Repurchase of Fairmont Raffles and Mövenpickin partnership with SBE, Rixos or Banyan Tree, expansion of Sofitel and Pullman: for the past three years, Accor has made no secret of its ambition in luxury and top-of-the-range hotels. Mirroring this strategy, the French group intends to use these prestigious establishments to consolidate its position in the events sector. "The MICE segment is, for us, one of the most interesting in the years to comeexplains Markus Keller, Accor's Senior Vice President, Global Sales Organisation. Accor was rather behind in this segment, as the group's history began with the ibis and Novotel brands, based around hotels that did not often have the capacity to host events."While meetings and events were not at the heart of the Group's strategy ten years ago, Accor had already begun to think about this segment with the development of its network in Asia and the Middle East. At the same time, the opening of larger hotels, equipped with large meeting and event spacesparticularly within the brands PullmanSofitel and certain Novotelhas reinforced this need.
However, it is the acquisition of Fairmont Raffles in 2016, which gave the French group its credentials in the meetings and events segment. The addition of iconic hotels to its portfolio has helped to demonstrate all organisers of top-of-the-range events and meetings that Accor was a player they could count on. Above all, this acquisition has fostered links with the American MICE ecosystem, with organisers, venue finders and buyers who previously had only a very limited image of the group. "This has given us the leverage we need to accelerate our entry into this market, while offering the Group real legitimacy in the face of American players who have been in this segment for years"says Markus Keller.
Accor plays on relationships
Reaching this demanding clientele, looking for creative and personalised events, has led Accor to change its approach to selling events. "Before, we were in a fairly transactional mode because we had standardised brands, more focused on room sales.says Markus Keller. Now, in the meetings & events section, the relationship aspect is essential. You have to give the customer confidence, reassure them that the hotel has the know-how to make their event memorable, and that attention will be paid to the smallest details, whether in terms of service, amenities in the rooms or signage. This also means involving the hotel manager in important matters. Previously, the general manager was more concerned with operational efficiency and was less involved in the direct relationship with the customer."
In this sense, the acquisition of Fairmont also brought Accor know-how which is now benefiting the Group's other brands. "Sofitels used to have meeting rooms mainly for executive committees. But today we have hotels with large spaces that need the skills to host large events, describes Markus Keller. The Fairmont teams have contributed their knowledge to professionalise the approach to this segment."
Held at the Fairmont Montreux Palace on the shores of Lake Geneva, the eighth edition of the Global Meeting Exchange provided an opportunity to demonstrate this expertise to its 280 participants, including 130 clients. This event, initially created by Fairmont, now encompasses all the French group's upmarket and luxury brands and encourages buyers and event organisers to exchange ideas with numerous Accor representatives, both from hotels and from the group's management.
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Dinner in the medieval setting of Chillon Castle, wine tasting in the Unesco-listed vineyards of Lavaux, a chocolate workshop, visits to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne or Chaplin's World, the Glacier 3000 experience and its vertiginous Peak Walk: the Global Meeting Exchange was punctuated by a wide range of activities. discover the region à la carte. Not forgetting the Montreux Jazz Festival, which has made the Swiss town famous the world over, with a musical incentive offered by Songdivision on the stage of the 2m2C music and convention centre, and an exclusive visit to the chalet of Claude Nobs, the event's founder, where the memories of the stars who have visited Montreux live on.
"Although some organisers expect their meetings to be productive above all else, most meeting planners and buyers are looking for unique experiencessays Chris Cahill, deputy managing director in charge of hotel operations and CEO of Accor's luxury brands. We have to make sure that their expectations meet what the hotel has to offer, but also the destination, the region, to create tailor-made events with the DMCs and local tourism players."
"The MICE segment is important for all our brands, but especially for the Fairmont, Pullman and increasingly Novotel, Swissotel and Grand Mercure in Asia, continues Chris Cahill. As we expand our portfolio of brands to meet the needs of all customer segments (Editor's note: 38 today, ranging from economy to luxury) and we're opening more and more hotels around the world, we're offering more options meeting and event organisers. The MICE segment is set to grow significantly in the years ahead."
