1 The Professionals Lesley Maltman 2 The Professionals

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The Professionals Lesley Maltman 2

The Professionals 3

The Professionals 14 years experience in MICE industry Conferences and events across UK, Ireland & Europe Client base mainly Northern Irish Project size up to 500 7 years as Managing Director MCI Belfast 4

The Professionals Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) - CHAIR Society of Incentive and Travel Executives (SITE) – Member Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau (BVCB) – Board Member 5

The Professionals MCI Group £Over 700 employees in 27 offices across Europe, Middle East, Asia & South America £Over 100 employees in 5 Offices across UK & Ireland Belfast Dublin Glasgow London Petersfield 6

The Professionals What do Professional Conference Organisers need from Destinations? £How we like you to communicate with us £How we choose destinations £What we expect when we get there 7

Communication & Promotion Know your audience Words used to describe PCOs…. . ? 8

Communication & Promotion Know your audience Words used to describe PCOs…. . BUSY! 9

Communication & Promotion Know your product My Destination’s USP is… ? 10

Communication & Promotion Know your product & your target market International Congress National Association Conference Corporate Meeting Exhibition Incentive Special Events 11

Communication & Promotion Know our profile £PCO, DMC, Event Organiser? £Do we service clients outside our local area? £Do our local clients hold events in other destinations? 12

Communication & Promotion Have a clear destination message – RTO working with Convention Bureau Be kind to the environment – e is best Easy to navigate website is key Hard copy in response to specific enquiry Destination Directory – all information in one easy-to-use reference guide 13

Communication & Promotion Destination Guide content £ venues – residential, non, unusual £ capacities to include projection, stage & set £ all should be commissionable £ local suppliers – DMCs £ restaurants – private hire 14

Communication & Promotion Destination Guide content £ social programmes/itineraries £ travel & transport £ the local team £ testimonials 15

Communication & Promotion Fam Trips £ Best way to promote £ Make sure content is relevant to attendees £ Fri & Sat £ Partners 16

Destination Selection Deciding Factors £ Cost £ Location – access £ Safety £ Facilities – venue, infrastructure, culture £ Service Level 17

Destination Selection Deciding Factors £ Convention Bureau Assistance Personalities Site Visit Bid Preparation £ CSR Initiatives £ Emerging Destinations 18

Onsite Support Information for promotion Literature – maps, city guides Manned Information Desk Language competencies Civic Hospitality Named Contact Speaker/VIP Gifts 19

Questions? 20

www. mci-group. com 21

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