Meetings Today - May 2018

BCD Meetings & Events named Ireland, Italy and South Africa as top incentive destinations year after year, with Argentina, India and Singapore pushing hard to break in.

“Destination favorites don’t change
much from year to year,” said Patricia Sil-
vio, global marketing manager for Pacific
World destination and event management
company. “Our top three European desti-
nations last year were France, Spain and
Monaco/South of France. The top three
Pacific World’s top Asian destinations
sound familiar, too: China, Indonesia and
Hong Kong.

It’s no surprise that Europe reigns as the top international choice for U.S.-based groups. Familiarity breeds comfort.

“Most planners are risk-averse,” said
Chip Smith, vice president of global solu-
tions for Experient. “They need to feel com-
fortable with the destination, confident in
the delivery of services and most especially
confident in the security of their attendees
and how the destination will respond to
the unexpected health or safety issue or
natural disaster. That’s a big reason plan-
ners keep going back to proven cities. You
London, Paris, Madrid, Singapore, Sydney,
Melbourne, Hong Kong. How confident are
you about the response somewhere else?”
Growing numbers of global destinations
are developing the infrastructure and the
experience to provide that degree of con-
fidence. Long-time lifestyle destinations
like Ibiza, Spain, are retooling for
what most of the world calls
MICE, meetings, incen-
tives, conventions and
exhibitions. Familiar
leisure destinations
such as Lombok and
Yogyakarta in Indo-
nesia are expanding
into meetings and
events.

In China, the key is rapid development to meet surging demand for four- and five-star meeting facilities. For cities as diverse as Kigali, Rwanda; Cartagena, Columbia; and Lima, Peru, adding convention and event facilities geared for the international market is the natural next step as their leisure product matures.

First Time Versus Next Time

When proposing destinations, Smith considers two types of attendees, first-timers and next-timers. First timers need a little more hand holding, a little more familiarity, a little less challenge.

“It’s always safe to go with a London or
a Paris, cities with instant name recogni-
tion,” said Ashleigh Lane, senior program
manager with Bishop-McCann. “That’s one
reason the trend favors Europe. And there’s
convenience. So much of Europe is a quick
flight away, especially from the East Coast
and Midwest, where so many
attendees are coming from.
Hong Kong and Singapore
have the facilities, the
lift, the recognition,
but those flights take
longer.”
Longer-haul
flights are less of a
consideration for
next-timers. And
they are more likely
to embrace events in
less familiar destina-
tions. That opens the door
to Amsterdam, Copenha-
gen, Vienna, Lisbon and similar
cities.

“Copenhagen and Vienna are wonderful event destinations,” said Sherry Parks, CEO of Corporate Planners Unlimited. “They are building already-strong convention

Transportation improvements have put the entire globe on offer for meetings and events. And even with the world to choose from, planners are choosing some very familiar destinations in 2018.