Table 3: Top countries hosting international conferences in 2008
Position |
UIA |
ICCA |
1 |
USA |
USA |
2 |
France |
Germany |
3 |
Singapore |
Spain |
4 |
Japan |
France |
5 |
Spain |
UK |
Source: Union of International Associations and International Congress & Convention Association
Table 4: Top cities hosting international conferences in 2008
Position |
UIA |
ICCA |
1 |
Singapore |
Vienna |
2 |
Paris |
Paris |
3 |
Brussels |
Barcelona |
4 |
Vienna |
Singapore |
5 |
Barcelona |
Berlin |
Source: Union of International Associations and International Congress & Convention Association
The UK has developed a successful track record in winning bids for major events, especially in the sporting sector (the Olympic Games, Rugby League World Cup, Commonwealth Games, Rugby Union World Cup, for example) but fairs relatively poorly in attracting major congresses and international business events.
Conclusion
While there is no doubt about the challenges facing the conference, meetings and live events industry, there is also confidence in the sector’s resilience and in its ability to reinvent itself.
It is able to demonstrate unequivocally the benefits it brings to businesses, to governments, and to society at large. However the value of business tourism needs to be constantly quantified and reiterated.
If Britain's events strategies could be aligned to the country's economic strategies this would aid regeneration, inward investment, employment and the visitor economy. The events sector should, therefore, unite to work closely with government to develop a national strategy.
The tourism industry in general can benefit from proactively encouraging closer collaboration and relationships between industry, academia and bodies such as People 1st to create a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework which provides quality certification and accreditation, and a cohesive infrastructure for industry employees and students entering the industry – leading to the creation of a genuine profession for event management and for destination marketing and management.
In a broader context, conferences and conventions can do much good. They have the potential to create peace in the world, providing the framework for discussion rather than conflict, for uniting rather than dividing communities and nations, and for encouraging the sharing of ideas and information for the benefit of all. Whether ‘conference’ will remain the most appropriate word to describe what the industry will become in this millennium is another matter, and perhaps a keynote topic for a 21st century congress!
References:
-Business tourism briefing.
- http://www.insights.org.uk
- http://www.intracen.org
- VisitEngland Business Confidence Monitor Summer Holidays 2011
- Tourism: The Key Concepts / Peter Robinson