TravelDailyNews: What are the major trends that will drive convention tourism in European continent during the 2007 – 2008 periods?

Martin Sirk: Every commentator agrees that 2006 was a very good year for our industry, and predictions are that 2007 would be even better. The implications are that there is likely to be more of a “seller’s market” than we have known for some time, with tighter availability and higher prices in premium locations. Clients are still risk averse and will book late, but it will be more difficult for them to secure premium space in this way, so longer lead times may arise.

TDN: Greener meetings are now on the industry agenda. What are ICCA’s initiatives towards this?

M.S.: We’ve had Green issues on our congress agenda for some years, but clearly the issue is becoming more mainstream, and is widening into broader “corporate responsibility” issues and is no longer just focused on the environment. We are looking at innovative ways of reducing the carbon footprint of our major events, we will be holding sessions and discussion forums on green issues within our congress agenda, including looking at numerous practical case studies, and are discussing at Board level what is the most appropriate action programme for ICCA, given our profile and global reach. Many ICCA members are innovators and leaders on this subject, both in the venue and meetings management sectors, and we aim to spread best practice and new ideas throughout our membership, rather than taking a “top-down” approach.

On the social responsibility front, we have just agreed that the proceeds from our Charity Golf Tournament to be held just prior to our Congress in Thailand will go towards supporting a local orphanage in Pattaya. As in previous years, congress bags and other items will be recycled to local charities and children.

TDN: Many suggest that governmental policies for greener meetings within Europe will push corporations and organizations to cut funds for travel and reduce the number of their meetings. What is your opinion on this?

M.S.: I don’t think this will cut meetings significantly over the next few years, since it has long been the case that companies have been using alternatives for small scale meetings that don’t require face-to-face interaction. For associations the meetings are a major source of fundraising, so to cancel or reduce meetings would have a damaging effect on their finances. I believe strongly that the social impact of meetings, their value for knowledge exchange and trade development, as well as the direct economic impact of delegate spend, make them a far more valuable activity than leisure tourism, where I think there will be lots of “guilt PR” aimed at asking tourists if they are aware of the impact of their trips. Whether this will translate into action I have my doubts in the short term.

Far more value will be gained by introducing the new generation of efficient airliners as quickly as possible, modernizing air traffic control to minimize wasted time circling airports, and investing far more in alternatives such as high speed train routes across Europe.

TDN: What are the emerging markets in Europe for 2007 and what role could they play compared to the already strong markets of Germany, UK, France and Spain?

M.S.: Very big question: the industry is strong throughout all areas of Western Europe, and the former Eastern European states such as Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland already have strong meetings infrastructure. The “sleeping giant” at the moment is Russia, but it will take more than a couple of years for them to catch in terms of venues, infrastructure and marketing.

TDN: What are the reasons that led Spain to fall in ICCA’s rankings?

M.S.: Can’t comment on the reasons for the rankings changes. No chance to look in detail at the figures nor to discuss with members. Please bear in mind our rankings are based only on international association events which take place regularly and rotate between at least three countries. Cities and countries can increase their corporate, intergovernmental, and one-off meetings, thereby reducing the space available for our meetings, and still be tremendously successful without this showing in our statistics. They are just one indicator.

TDN: According to your opinion, what are the three prerequisites for a city today to attract more meetings and conventions?

M.S.: There are many factors: all successful cities today have good large venues, excellent range of hotels, links to int’l airports, professional staff in venues, destination marketing and PCO/DMC’s. These differentiating factors no longer are enough. Key issues for me are how close the city’s relationship is with their clients (including having excellent CRM capacity), the strength of local teamwork, long term investment and political support, and self and competitor awareness combined with powerful marketing that exploits this knowledge.

TDN: Based on what criteria do meeting planners from Europe and worldwide select a destination within the continent to hold their meeting?

M.S.: Far too wide a question to answer. This is why successful destinations need to understand the individual priorities and objectives of their clients.

TDN: Are USA and Asian destinations strong rivals to European cities in the meetings industry and why?

M.S.: Most global events decide on the region of the world they will hold their meeting in advance, so it is rare for European destinations to have to compete with outside destinations. However Africa/Middle East is outside most organisations’ traditional rotation patterns so they frequently compete with European Cities. Look out for South Africa and Dubai! There is also a growth of regional meetings, again with intense competition within the region, but not across regions. Asia has already increased its proportion of meetings held in the ICCA statistics, directly as a result of their fast growing economies, but this is not by “stealing” events from Europe, but by growing their own market.

TDN: What is the feedback of the Tourism Satellite Accounting campaign so far? To what extent is this initiative being recognized by European organizations – associations and companies?

M.S.: The UNWTO is appointing a statistician very shortly to run the pilot schemes in 6 countries. The results should be ready for broader communication approximately 18 months after this individual comes on board, and a conference will be organized to discuss the findings.