Northstar

JAN-FEB 2018 17 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com Thirdly, the O2O (online-to-onsite and vice-versa) model of event development and execution will intensify to keep up with the varied demands of the event participant who comprises business owners; start-ups and entrepreneurs; management and professional executives; policy-makers and institutions among others. The non-traditional approach is particularly important when it comes to conference design and programming. For example, using the gamification approach will allow platforms to have the organic flexibility to share content without being shackled by pre-scripted conditions, allowing delegates to have fun by cross-engaging. Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) One of the most important trends that is prevalent in the US and which will impact Asia in a most significant way is that of creative brand experience. Asia is a powerhouse in this respect, and in the context of the MICE industry, events are a great activator of those brand experiences. There is greater spend on events as a marketing tool than on any other tool. It supersedes that for advertising and digital, and I see that Noor Ahmad Hamid; Regional Director, Asia Pacific International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Asia Pacific In terms of game changers in the meetings industry, I would say that it is safety, security and stronger content. These are crucial factors that impact the international association meetings segment in a big way. Having said that, a lot more can be done in Asia Pacific to encourage more conventions and congresses to come. I would like to see a strategic approach made by destination marketing organisations towards the association market, which should be linked to their key economic sectors or community development. Instead of looking at meetings as just an immediate revenue generator. The top-ranking countries and cities on our ICCA list no doubt have their tried-and-tested strategic models in place. Countries that have put in more effort into bidding will likely have more meetings coming to their shore, but they have to work many years ahead to win those meetings. Having said that, the success of a destination should not be measured entirely by any ranking system alone. One should also look at the quality and also types of meetings that have been hosted, and more importantly, we should focus more on the "beyond tourism" value and wider positive impact of international association meetings. "Amplifying engagement is the key to event success, and this means capturing both your online and onsite audience... " as being important in Asia. Amplifying engagement is the key to event success, and this means capturing both your online and onsite audience as well as ensuring that your event programme and design engage the attention of attendees in myriad ways. People consume information differently, and we must cater to those diverse needs at events. Strong digital strategies are at the heart of this engagement. Live streaming is the way to go if you want to extend your audience reach and brand awareness. This leverages on the FOMO (fear of missing out) factor to create an online community that eventually becomes part of your offline community. This is a proven fact that attests to the success of our Convening Leaders forum. It speaks of the power of the medium. You have to capture the analytics in order to understand its impact on event attendance. In Asia, face-to-face events will take off with digital technology as a key element. Noor Ahmad Hamid; Regional Director, Asia Pacific

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