I think it’s time to be very clear with what you’re wanting to achieve
and data science, serve as intellectual hubs to attract conferences that want to work with the destination’s community. “Glasgow demonstrates this well too with their People Make Glasgow campaign,” Cunningham adds. “They have the open innovation centre; they’re all singing from the same hymn sheet and looking at how they can bring public health association conferences to the city and connect them to the people of Glasgow. I think it’s time to be very clear with what you’re wanting to achieve.”
“Take an architectural conference, for example,” Cunningham says. “A delegation wants to know they’re not just meeting in the convention centre. Destinations can work with the association to integrate tours of award-winning buildings into the itinerary or visit an area in the city where new housing has been set up.”
SUSTAINABLE MEETING TOOLS Offering meeting solutions beyond the convention sustainable
CONNECTED COMMUNITIES Sitting in a convention centre for three days straight without a whisper of the outside community to inspire
centre is a bid-winning method destinations are tapping into. Madrid launched its PLUS tool in 2021, which generates specific reports for meetings in Madrid before they are held. This can be used to reduce the impact of the event from the initial planning stages and help implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “These tools make it easier for event planners to hold sustainable meetings by showing them
you, might be the dullest experience in the world. A focus on connected communities – the delegation, the conference topic, and the destination – is more engaging and stimulating than a power point presentation on what exists ‘out there.’
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 49
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