The next AIPC Seminar takes place on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 during EIBTM Barcelona.
Seminar topic: Big Issues – Big Solutions

Panellists:
Maria João Rocha de Matos - Managing Director, Lisboa Congress Centre
Sandi Talley, CMP - Senior Vice President of Business Development & Membership, Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI)
Isabel Bardinet – Congress Division Director, European Society of Cardiology (ESC)

April 2008 (IMEX):
Storm clouds or silver linings – what’s the outlook for the international meetings industry?

A vastly experienced panel of meetings industry leaders give their viewpoints on the current volatile economic situation and the short-term and long-term implications for our industry in terms of competition, pace of development around the world, balance of power between suppliers and planners, and future determinants of success, as well as how what we've learnt as an industry in recent years may help soften the impacts that might arise.

Speakers: 
Deborah Sexton, PCMA President;
Bruce Macmillan, MPI President;
Geoff Donaghy, AIPC Vice President & Group Director Convention Centres AEG Ogden;
Jurriaen Sleijster, ICCA Board Member & Executive VP, MCI

November 2007 (EIBTM):
Successful RfP’s for Bids – do we understand each other?

An effective bid process and document is important to everyone - to suppliers who want to succeed with their bid and to clients who need to get comprehensive and accurate information they can rely on. Comprehensiveness, accuracy and timeliness are givens - but at the same time, all parties are looking for the "extra something" that will give them the edge in meeting their respective objectives. So is there a perfect combination that will meet everyone's needs?

Panel:
Barbara Maple - AIPC Past President and President, Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre
André Vietor – IAPCO President and Director Nacional, Viajes Iberia Congresos
Jocelyn Koole-Krusemeijer - General Manager, ECNP Office
Keith Spencer - Executive Director, IPCAA

April 2007 (IMEX):
New Players, New Rules: Who’s Driving the Industry These Days?

The emergence of new industry players such as core PCO's and association management companies is getting a lot of attention these days - but are they really changing the fundamentals of the industry? How widespread are their impacts? What changes are they creating in terms of client relations, industry economics and decision making? Where does the local, destination-based PCO fit in these days? And are they here to stay, or simply another variation in an ever-evolving industry?

Panel:
Patrizia Semprebene Buongiorno - Managing Director, AISC & MGR, AIM Group, Rome, Italy
Rochelle Uechtritz - Director of Sales & Marketing, Cairns Convention Centre, Australia

November 2006 (EIBTM):
Decision Time: Key Factors in Selecting Facilities and Suppliers

Here’s the question everyone wants answered: how exactly do our clients make decisions about which facilities and services they want, and what factors influence that decision? From the perspective of a congress centre or PCO, the answer provides critical information about how best to organize and present marketing information; from a client’s perspective, it provides the opportunity to see how suppliers, colleagues and competitors rate different aspects of the overall event proposition, at either the pre or post-bid stage.

A panel representing all three of these groups presented and debated those factors that they believe to be (or should be) the most important in making the all-important site and service decisions.

Panel:
Bibba Ejeklint - Director - Institutional Division, MCI Stockholm
Ben Goedegebuure - Director of Conference Sales, Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre
André Vietor - Director Nacional, Viajes Iberia Congresos

May 2006 (IMEX):
Carving Up The Financial Pie - Who gets which slice?

The current economic climate is putting many different pressures on all elements of the event development and management process. Clients want more for less, service costs are changing daily as expectations grow, and congress centres, whether private or public sector, are facing increasing demands from their owners to reduce subsidies and operating costs. With so many demands on events to provide revenue for all participating market sectors, how should rewards and responsibilities be divided? This seminar created a spirited debate on the question of who gets what, addressing the financial opportunities, the work required to service those opportunities and the related financial rewards. It included topics of interest to clients, planners and centres such as determining work-related revenues, funding third party revenues, measuring ROI and balancing event revenues against economic impact.

Panel:
Vanessa Cotton - Managing Director, Conferences & Events, ExCeL London
Philippe Fournier - Managing Director, MCI France
Roslyn McLeod - Managing Director, Tour Hosts Pty Limited, Sydney
Barbara Maple - President, Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre

November 2005 (EIBTM):
Managing for Success: Key Accountabilities in Congress Delivery

Today's congresses are complex, demanding events with a wide range of suppliers who must work together to create an overall success for the client. On the other hand, clients are more demanding than ever and determined to get the best possible value for their investment. The key to success is in managing an integrated set of accountabilities that create the right expectations and ensure they’re delivered.
This session examined the key elements in congress development and staging and exploring accountabilities for each.

