Meetings Africa

I've arrived yesterday morning in Johannesburg, after an excellen flight (in small seats...) with Swiss.

After 2 hours of waiting at the airport, we were brought to our hotel, The Radisson Johannesburg. The Hotel just opened last week, so many of my colleagues arriving after a long journey had to wait until their room was ready... (I was one of them).

I must admit, the guest rooms are really great. I have a standard room but the bed is one of the most confortable beds I've ever stayed in. The design of the room is very nice and practical (modern) as the target hotel guests are Business travellers.

This morning was the opening of the Conference. The key speaker was allright, but honestly only some nice words and pictures are not enough. But right after this keynote speaker came the absolut highlight (and not only for me):

Lebo (her full name is Lebogang Mashile). Above you see her picture.

Wow, her presentation was one of the most touching ones I have ever seen! I simplz can't describe the way she not only told us one of her poems, but also how she lived it at the very moment and celebrated every single word. Check out her poems.

The exhibition was a mixture nice surprises and boredom. As it was my first time in Africa I must admit, some ideas for Incentives and Meetings are extraordinary. And some other exhibitors still don't understand how to sell. In response to my question "Why should my client select your Hotel/DMC?" I've received astonishing answers, many of them are just to forget and a wast of time.

But over all, it was a great and instructive event where I had the chance to meet some very special people!

Thank you Meetings Africa, I hope to be back!

Cool idea for a hotel bed

Browsing through the internet, I found a cool website with great ideas for Hotel beds.

Designed by the studio of invention Décadrages and marketed under the brand name BedUP, the bed that falls from the ceiling is an innovation that will save 4 m² in your hotel room, or for someone who lives in a small space ..

4 m² of space is pure gold. By day, the bed is stored on the ceiling, the under-surface becomes ceiling with the possibility of integrating lighting. At night, the bed can come down in the manner of an elevator and stops at the height previously requested, thus avoiding moving furniture that would have been placed underneath it. Now besides being functional, this bed has a clean design that is discreet and elegant.

Business tourism one of best drivers of destination brand building, says international expert

Teamwork at a destination is often what makes or breaks an international conference. While a destination might have a state-of-the-art conference venue or an enormously modern airport to receive delegates from across the world, it is the spirit in which a destination’s tourism industry works together to ensure that a conference runs smoothly that the event is often evaluated on.

This was one of the key messages at the recent Back2Business event, celebrating the beginning of Business Tourism Year in Cape Town and the Western Cape. More than 300 professional conference organisers, venue and hotel operators, destination management companies, government representatives and others in tourism gathered at NH The Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West last week for this special occasion.

Giving a global picture of the business tourism industry and its challenges, guest speaker Steen Jakobsen, Director of the Copenhagen Convention Bureau and Member of ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Board of Directors, said that “besides creating jobs and generating tourism income, meetings and conferences are one of the best drivers of brand building - provided that it is supported by a combined effort.”

A destination’s convention bureau plays a critical role in facilitating the hosting of a conference - from selling the destination at international shows, arranging site visits and familiarisation trips for interested parties, to liaising between conference planners, and local government and industry role-players; compiling bids; and helping ensure that the maximum number of delegates attend a secured conference. “A convention bureau needs to be a destination expert; a one-stop-shop for conference planners; and provide a networking platform for local industry role-players, similar to Back2Business,” said Jakobsen.

Read more here

New extra charges for your next flight

Enjoy it!

USA ranked in top 5 preffered destinations in the world by European buyers

A major European Meetings Industry report presented at EIBTM 2008, by The Right Solution MD Sally Greenhill revealed that the ‘Mood of the Market’ was optimistic and upbeat, yet acknowledges there is a challenging year ahead for the sector. The research, conducted by The Right Solution in conjunction with Reed Travel Exhibitions, organisers of EIBTM, and AIBTM, sister shows across the globe, surveyed 700 meetings industry professionals, including association and corporate in-house organisers and PCO’s, from a range of countries across Europe.

When asked which country in the Americas they held events in the past 12 months, The results showed that 40% of respondents organised events and meetings in the USA, with the next most popular being Brazil with 15%. The USA came in 5th as the most popular destination chosen by 40.3% of the respondents for events with 284 out of 700 selecting the country. It was the leading destination outside of Europe with France, Italy, Spain and Germany above.

