cruise Associates, United Airlines, Club Med Groups & Incentives and Live Nation Special Events. The IMEX team has also seen a speedy response from buyers. The company’s usual intermediaries are all on board to bring their clients to the show, including agency partners who are set to bring their clients and associates. Carina continues: “Our intermediaries and buyers have told us that they’re really excited to be planning for IMEX America and can’t wait to do business with exhibitors in person and to see each other again.
Carina Bauer CEO of the IMEX Group
“We know that our show will play a valuable role in supporting business recovery as well as offering teams the chance reconnect after a tough year. We’ve therefore evolved this year’s IMEX America – our 10th edition – in response to the current climate in order to deliver a fresh approach and new content alongside the same, solid opportunities to do business which underpin all of our live shows.” A full, free programme of learning runs throughout the show, beginning each day with MPI keynotes – a series of movers and shakers from outside the business event industry who will each bring their unique world view to the show. As part of the new-look show, the education tracks have been redefined to maintain a firm focus on the new professional and personal development needs now required. The new tracks include: Creativity in communication; Event planner toolkit; Innovation and tech; Professional development and upskilling; Purposeful recovery; Sustainability and nature+; Trends and future foresight.
Registration is now open for IMEX America taking place 9 – 11 November at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with Smart Monday, powered by MPI, on 08 November. To Register – for free CLICK HERE With the city of Las Vegas expected to be busy in November the IMEX team is encouraging exhibitors and attendees to book their hotel rooms soon. IMEX’s venue partner, MGM Resorts, is offering exclusive rates for attendees and exhibitors across a range of MGM properties including Mandalay Bay Accommodation options and booking information CLICK HERE For further information, please contact: Emma Blake | emmablake@clareville.co.uk
www.imexamerica.com PAGE EIGHT
#IMEX21
The Birth of HUNGEXPO’s New Modular Congress Centre
Located on a 36-hectare landscaped area near Budapest, the HUNGEXPO exhibition and events complex has been hosting large-scale trade exhibitions and fairs for more than 50 years. Beginning in 2019, a major expansion and refurbishment project headed by Expo Park Ltd., a state-owned company, resulted in the renewal of all five existing pavilions as well as the addition of a new reception building, two exhibition halls, and a 2000-seat 21st-century flexible congress centre. For Gabor Ganczer, HUNGEXPO’s CEO, the centre is one of the most important elements of HUNGEXPO’s expansion as it is expected to further strengthen its international market leadership. “Though the demand was high for Budapest, without a facility like this in the past, event planners chose other cities. We believe they will book in Budapest now!” The Right Technology A modern congress centre had been in Ganczer’s mind for a long time. But when he first heard about the automatic Gala Venue Seating System at the 2017 AIPC Annual Conference, he knew he had found the technology to create the congress centre he was hoping for: “I felt this was exactly what we needed because of the flexibility and reactivity it would allow us to provide to our clients.” This space conversion method – in which theatre-style seats may be raised to variable heights or concealed underneath the floor structure – provides venues with numerous configurations in just minutes. Ganczer found it “easy to convince the Hungarian state to invest in the Gala System, because its flexibility provides the opportunity to generate more revenue.’’
Now we have a main auditorium with 2,047 seats that we can divide into three sections, all with different functions and set-ups, offering exceptional flexibility. Within an hour – from an auditorium style – we can have a flat or terraced banquet seating! This gives HUNGEXPO a great opportunity to target new markets and host other types of congresses – mainly association and international corporate events.’’ Gabor Ganczer | CEO HUNGEXPO’S New Modular Congress Centre Newly completed, the three-level congress centre includes two dozen small meeting rooms, a 2,300 m2 rooftop terrace, perfect for coffee breaks, and a main 2,500 m2 auditorium equipped with a Gala Venue fully automated floor and seating transformation system as well as mobile partitions to temporarily divide the space. A Strategic View For The Future While limited in the past, the MICE branch of quality tourism is now expected to grow in Budapest. As Ganczer points out, “the Hungarian State analyzed (the segment) carefully and realized it would need a congress centre to drive growth.’’ With HUNGEXPO’s new adaptable space, the CEO foresees a rise in international events from 40% to 60%. Because of the scale of disruption to the meeting industry caused by the pandemic, he remains cautious about how quickly events will resume, but now, he says, is a hopeful time for HUNGEXPO, as its new modern congress centre is just about to hold its first major international event: “One with Nature”, from September 25–October 14 2021!
www.hungexpo.hu
www.galasystems.com PAGE NINE
PARTNER INSIGHT | LOSBERGER DE BOER
The Sound of Silence New Acoustic Barrier Roof and Wall System: the perfect balance between sound absorption and reflection
ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE DES PALAIS DE CONGRÈS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONGRESS CENTRES INTERNATIONALER VERBAND DER KONGRESSZENTREN
In order to ensure that their temporary event buildings can deliver the same level of comfort as an existing/permanent conference hall/venue, Losberger De Boer has developed an innovative solution: the Acoustic Barrier Roof and Wall System.
TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH AIPC VISIT
“We have always taken great pride in the fact that when you step inside our temporary venues, you can’t tell that our venues are temporary”, says Mical De Boer, Managing Director at Losberger De Boer UK and Spain.
PRESIDENT | Gregory A. O’Dell
www.aipc.org THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President & Chief Executive Officer, Events DC 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
Losberger De Boer’s unique Acoustic Barrier Roof and Wall System has been used with great success at a number of high-end events, including the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It is developed specifically to be able to build additional top-class exhibition or conference space. Tried and tested Since its development, this innovative system has been fine-tuned further for the film industry. It now offers the perfect balance between sound absorption and reflection. Especially for large-scale conferences with lectures, presentations, panel discussions and video feeds, this balance is very important. Mical De Boer explains: “Too much reflection and you’ll have an excessive amount of overhead noise, while too much absorption means the speakers will hardly be heard unless you push the sound system beyond comfortable limits, resulting in feedback or an overall volume that is uncomfortably high. Furthermore, this system allows us to create extensions that match the look-and-feel of top-class permanent event venues, the Acoustic Barrier Roof and Wall System is designed to reduce the noise of rain to the bare minimum, while it’s U Value of around 0.4 also means it offers extra insulation. This greatly adds to a comfortable interior climate, and also significantly reduces PAGE TEN
the need for heating and cooling, lowering energy consumption.” Like all Losberger De Boer products, the Acoustic Barrier Roof and Wall System is compatible with all Losberger De Boer structures, is re-usable and can be installed and dismantled quickly. While it lines the walls and ceilings, it is still possible to mount equipment on or from it. Another innovation: Rain Guard System In addition to the Acoustic Barrier Roof and Wall System, Losberger De Boer has developed a new system named the Rain Guard System which eradicates the sound of rain. This system has proven tremendously successful in the TV/Film industry, where even the smallest amount of outside noise is intrusive. Mical De Boer further says: “Using a combination of both systems, we can guarantee the best possible acoustic conditions for conference and exhibitions. And, when it comes to noise created by rain the only sound you’ll hear in our venues, is the sound of silence.” For further information, please contact:
Mical De Boer mical.deboer@losbergerdeboer.com
Marc Westerwaal marc.westerwaal@losbergerdeboer.com www.losbergerdeboer.com
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