MICE

What did you expect from the hybrid event organised by PCMA in Singapore earlier this year? Stéphane Leleu - The main objective was to observe how an international hybrid event was set up, taking into account the health constraints in force. The travel itinerary from Paris to arrival at the hotel, the day-to-day management of travel and interaction between delegates. In...

Tomorrow's events will either be hybrid or they won't be: that's the message that has been percolating through the meetings & events community for some months now. An ecosystem that is trying its hand at the virtual 100 % for want of being able to meet up 'in the real world', but which is clearly banking on the emergence of a compromise combining face-to-face and remote events,...

The Strasbourg Convention Bureau won't wait for the health crisis to end before allowing companies to bring their teams together and keep them motivated. Despite the current situation, companies need to keep their teams mobilised, launch new products, organise strategic meetings or more entertaining activities... With this in mind, agencies in Strasbourg are vying with one another in their ingenuity...

The future of travel is on the move. And while we know that the road ahead will be a long one, Singapore is already showing the way. Buoyed by the success of its sanitary measures, the Asian hub intends to take in its wake all the players likely to shape the travel of tomorrow, and with it the organisation of MICE events...

What does organising the Convening Leaders conference mean for Singapore? Edward Koh - The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Marina Bay Sands have partnered with PCMA to set up a global distribution centre for Convening Leaders, to host speakers, expert panels and offer face-to-face experiences....

To bring the PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) "Convening Leaders" event out of its American backyard - an historic first in six decades - it needed a context as unprecedented as the health crisis. Above all, it needed to identify a destination that would embody the near future of MICE, while offering guarantees...

How do you see the Meetings & Events market in 2021? Arnaud Katz - The Meetings & Events market will undoubtedly gradually regain its strength, as the need to get back together will be paramount after the year we've just had. There is a deep-seated desire in the market to get back on its feet, both...

In Asia, Singapore and Thailand are among the countries most in need of reopening their borders. For completely different reasons. Singapore is the commercial and financial hub of the whole of South-East Asia. The country therefore needs to re-anchor itself to international movements. The Thai economy, on the other hand, is heavily dependent...

The Thai chain Dusit International has officially set up in Singapore with the opening of the Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore. This futuristic-looking resort comprises 198 rooms and suites as well as eight private pavilions. All set in the heart of the Laguna National Golf & Country Club, one of the largest golf courses in Singapore. The hotel is...

In France, anything is possible! "says Thomas Faizant, co-founder of Prochaine Escale. The country is full of secret places, with a wide variety of landscapes and an incredible wealth of culture... In just a few hours, you can go from mountain peaks to sandy beaches, from hectic city life to the peace and quiet of the countryside". Playing on...

The end of pointless, insipid events What impact has the health crisis had on the business tourism market? Lionel Malard - Inevitably, people now need a good reason to get together! Regardless of their format and capacity, only the most strategic events with the strongest content will survive. Participants will have to live...

When will business events pick up again? What are the most dynamic sectors in these circumstances? Is France still as attractive a destination as ever? A study carried out by Atout France and EY among agencies, congress organising associations and major companies in Germany, the UK and Belgium,...

What are the expectations for tourist arrivals this year, both for Poland and Warsaw? Pawel Rozen - According to the latest reports, Poland welcomed 21.16 million international tourists in 2019. In Warsaw alone, this figure reached three million. International tourists accounted for almost...

The Covid-19 pandemic has relatively spared Germany. According to the latest figures, Germany and France are close on the heels of each other, with around 225,000 infections. But the mortality rate in Germany is almost four times lower than in France, with 9,300 deaths to date. This probably explains the decontamination rules...

After having had to close its 70 houses in 6 European countries, starting in France in mid-March, Châteauform is gradually relaunching its events and training activities. More than forty residences are already in operation. To reassure companies, the group has sought the advice of Socotec to develop a charter for the...

When will the capital be holding another trade fair? This is the big question that prompted the managers of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau (OTCP) to carry out a survey. Its first Barometer on the outlook for business tourism in Paris targeted seven priority markets, namely the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Italy and the United States.

Will the conference and seminar business pick up as expected after the summer? Philippe Augier - For the moment, all events have either been cancelled or postponed. Will events be able to resume in September? A lot will depend on the health conditions in which the events can be organised. At present, we have no visibility. However, the health aspect...

Congresses cancelled, trade fairs postponed, corporate conventions and other corporate events postponed indefinitely... All of this put together, over the period from March to August 2020, the events industry estimates the cost of the current health crisis at nearly 15 billion euros in economic spin-offs. The ban on events followed by containment measures...

Like other tourism sectors, including the airline and hotel industries, the events industry is preparing for the upturn by taking into account health and safety issues, which are a priority for employees, event organisers, exhibitors, service providers and visitors alike. With this in mind, Viparis has joined forces with Bureau Veritas to define a set of standards aimed at...

The events industry has been heavily impacted by the health crisis, with nearly €15 billion in economic spin-offs lost since events were banned at the end of February. An in-depth study is due to detail the impact of this global containment on professional meetings. So, in order to protect the trades they represent...