The results showed that 64% say the economic climate and pressure to reduce costs are the key factor of influence for next year. However, 25 per cent of respondents were set to organise more international events in 2009, 9 per cent to organise more national events and 35 per cent set to keep events about the same as last year. In terms of the number of delegates attending events in 2008, the research showed that they had either remained the same or increased over 2007.

When it came to budgets, 39% already see a decrease in budgets for next year yet a total of 61% of respondents anticipated their budgets to either increase 20% or remain the same (41%).

Despite the economic issues taking precedence 86% stated that CSR and environmental policies would be extremely or somewhat influential over the next ten years, with nearly half (46%) believing that their CSR policies impacted on all aspects of event organisation

Although location was the top factor influencing venue selection, followed by price/value for money, quality of service is the next most important factor highlighting the importance of retaining service levels even when costs are under pressure.

The research showed that respondents rated the content of an event and the cost of attending a meeting as less important than the appeal of the destination and the venue. These results may reflect the many different types of events that respondents were responsible for, which include incentives. Celebrity speakers were considered far less important to delegates, perhaps down to the potential cost of engaging them.

Commenting on the ‘Mood of the Market’ research Paul Kennedy, MBE, Group Exhibition Director, Meetings and Incentives Events, Reed Travel Exhibitions said: “There is no doubt that 2009 will be a challenging year for everyone in the meetings industry. This report provides a realistic snapshot of how meetings and event organisers are feeling about the industry and the extent to which events and business levels may be affected in the future.

“The mood is one of optimism despite concerns, reflecting the astonishingly upbeat mood of EIBTM (December 08) which itself broke all records with 50,000 pre-scheduled appointments taking place over the 3 days. It will be vital for events to offer a valuable and worthwhile use of time, which is also enjoyable and stimulating, for all those attending, yet perceived as neither extravagant nor too exclusive in its appeal. It will require careful consideration of all options for destinations, travel methods, venues, content and speakers to achieve an appropriate balance.

“Seeing how the USA has performed for the European meetings industry in particular shows what value for money, service and choice the country provides even if the $ has be strong compared to the Euro and UK sterling. We are launching AIBTM in Baltimore 2010 at a time when the USA is now once again even more competitive and attractive as a destination. Equally this research shows there is still potential to grow the USA as both a domestic and international destination for the meetings industry and AIBTM will provide that platform”.


Source: Travel Daily News

Consumers reject Eurozone and USA in favour of cheaper destinations and UK holidays

Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service and an Experian company, reveals that UK Internet searches for flights have fallen by 42% over the last 12 months. January is a key month for the travel industry, as UK consumers' thoughts turn from Christmas shopping to booking their summer holidays, but the economic downturn means that consumers are being more cautious when booking flights abroad this year. As a result of the weak pound, people are switching from holidays in the Eurozone or USA and considering cheaper destinations such as Turkey and North Africa, or considering taking their holidays at home.

UK Internet searches for flights increased by 58% between the weeks ending 27/12/08 and 03/01/09, but they were down by 42.4% when compared with the equivalent post-Christmas week last year (i.e. the week ending 05/01/08). Flights to the USA experienced the biggest annual fall in searches of 52.2%. Searches for flights to countries that use the Euro fell by 44.8%, while searches for flights to the UK and the Rest of the World also fell, but at a smaller rate.

Change in searches for flights to different geographical areas between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:
USA: -52.2%
Eurozone:-44.8%
Global average: -42.4%
Rest of the world: -34.4%
UK Domestic: -32.7%

"It looks like the weak pound is putting people off flying to the Eurozone and the USA, and they are looking at destinations with more favourable exchange rates instead," commented Robin Goad, Hitwise's Director of Research. There have been big falls in searches for flights to all of the most popular European holiday destinations over the last 12 months: France is down 45.4%, Spain 42.8%, Portugal 41.7% and Italy 41.2%.

Change in UK Internet searches for flights to popular destinations between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:
Turkey: -24.6%
Dubai: -27.1%
Thailand: -32.2%
Australia: -32.8%
South Africa: -32.9%
Caribbean: -34.6%
Italy: -41.2%
Portugal: -41.7%
Spain: -42.8%
France: -45.4%

Of all the major holiday locations favoured by Britons, Turkey experienced the smallest decline in flight searches over the last 12 months - a fall of 24.6% compared with an average of 42.4% for all destinations. At the same time, Turkey overtook Canada and Thailand to become the second most popular non-Euro/Dollar destination for British tourists.

