So you’re headed off shore for your next event.
Whether you or your client has their destination sorted and you’re charged with giving the delegates the best experience of their life, you’re pitching for a job and obviously want to impress, or you’re charged with selecting a memorable location for a client, your first call should be to the Destination’s Convention Bureau.
If you’re role includes selecting an event destination, for the sake of making things easier, you may like to consider if the location has a dedicated MICE team and doubly better if that location has an Australian representative.
Working with the local Bureau – it seems logical and simple yet so for so many, their close working relationship pretty much concludes once the event destination is confirmed.
Bureaus of course are about firstly securing events but they’re also an under-utilised resource for making your job a lot easier during the planning stages. They’re not a replacement for a DMC but they will be well enough connected to suggest the best experiences and suppliers – after all it is totally in their interest to showcase their destination as best possible!
The local Bureau will be also have contacts in the right official places to assist you with cutting a path through red tape to secure money can’t buy opportunities such as official welcomes at airports or securing a section of the city for a part of your event. A Bureau will be connected to the right venues and be able to assist with site inspections. They’ll be on top of the latest incentive experiences, pre-post touring opportunities and importantly, they may also assist you with information on securing value-added support or a subsidy for your event.
Once done, a Bureau will have materials for your event website –images, information, video and other resources. Essentially, they are a connector to all things local at your destination of choice – and yet particularly with international destinations, they remain an untapped resource for PCO’s and Meeting Planners once an event is secured.
Part of the reasoning is tyranny of distance as well as language and cultural hurdles. It is why we mentioned at the start of this piece that on selecting a destination for an offshore business event, consideration should be given to those destinations with a Bureau specifically dedicated to MICE (some have combined MICE and Leisure). Furthermore, to make life even easier for yourself, look to destinations such as Thailand who have an on ground MICE team in Australia in Clockwise Consulting. It should be noted too, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) not being a paid member based organisation means all shared information will be unbiased.
Consider a life less stressful – it’s the Thai way and we look forward to working on making your Thailand experience as memorable as you’d want for both you and your client.
N
icole Tingey
Clockwise Consulting
P:+61 419 968 263
Nicole@clockwiseconsulting.com.au
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