Big stage set against Alpine panorama - TW TagungsWirtschaft

made and existing business
discussions continued with
the opportunity to share
knowledge and learning at a
local, regional and international
level.
There is no other exhibition
organizer that offers this dynamic
opportunity to assist
planners gain a wider perspective
on the world in just
three days in locations as diverse
as Beijing, Abu Dhabi,
Barcelona, Melbourne and
Baltimore.
We are very proud of the fact
that the 5 events combined
provide access to over 5,000
suppliers from 100 countries,
17,000 meetings planners
and over 100,000 pre-scheduled
appointments which are
generated each year: that’s
an incredible and unique platform
to offer on a truly global
scale.
TW: Have Reed’s hosted
buyer programmes changed
at all recently?
Moyes: No not really, largely
because the Hosted Buyer
programme is considered by
the industry as a “gold standard”
and the fulcrum of each
event. The quality of our
Hosted Buyers is the priority.
Whilst numbers are of course
important, it’s the quality of
buyer that our exhibitors look
for and we work exceptionally
hard to ensure this is
achieved. Indeed we require
that anyone who applies to
attend as a Hosted Buyer at
any of our events has to be
measured for quality, seniority,
purchasing power, number
of events they organize
and what sector they are interested
in.
We look at each sector and
buyer individually so would
expect an Agency planner to
be responsible for a variety of
events (in size, sector and ge-
ography). Corporates tend to
organise smaller numbers of
events of medium-sized proportions
with an Association
planner organising one or
two annual events for significantly
larger numbers of delegates
(1000+). The qualifica-
The portfolio is
now on 5
continents
tion process in place for each
event recognises these differences
and sets out to deliver
only the most relevant
buyers.
Of course the Hosted Buyer
programme for each event
has its variances (there are
cultural nuances to consider)
but we continually look to
evolve each programme to
meet the needs of both planners
and exhibitors. For example
at EIBTM 2011, following
requests from both Hosted
Buyers and Exhibitors, we
have increased the number
of pre-scheduled appointments
each day to 7 (previously
6). This will allow for
more matches to be made at
the time when the Hosted
Buyer chooses their meeting
preferences, and additional
appointments mean more
business for buyers and suppliers!
TW: The global economy has
found its feet again, and the
meetings industry is similarly
emerging from the
economic doldrums, according
to the Future Watch
2011 report published by
Meeting Professionals International
(MPI). In the
North American market the
major drivers of growth are
the associations, while in
Europe a marked increase in
corporate meetings is hav-
ing a positive impact. What
lies behind this difference in
demand?
Moyes: The US is the leading
country market measured by
number of association meetings
organized per year. In
fact this data, collected by IC-
CA over a 10 year period has
always shown the US as the
number one country in their
annual survey. With 623
meetings held in 2010, the
U.S. is by far the number one
country measured by num-
ber of meetings organised ,
followed by European countries
Germany (542 meetings
in 2010), Spain (451 meetings),
United Kingdom (399)
and France (371).
However, in the last 10 years
the market share of U.S.
meetings in the ICCA database
has dropped from 9.1%
in 2001to 6.8% in 2010. In the
last year alone, the gap between
the U.S. and Germany,
the number two country
SPOTLIGHT
since 2004, shrunk from 137
meetings in 2009 to 81 meetings
in 2010.
TW: Future Watch 2011 is
forecasting more meetings
again, larger overall budgets
and rising attendance. Are
the current fiscal and economic
crisis in the US and
mounting government debt
in the European Union jeopardising
this trend?
Moyes: Corporations, associations
and organisations
have come to realise during
The BRIC countries have become more prominent on the radar.
Larger than the
US Automotive
industry
the last two years that faceto-face
meetings are essential
to the long-term sustainability
of their business.
Moreover, the data provided
in the first US study on the
economic significance of the
Meetings & Events industry
clearly demonstrates the important
impact in terms of
jobs, taxes and contribution
to GDP. The US Meetings Industry
is larger than the US
Automotive industry.
The huge debt that governments
are contracting worldwide
(not only in Europe or
the US) will continue to be a
threat, especially in potential
tax rises, but many corpora-
4/2011 23