Robin Goad commented: "UK Internet users are becoming more sophisticated in the way they search for Turkish holidays. Increasingly they are searching for particular towns and resorts, such as Dalaman, Bodrum and Antalya, rather than generic terms like 'flights to Turkey' or 'Turkish holidays'. This is similar to the way people search for Spanish or Portuguese holidays, and illustrates how Turkey has become a mainstream destination for British holiday makers".

Australia remains the most popular non-Euro/Dollar destination for British tourists, accounting for almost a quarter of all searches for flights to destinations outside of the UK, USA and Eurozone. Searches for flights to Australia have fallen by 32.85% over the last 12 months, but this is at a lower rate than for many other destinations. The recent release of the Nicole Kidman film "Australia" has had an impact on this behaviour. For the week ending 05/01/08 the Dubai based airline Emirates, which is currently running a joint marketing campaign with Tourism Australia, ranked 11th in Hitwise's Commercial Airlines category, up from 17th during the equivalent week in 2008.

Only five destinations have experienced an increase in flight searches over the last 12 months: Norway, Denmark, Brazil, Morocco and Cuba. Robin Goad commented: "The two areas that have benefitted most from the Pound falling against the Euro are Scandinavia and the cheaper sunshine destinations. The Scandinavian countries may still be expensive by global standards, but in relative terms their cost for UK consumers has fallen compared with other European countries. In terms of warmer destinations, the weak pound is encouraging people to look further afield for bargains, with places such as Brazil, Morocco, Cuba, Kenya and India all moving up the rankings over the last 12 months.

Destinations with the biggest increase (or smallest decrease) in flight searches between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:

1. Norway +30.9%
2. Denmark +20.3%
3. Brazil +19.5%
4. Morocco +2.1%
5. Cuba +1.2%
6. Kenya -7.8%
7. India -12.7%
8. China -12.8%
9. Hungary -13.7%
10. Singapore -14.6%


Source: Travel Daily News.

Low season marketing ideas for Hotels

By: Christian W. Frei, CEO, MICEpoint

During the low season it seems everywhere you try to get more business your competition is already there using a variety of techniques to draw in customers. When you develop a low season marketing plan, you have to consider two things - your unique business and your customer demographic.

If you keep these things in mind while you are coming up with low season marketing ideas, you are more likely to choose marketing tools that will yield success.
Independent Hotels and small Hotel chains face a unique challenge when they are developing a low season marketing plan. Most small businesses operate on a tight budget and have limited funds appropriated for marketing.

Your budget need not get in your way when it comes time for low season marketing. With a little creativity and know how there are plenty of marketing ideas that you can implement successfully.

Let's take a look at some simple, creative and affordable low season marketing ideas.

Get into the MICE market. Groups can bring you nice revenue if you offer them value for money. And one medium size group will bring you around 100 rooms for approx. 3 nights. How much do you need to work on the FIT market during low season until you generate 300 room nights?

So why not invite some organizers and MICE experts to your property? Get to know them personally, you will benefit much more. Let them encounter your beautiful hotel, your amazing services and hospitality. Treat them to an unforgettable stay in your house and you can be sure they will be back with groups.
However, you need to really consider your customer base when you choose these organizers. You may want to consider giving them a gift they can take home and they will remember the stay in your hotel.


Send Out Vouchers for your special offer

Vouchers are another great way to generate low season business. Send vouchers out to Event and Conference organizers that are good only during the low season. Make the amount on the voucher worth their time and make the voucher easily redeemable for their clients.

Don't send your vouchers out so early that your customers forget about them, but send them out so they have an adequate amount of time to redeem them. There are even some online MICE platforms who publish these special offers to a wide organizer audience. On MICEpoint listed Hotels can publish their special offer free of charge to registered Event and Conference organizers.


Make the Price Right

Keep your customer's budget in mind when you are coming up with low season marketing ideas. Highlight offers for every budget level from $80 to $200 dollars. Create a profile on MICEpoint that makes customers aware of the fact that you have gifts in multiple price points. Even if you have to repackage your products to accommodate this promotion, it will be worthwhile.

Continue Promotions through the Season

It is important to keep your Event and Conference organizers returning for additional business during low season. One way to do this is through a staggered low season marketing promotion.

Offer a voucher (or gift) of the week or month that is unique, desirable and different. Make sure you inform your organizers that a new gift is on the horizon. Many companies do this in the form of collectibles. They give one item away each month or season and customers return can get the next item to complete a set.

Marketing your small business during the holiday isn’t hard - it just takes a bit of creativity and some smart planning.