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  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 12/13/2011 • 0 Comments

    LAMEC: Growing Brazil's Meeting Industry

    By Paulo Cunha/Outra Visão – Brazil 

    Leia isto no português

    On December 12, about 400 professionals from the Latin American meeting and event industry established a new debate on the professionalization of the industry in the region, including discussions of strategy, technology, trends and brands.

    Held in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and its financial capital, the first edition of MPI’s Latin American Meeting and Event Conference (LAMEC) provided rich discussions, reflections and exchanges of experiences and ideas to participants. Industry professionals from the region packed the auditorium of the elegant hotel Unique.

    Among the sessions held in the main auditorium was the general session on “events that impact a changing society.” At this session, social activist René Silva revealed in detail how he handles an event that, initially planned for 500 people, saw 15,000 attendees in the Alemão Community in Rio de Janeiro, a place that until a few months ago was dominated by drug dealers and was recently occupied by the police.

    The session about hybrid events, with the participation of head of event operations EMEA, SAP AG, Mathias Sondermann and Boone Associates’ Mary Boone, was also another highlight. In a crowded room, Sondermann, who came from Germany for this event, and Boone, connected with the room via Skype from her office in the U.S., presented data, facts and videos about SAP’s SAPPHIRE NOW event, one of the most successful hybrid events in the digital world.


    LAMEC 2011 also marked the official launch of the MPI Learning Center in Brazil, and was attended by Didier Scaillet, MPI’s chief development officer, as well as Elizabeth Wada, president of the MPI Brazil Chapter. Excitingly, in 2012, industry professionals will be able to test for the Global CMP in Sao Paulo.

    After a full day of conference, LAMEC’s first edition ended with an important debate on the legacy of the World Cup and Olympic Games. The session was moderated by Jeanine Pires, ex-president of Embratur and president of the Tourism Council of Fecomércio Sao Paulo, a professional who was directly involved in the work done by the Brazilian government to secure the events (2014 World Cup Brazil and 2016 Summer Olympics).

    In this closing session, Walt Judas, from Vancouver Tourism shared his experience from the 2010 Winter Olympics and explained the strategies that the city planned to grow as an important destination for events after the games.

    South Africa Tourism’s, Nomasonto Ndlovu, also attended the debate and detailed the challenges of organizing the first World Cup ever held in Africa.

    Throughout the discussion, it was revealed that the challenges faced by South Africa were very similar to those experienced in Brazil, especially in regards to transportation and venue infrastructure.

    The 2012 edition of LAMEC is already confirmed and scheduled for August 20, in Sao Paulo



  • Posted by Theresa Davis at
    12:00AM 11/15/2011 • 1 Comments

    Exceptional programming for Brazil

     

    During a traditionally busy time of the year for individuals, businesses and events, anticipation is building at MPI not just for the upcoming holiday season, but also for the Latin American Meeting & Event Conference (LAMEC) in Sao Paulo this December 12.

    The MPI Brazil Chapter and partners are pulling together an exceptional event targeted at building long-term business relationships with buyers and suppliers who value the meeting, event and business opportunities that Brazil has to offer.  The recently released schedule of events and education demonstrates the ongoing MPI & LAMEC commitment to provide compelling professional development and business opportunities to support the global meetings and events industry.

    The dynamic educational component of this event offers opportunities for discussion around some of the most important topics facing our industry globally and in Brazil.  An in-depth session on how Saphire Now (SAP) managed the most successful hybrid event to date, covering two continents and seven cities with thousands of delegates.  Session from the MPI Global Training program that address the rapidly evolving needs of meeting and business event professionals and how to understand the new globally accepted and recently released Meeting and Business Events Competency Standards (MBECS).

    The programming throughout the event continues to build on critical skills around technology, economic indicators and impact and brand building platforms.  The Primary general sessions are even uniquely designed to address issues not only relevant to Brazil but events around the globe.  Mid-day delegates should be prepared for a robust debate between various event designers on how to attract larger audiences and build communities.  Then to wrap the day delegates will benefit from the lessons learn and best practices developed over three continents from experts who have managed the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.  Panelists for the closing session will be attending in-person and virtually.