Panel:
Leonhard E. Loew - Managing Director, Convention Centre Basel
Carlos de Sebastian (Jr.) - Director, TILESA OPC, S.L.
Sarah Storie-Pugh - Managing Director, Concorde Services Ltd., London
Torsten Wichman - Senior Event Producer - SAP - Global Events EMEA

April 2005 (IMEX):
How can Centres and PCO’s work together to Add Value to the Association’s Event?

Congress Centres and PCO’s are natural partners in many different aspects of conferences, from winning the business to delivering the outcome. As clients seek added value and “seamless” service delivery what are the ways in which these service providers can blend their efforts to achieve better results for the client?

During this session the panellists presented their views on how the Client, the Centres and the PCO’s can enhance co-operative working relationships. Is there a role for Centres in event planning? Can PCO’s gather more statistics to measure economic impact?

Panel:
Isabelle Bardinet - Executive Director of Sales and Development, Palais des Congrès de Paris
Philippe Fournier - Managing Director, MCI France
Rochelle Kempton - Director of Sales & Marketing, Cairns Convention Centre
Roslyn McLeod - Managing Director, Tour Hosts Pty Limited, Sydney

December 2004 (EIBTM):
Quality Standards for Convention Centres – Who Decides?

Quality Standards are an increasingly important way of giving customers the confidence they’re looking for that you can deliver to the necessary level of performance. They’re particularly important In the case of a convention centre, where they are a critical part of how clients choose a facility that they may have never had any experience with.

But at present, there is no single, uniform set of performance standards that cover all centres – and many different ideas about what constitutes the right approach. In developing such standards, the place to start is with the facilities and their users themselves.

Panel:
Warren Buckley - CEO, Suntec Singapore
Geoff Donaghy – Managing Director, Cairns Convention Centre
Kurt Nagel - President, International Pharmaceutical Congress Advisory Association (IPCAA)
Sarah Storie-Pugh - Managing Director, Concorde Services Ltd.,

London May 2004 (IMEX):
A Cooperative Approach to Building Successful Congress Bids

Congress centres and PCO’s are natural partners in many different aspects of the meeting experience. However, much of the time these groups work in isolation and only come together when circumstances require it. At a time when the competition for business is more intense than ever, is this really good enough?
One key area where a cooperative effort can make a real difference is the preparation of powerful, compelling and comprehensive congress bids.

Panel:
Juarez Filho Augusto de Carvalho - Executive Director, JZ Congressos, Brazil
Rochelle Kempton - Director of Sales & Marketing, Cairns Convention Centre
Roslyn McLeod - Managing Director, Tour Hosts Pty Limited, Sydney
Laure Mouton - Executive Director of Sales and Development, Palais des Congrès de Paris
André Vietor - Director Nacional, Viajes Iberia Congresos

April 2003 (IMEX):
A cooperative Approach to Event Security

Event security is an issue of increasing importance these days and one that cannot be addressed by facilities alone. Recognizing the importance of an integrated approach, the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) and the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO) have come together in a process to jointly define the challenges and solutions of event security from the points of view of the two key players in any event – the organizer and the venue.

Panel:
Warren Buckley - CEO, Suntec Singapore
Rainer A. Kostka - CEO, AIMS International Group
Philippe Mahuas - Director of Operations, Hilton Prague
Steve Piper - Head of Venues, Brighton Centre

May 2002 (EIBTM):
Government and Community Relations for the Meetings Industry:

How to Make Sure They’re There When You Need Them!
The events in 2001 demonstrated clearly how unexpected events can take control of your business - and how when that happens, you need all the support you can get from your community and government. But few in the meetings industry have invested in building and maintaining good relations with these key players – and by the time you need them, it’s usually too late to start!

This session addressed the why, when and how’s of government and community relations and provide a framework for developing your own plan. At the same time, it used case studies to illustrate the benefits of being prepared – and the consequences of not making the effort to connect with those that affect so much of your working environment. Whether in a crisis situation or when you’re simply looking for new resources and facilities, these are the lessons and techniques you need to know about.

Speaker: Rod Cameron, President, Criterion Communications Inc.