Survey: Europe, land of congresses

With two countries in the world's top 3, and thirteen in the top 20, Europe has established itself as one of the world's most dynamic regions. key continent in the congress sector. While the United States is still solidly in first place in the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) rankings published last year, the benchmark for hosting major events, Germany and the United Kingdom complete the podium, directly followed by Spain, Italy and France. As for the city rankings, five European destinations, Barcelona in the lead, ahead of Paris and ViennaThe first non-European city, Singapore, only came sixth.

ALSO READ: "Congresses: a cascade of openings and renovations in France".

The Catalan metropolis' first place brings a little novelty to a ranking that has long been static. Since 2008, the French and Austrian capitals have alternated at the top of the podium, with the exception of 2015 when Berlin topped the rankings. The German capital has since dropped back to fourth place, ahead of London.

Regardless of the uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the British capital remains a sure thing in the market. A leading centre for finance, technology and life sciences, London attracts a number of conferences related to these sectors. "We have been selected by the European Society of Cardiology for its ESC 2021 Congress, which will bring together the world's leading specialists.says Suzanne Singleton, head of associations at London & Partners, London's promotional agency. In addition, this year we will be hosting the SIBOS conference, an annual banking and financial services event."To help event organisers and encourage them to choose London as a destination, the convention bureau has put in place a whole range of services, including scouting trips, preferential rates and welcome packages.

However, while London, as well as Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester, support the UK's convention business, it is above all Germany, Europe's leading destination in the sector. It can rely as much on the attractiveness of its major metropolitan areas - BerlinMunich, HamburgThis is due not only to the success of its major cities, led by Cologne and Düsseldorf, but also to the dynamism of its secondary cities, such as Dresden, Heildelberg and Freiburg im Breisgau.

Effective promotion

The promotional activities carried out by German convention bureaus are not entirely unrelated to this success. Berlin's BCO, for example, markets the city worldwide. "We are present at major MICE events such as Imex Frankfurt, Imex Las Vegas and Ibtm World in Barcelona."says Tobias Maul, press relations manager at visitBerlin. What's more, every two years the BCO invites almost 150 event organisers from all over the world to come and discover the German capital. This dynamism has seen it host congresses such as that of the European Neuroscience Federation, as well as the World Health Summit and the Tech Open Air Festival, which attracted 20,000 IT experts. While 20 % of conventions came from the medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, political and public institutions came second with 14 %, followed by information technology and the digital economy (13 %). Berlin, which has been one of the top five cities in the CICA rankings since 2004, is still aiming for the top spot. win tickets. To achieve this, it plans to open Hub27 in April 2019, a new 10,000 m² with cutting-edge technology.

This drive to win market share is also present in other German cities. For example, the Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB) works with a network of 160 partners - hotels, event venues, agencies, service providers, etc. - to market the city as a congress destination. It is leveraging its expertise to promote the city's 174 meeting venues, its proximity to three airports, and the fact that it is a major tourist destination. Cologne's proximity to the Benelux countries. Of the 49,521 MICE events held in Cologne in 2017, 71 % were congresses. Of these, 81 % were corporate and came mainly from the banking and insurance sectors. Next came the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, followed by IT. At the same time, Cologne is expanding its offering by renovating the Koelnmesse, the country's third-largest trade fair complex. Work began in 2015 and is due to be completed in 2030, with the opening of new areas such as Hall 1 and the Confex Hall, which will be able to accommodate congresses of over 5,000 people.

Still in Germany, on the shores of the Baltic, Hamburg is also modernising. In 2017, the city embarked on a major project to renovation of the CCH conference centre. It is due to reopen in 2020, when it will be Europe's largest, with 12,000 m² of exhibition space, 12,000 m² a reception hall, 12,000 seats in some fifty multi-purpose rooms. In this way, Hamburg hopes to attract a greater number of events, particularly those related to the industrial sectors that are the city's strength: aviation - the city is the third largest civil aviation production site in the world - research and port trade.

In southern Europe, Spanish cities are also vying with each other to carve out a place for themselves in this market. highly competitive market. This is true of Valencia, Seville, Bilbao and Malaga, but it is especially true of Madrid. Well positioned in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, particularly for events with more than 5,000 participants such as the ERS, the International Respiratory Congress, the Spanish capital is mobilising to support the bids put forward by its convention bureau. Various promotional activities are carried out on a regular basis, and an ambassadors programme has been set up with the aim of positioning Madrid as a "destination of choice" for the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. an efficient and reliable European destination on the major international congress market.

2017 was a record year for the Catalan city, which hosted 2,134 congresses and conventions. The number of congresses alone was up 10.5 % on 2016, with 443 events, for a total of participants up 55.1 %. Barcelona's success is due as much to its capacity to host events of up to 24,000 participants as to the solid support of growth sectors such as medical, science, academic institutions and technology. Barcelona shines with innovationSpain's first smart city and Europe's fourth smartest. Its streets, for example, are equipped with 500 free WiFi access points. At the same time, the city is the first in the world to have obtained Biosphere certification, accrediting it as a sustainable destination. Finally, for several years now, Barcelona has been working in partnership with Vienna, with the two cities submitting bids together to offer major associations, particularly medical ones, the chance to limit their choice of rotation by meeting once in Central Europe and once in the south of the continent.

