Connections, Planner + Magazine
By Jessie States
Who:
Lise Backby Moberg, TUR
Roger Kellerman, Meetings International
Event:
TUR, a Scandinavian travel, tourism and meetings fair
Swedish Exhibition Centre
March 19-22
“This is not a hope. It’s what I’m going to do,” Roger Kellerman fires into the phone from his office in Ystad, less than an hour’s drive southeast of Malmö, Sweden.
Determination and confidence saturate his tone, and no doubt he will change the world—or, at the very least, the meeting industry world. Kellerman is among a handful of visionaries who have fervently urged Swedish tourism officials for years to recognize the economic value of meetings and events. And, in response, the industry has begun to flourish.
But Kellerman’s vision is not complete. He speaks passionately of his new project: Meeting Industry Week. Three years ago, he partnered with tourism trade show TUR to create one of the country’s largest meetings marketplaces. The event started as a one-day affair, but has already blossomed into a three-day trade and education event running alongside TUR, which has been an established and well-respected trade event for 25 years and attracts more than 50,000 annual visitors.
Kellerman’s Meetings@TUR project has only just begun, though, as the well-known magazine publisher blueprints his expansion of the program to eventually dominate a five-day week. And TUR Marketing Manager Lise Backby Moberg says she’s ready for whatever Kellerman throws her way.
“Roger told us we had to invest in the meetings market, and so we did,” she laughed, knowing that nothing about her industry colleague is as simple as it seems—including Meetings@TUR.
When trade show officials approached him to help them expand into the meeting sector, Kellerman didn’t take long to enlist in the project.
“Immediately I said to myself, ‘Yes, this is a good thing,’” he said. And he says the show seamlessly executed its new meetings focus.
In its infancy, the program was simple: a day reserved for seminars, guest speakers and awards. But attendees wanted more.
“We received lots of positive feedback, and interest just kept growing—as did the number of participating partners. So we felt that 2009 would be ideal for a full-scale drive,” Backby Moberg said.
This year, she created a new exhibit concept for the fledgling event, eschewing pipes and drape for couches and settees.
“The meeting industry has been longing for something new, and we wanted to encourage networking, allow people to relax and speak with their colleagues about new business opportunities,” Backby Moberg said.
And, of course, there was the cost-savings for the 70-odd suppliers who didn’t have to create elaborate exhibits to attract new buyers.
“It was a creative and stimulating meetings environment,” Backby Moberg said. “We made it easier and cheaper to take part. It doesn’t have to cost so much to exhibit—a simple high table will suffice.”
Meanwhile, the two recruited a who’s who list of speakers, keynotes and presenters, representing a bevy of international industry leaders including leadership guru Paul Bridle, Elling Håmsö of the European ROI Institute and Johan Johansson of locally based Fivestarday. In fact, Wednesday’s dedicated Association Meetings and Corporate Meetings days attracted nearly 200 attendees eager to learn about the future of the industry in Sweden and across the globe.
And to honor that burgeoning industry, Kellerman’s magazine, Meetings International, presented its annual meeting planner of the year award, which includes a cash prize and a free trip to IMEX or EIBTM. He also offered an award for the most inspiring meeting venue and the first-ever Swedish Meeting Measurement Award. The honors encourage innovation and strategic thinking among the country’s industry professionals.
But Kellerman is far from finished with his Meetings@TUR concept. In 2010, the publisher says he plans to expand the event to four days with a Tuesday lunch session and seek involvement from the political sector as well as international ally MPI. After all, Kellerman says, the industry in Sweden still desperately needs to develop its association and corporate markets.
Not that the meetings sector isn’t evolving quickly. A decade ago, Stockholm and Göteberg were the only cities with CVBs. In the past three years, Kellerman says, eight new organizations have cropped up, and nearly as many sit on the horizon.
“We’ve come a long way, but there is still more to come,” he said. “We will bring this industry to a higher level.”