Previous AIPC Seminars
Seminar presentations available for members via the AIPC Secretariat

May 2010 (IMEX)
Destination - Centre Relations: Progress in the Face of New Challenges?

Panellists:
Carol Wallace - President and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corp.
Sandra Chipchase - Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau and
Oscar Cerezales - MCI Group, Association Global Sales Director

December 2009 (EIBMT)
Beyond the Recession: Are We Ready for Next-generation Meetings and Conventions?

While impacts of the global economic situation have been getting all the attention, the bigger question is how meetings are continuing to evolve over the long term and what that will mean for planners, suppliers and facilities long after the current recession is history. In fact, current conditions may actually be accelerating longer term change and bringing that future closer every day.
Drawing on recent research that is shedding light on where new trends are taking us, a panel of industry experts will present their conclusions as to how meetings are changing, driven by a new generation of delegates with expectations shaped by everything from time and travel constraints to the evolution of a new and more serious view of the role of meetings.

The conclusions will have important implications for everyone from association executives to convention centres who need to make decisions now that will influence their prospects for many years to come. Are meetings getting shorter? Will they be more complex, and if so, how? Will labour supply be a key limitation? Will delegates need more clearly defined ROI to attend?

Panelists:
Rod Cameron: Director, Programming and International Development, AIPC
Roger Tondeur: President, MCI
Didier Scaillet: Vice President of Global Development, MPI

December 2008 (EIBTM) Big Issues - Big Solutions

Following a period of remarkable growth and rising expectations, the Meetings Industry is facing a number of issues with major, long-term implications, ranging from labour and skills shortages and rising costs to an uncertain economy and growing concerns about the cost and carbon footprint of long distance travel. These are issues that face suppliers and clients equally as all have the potential to impact future event attendance. As a result, the best solutions will be joint ones that represent a collective effort by all industry sectors acting in a coordinated way.

This seminar will look at these emerging issues from a number of different industry perspectives and consider what kinds of actions we can and should be taking to respond to them now while we still have the opportunity.

Panellists:
Maria Joao 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'sdo 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

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?

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.

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.

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 are delivered. This session examined the key elements in congress development and staging and exploring accountabilities for each. 

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?

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

Quality Standards are an increasingly important way of giving customers the confidence they are looking for that you can deliver to the necessary level of performance. They are 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 centresand 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.

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.

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.  

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

How to Make Sure They are 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 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.