The second edition of the VisitBritain Business Events Association Conference, held at the ICC Wales 11-13th February, revealed the extent to which the sector has adopted the new impact & sustainability narrative – and tools – for effective congress bidding by the organisation’s key partners and stakeholders.
This video of the event titled ‘Bid for Today, Bid for Tomorrow’ and filmed by The Business of Events head of storytelling and author of ‘The Events Industry is Vital for UK Economic Growth’ Report, Mike Fletcher, unveils the extent to which the sector has matured since convening this time last year in Edinburgh.
Head of Business Events at VisitBritain, Paul Black, has successfully delivered the education and tools with which to equip associations, PCO’s, and destinations with the means to successfully lead UK bids for association meetings using the VisitBritain BE Impactful Framework developed in partnership with #MEET4IMPACT as part of an 18-month Impact & Sustainability Partnership alongside the GDS-Movement.
“It’s important for congress organisers to think about legacy & impact at every stage of the planning process”, says Fathma Khalid, Impact Consultant, #MEET4IMPACT
Senior Business Events Manager at VisitScotland, Rory G. Archibald, was categorical in stating that “impact is the future of our industry” – a sentiment echoed by 75 of his fellow attendees from across the UK’s bidding ecosystem.
Host and former Sales Director at ICC Wales, Danielle Bounds, reinforced the sustainability credentials of the event with food waste dispatched to the local food bank and isla’s Trace app for carbon footprint measurement, also in evidence. But the meat on the bones rested firmly in pursuing the mission and purpose of the events and using the 8 dimensions of capital available through the Impactful Framework in order to secure them.
“Impact and sustainability are the two core elements within any [bid] story,” claimed Conor Meany of Conference Partners International while for Caroline Windsor, Associations Account Director at TFI Lodestar, stated that, “For me, the inclusion of those legacy and impact objectives has encouraged us to identify and involve key opinion leaders. In my opinion, you can’t pull together a successful bid without key opinion leaders.”
Iceberg Ambassador, Sarah Fleming of SFA Connect whose organisation is dedicated to establishing those vital touchpoints between the subject-matter experts, conference owners, and destinations, confirmed that “it’s about connecting with their networks within the universities, the research centres, and the clusters of excellence.”
New AI tools including #MEET4IMPACT’s recently announced ImpactAIQ are set to accelerate and inform measurement of impact so that the value creation and alignment to the purpose of events is accurately measured. But the key remains in the connecting of the people and organisations within the value-chain of knowledge transfer as VisitBritain seeks to ensure that the events delivered by its partners in the regions align to the growth and social transformation agendas of government – laced, of course, with the bonus of high-yielding tourism receipts.
Find out more at VisitBritain Business Events