However, Vienna is also playing its personal card, highlighting its ecological, cultural and security assets to ensure that it remains one of the world's top three cities for hosting congress delegates. Nearly 80 % of events are international in scope. In 2019, for example, Vienna will host the 54^e Congress of the European Association for the Study of the Liver and, until 2025, will host the European Congress of Radiology, bringing together 20,000 participants. To consolidate its position, Vienna modernises the Austria Center. From 2022, the congress centre will feature a new reception building with additional entrances providing direct access to the different levels of the building. At the same time, the Austrian capital is expanding its hotel offer, with 20 hotels under construction or renovation.

A change of scenery

However, according to American Express Meetings & Events, the choice of destination is based on a number of criteria - logistics, level of security, climate - but this is no longer enough to win tenders, as Philippe Fournier, Chairman of MCI France, points out.the attractiveness of the destination is increasingly a factor in the choice of organisers."This may explain growing interest in towns that were previously less well known for hosting MICE events. The exotic nature of Sweden is making more and more associations want to hold their meetings in Stockholm, which hosts an average of 225 congresses a year.

Situated on a vast archipelago cradled by the Gulf Stream, Sweden's capital enjoys a climate that is temperate in winter and warm in summer. The city, built around 14 islands and boasting 30 % of green spaces, has a lot to offer. its natural feel and cultural. Its metro, for example, has works of art at virtually every station, including sculptures, mosaics and bas-reliefs... What's more, Stockholm is the gateway to Lulea, the capital of Lapland. It therefore offers conference delegates a wide range of possibilities outside the working sessions.

Design and lifestyle

Also a pocket-sized capital, Copenhagen charms delegates with its narrow cobbled streets, modern infrastructure and quality of life. More than half the population travels by bicycle and the city, which was voted Europe's Green Capital in 2014 by the European Commission, is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025. The reputation of Danish design, but also hyggeThe city's famous art of living, and the rise of the new Nordic cuisine, with its emphasis on local, organic and animal-friendly products, are also appealing to business tourists. As a result, Copenhagen hosts major international events such as the 33^e European Congress of Urology, which brought together 100,000 members in March 2018.

This atypical aspect is also present in Prague. Situated at the heart of Europe, the Czech capital is a magnet for visitors thanks to its its human scale and the beauty of its monuments. Ranked tenth in the world in the ICCA rankings, last year it acquired a new convention centre with a capacity of 1,200 people, the Cubex Center Prague. This new facility complements the convention centre, which can accommodate 9,300 visitors in more than 50 rooms. Looking to make inroads into the MICE market, in mid-2019 Prague will open another convention centre, the O2 Universum, which will have a capacity of 28,000 participants. At the same time, Prague is offering delegates a whole range of services and facilities: free transport for events with more than 500 participants, financial support for the welcome dinner and venue hire, discounted air tickets with CzechAirlines and the SkyTeam alliance, plus help from the Prague Convention Bureau in organising the event. Prague is also promoting its "safe" sideIt is ranked as the world's sixth safest destination.

Congress delegates also like to find this friendly and original aspect in Ireland, in Dublin. The city offers an excellent mix of culture, history and economy. With a good transport network and an airport served by 34 airlines, Dublin is above all home to the European headquarters of many world-renowned companies in the ICT, financial and pharmaceutical sectors. Positioned for events of up to 3,500 participants, the Irish capital has nevertheless hosted congresses bringing together more than 30,000 people.

While some destinations rely on their conviviality or their great outdoors to attract organisers and participants alike, others can rely on their thousand-year-old culture to attract major events. Of course, this is not enough, and to strengthen its position, Rome has set up a new MICE showcase with a convention centre inaugurated at the end of 2016 in the EUR district. An architectural and artistic feat designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, the Roma Convention Center La Nuvola stands out for its cloud-like auditorium, Italian for "nuvola".

This ultra-flexible, futuristic 60,000 m² structure is spread over three floors and has a capacity of nearly 8,000 seats, numerous conference rooms and a huge foyer. It will give Rome a strong foothold in the congress market and compete with Milan in the organisation of international events, while the Fiera di Roma will continue to host smaller trade fairs for the general public.

However, one of the most striking examples in terms of attractiveness is Lisbon. In just a few years, Portugal's capital has become one of the ten most popular cities in the world for international associative congresses. It owes its success as much to its climate and geographical location perched on seven hills overlooking the Tagus as to its proximity to the seaside resort of Cascais, its cultural and historical mix, its accessibility and, above all, its good value for money. Playing on these particularities, Lisbon was able to win over the delegates. And it serves as an example to many other cities!