    Delegates will benefit from this diverse offering of professional development, and the camaraderie found amongst hundreds of their peers seeking to enhance the industry in Brazil and grow their businesses.  Truly an event to look forward to, register for and be sure to attend.

     



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 06/28/2011 • 0 Comments

    New Olympics Reporting Guidelines

    Following the speed-bump-filled deployment, handling and understanding of social media guidelines for participants of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (see the One+ feature "Open Door Policy"), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is proactively establishing and discussing their guidelines for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, according to Wired.

    Event planners take note--the Olympics being a massive, global event will surely impact how events manage social media policy in the future. Read the IOC's complete social media and blogging guidelines (pdf).


    (Image CC courtesy Magnus D)



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 06/16/2011 • 1 Comments

    Olympic Event Helps With Tourism

    Awareness of Canada as a tourism destination, created through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is translating into travel bookings in the Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC) core markets as a result of post-Games marketing campaigns.

    Highlights include:

    • 290,000 British travelers were inspired by Canada’s marketing campaigns to book flights to Canada—almost double 2009 and triple 2008 figures. Tourism revenues from this market were up over 2009 by CAD$134 million (from $256 million to $380 million), reflecting the additional traffic.
    • More than 70,000 Australians shifted from considering a trip to Canada to making a firm booking in 2010—twice 2009 numbers. Revenues rose from $62 million to $117 million.
    • Some 128,000 German travelers were persuaded by CTC marketing campaigns to book a trip to Canada in 2010, up from 91,000 the previous year. Revenues rose by $61 million to $196 million.
    • CTC marketing campaigns convinced 120,000 French travellers to take a trip to Canada, generating $160 million in revenues.
    • CTC’s media and public relations activity around the games resulted in global coverage for travel to Canada and roughly $1 billion in “advertising value equivalency” in 2010. 


    These figures come from an interim report, "Tourism Steps Up to the Podium," prepared by the CTC. This interim accounting examines the early results from the Government of Canada’s investment in a $26-million, tourism-focused strategy to leverage the games.

    "As host of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Canada seized the opportunity to showcase the spirit and hospitality of its people and the natural wonder of our attractions to the world,” said the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism). "Our tourism industry is poised to build on the successful collaboration of public and private partners as we focus on drawing many more visitors to Canada." 

    As part of its tourism strategy, Canada became the first hosting country to successfully integrate new, high-definition footage of tourism experiences into the coverage of the games by international broadcasters. Audiences around the globe followed the games, and also got a taste of the Canadian adventures that await them here in all regions of the country.

    “From the outset, we knew that our job was to market Canada—to use the games platform to advance Canada’s tourism brand,” said Michele McKenzie, CTC president and CEO. “Through innovative campaigns, bold strategy and judicious investments, we are competing to keep Canada front of mind as a premier tourism destination in 2011 and beyond, ensuring that international travelers can find—and experience—the Canada they saw on their screens during the games.”



  • Posted by David Basler at
    12:00AM 08/19/2010 • 0 Comments

    Life After 2012

    The 2012 Olympic Games are right around the corner and London is calling. Millions are being spent on new construction, renovations, and improvements throughout the city and beyond, but what will happen to those soon-to-be iconic structures once the athletes and spectators retreat at the conclusion of the Games?

    Well, the stadium that will house the opening and closing ceremonies was once considered an ideal place to hold future track and field events. The plan was to convert the 80,000-seat arena into a 20-25,000-seat stadium once the Games were over. That plan has changed though now that track and field sport organizers have realized that the £2million price tag for annual maintenance would be a slow killer.

    So, the future of the stadium is now up for the highest bidder. Who's in the running? Check out this story from the BBC.

    And for more on London and the Olympics check out Rowland Stietler's case study "The City with the Thorn in it's Side" in the August issue of One+.