AIPC in Nantes - Diversify and adapt yourself

From 3 to 6 July, la Cité Nantes Events Center welcomed its peers as it hosted the AIPC Annual Conference (International Association of Convention Centres). It was the second time in AIPC’s history that France was chosen as the conference destination and the occasion for Nantes to showcase what they can offer to meeting planners.

Rémi Dévé reports

The AIPC Conference is aimed at meetings industry stakeholders and provides the opportunity to discuss meetings related matters and the very diverse challenges convention and exhibition centres can face the world over. As always, the programme combined global commentators and industry expertise to a 360 degree view of the key issues facing centres managers today. AIPC represents over 180 convention centres from over 57 countries.

Head-on

The overall theme of the conference was “Diversification and Adaptation”. Competition and adaptation are two of the most important challenges referenced by convention centres today. Flexibility and diversification are amongst the most the most logical and common responses to these challenges – and those used by many other sectors facing similar issues. The Conference theme addressed all of these areas head-on – and looked at what the implications are not only for managers but also centre suppliers, owners and partners, both current and potential.

Of course, at a conference like that, the programme is what creates its added value and what justifies the time out of the office for delegates. If some parts of it were a bit weak to be really honest, there were a few take-outs. Keynote speaker John Thackara explained for instance how other business sectors have faced and coped with disruptive change and what lessons may have been learned that have application to centres. He urged the audience to think about their venue “as a nature reserve reconnecting cities and nature, a lab to reinvent the future and clients’ expectations, a micro-business hub and a cooperation platform.”

One area receiving particular attention was that of managing the impacts of terrorist attacks on destination reputation and business prospects - this was addressed by a senior level panel of representatives from Brussels, Paris and Istanbul.

Member Survey

The results of the 2016 AIPC Member Survey were also definitely a highlight for me, as the organisation reported an 8% revenue growth worldwide, with Africa the fastest growing region in the world just like last year. If they reported on an increase in national competition, AIPC members also emphasized the fact that the focus was definitely on networking and experiential meetings with creative use of meeting spaces. On another hand, event producers are said to be less willing to commit to long-term booking, while ways to address competition, such as investment in technology, different marketing approaches, etc. were reviewed.

Last but not least, the Gala Dinner held at the famous Machines de l’Ile, announced the much sought-after AIPC Apex Award winner. The Award owes its prominence to the fact that competitors are rated entirely on the basis of client ratings as assessed by the global market research company Ipsos. If Nantes ranked among the 15 finalists of the 2016 Conference, it’s the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition that got the Award, which has previously been won by centres in leading global cities such as Valencia and Vancouver.

More info on AIPC or the AIPC Survey: www.aipc.org