The business events sector needs to lobby "beyond the minister for tourism" if it is to improve its messaging with government, the IBTM World Forum for Advocacy heard.
The forum, which took place at the Torre Melina Gran Melia Hotel in Barcelona on the eve of IBTM World, brought together 80 senior leaders and policymakers from around the world to discuss issues related to communicating the economic and social impact of global business events.
PCMA president Sherrif Karamat challenged destination marketing organisations (DMOs) to reinvent themselves as ‘destination stewards’ and stressed that the business events industry needs to lobby beyond the minister for tourism so that all government departments understand the impacts of job creation, education and innovation.
Next, a discussion on the findings from the latest Global Destinations Report highlighted the challenges of staff shortages and securing funding in regions where there is insufficient recognition of the sector’s value.
American Express Global Business Travel’s head of global sustainability meetings and events, Eloísa Urrutia, and Barcelona Convention Bureau director Christoph Tessmar, then discussed how business events can counterbalance the challenges of overtourism and climate change by contributing positively to local communities.
To conclude the forum, audience members were invited to share their thoughts.
Ana Maria Viscasillas, chair of the Events Industry Council, said: “My key takeaway is that as a global industry, we need to work on our messaging. We influence 27 million jobs, so we need to share more about what we do. There’s no government, no organisation, no association and no industry that doesn’t benefit from meetings and business events. Without them, there’s no creativity, no innovation and no impact. The US$1.6 trillion of total GDP supported by international business events changes economies and transforms cities. We need to share more of our transformational stories, showing our true impact.”
Barbara Jamison, president of City Destinations Alliance and head of Europe at the London Convention Bureau, said: “One way London has been able to engage more politicians is by partnering with successive deputy mayors for business and embedding them into our organisation. We’ve now had three deputy mayors for business act as chairpersons of London & Partners. It has fostered more engagement and a lot more understanding of the work that a convention bureau does and the power of events.”
Þórdís Lóa, president of the City of Reykjavik, said: “I have learned a lot today, particularly around the importance of distinguishing between the value of business events and the challenges of overtourism. I will take back to Reykjavik the importance of communicating and educating our communities and media on the positive impact that business tourism has on our society and economy.”
IBTM World exhibition director Claudia Hall said: “How we articulate our impact as an industry is vital, and I’d like to thank all the associations and organisations that have supported and participated in this initiative to drive advocacy on the eve of the 20th-anniversary edition of IBTM World.”
The IBTM World Forum for Advocacy, in partnership with The Business of Events, was supported by the PCMA, ICCA, the Events Industry Council, the Strategic Alliance of The National Convention Bureaux of Europe, the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), City Destinations Alliance, and The Iceberg.
