Norway: Events Around the Northern Lights

Magazine:
1st Sep, 2022
Category:
Image:
Body:

The Nordic country is in the forefront of this MICE revolution and has been quite at the top when it comes to digital tools, sustainability, and meetings legacy. HQ went to Oslo to speak with representatives of two MICE investment agencies, and uncovered the reasons for this continued success.

Sandwiched between the North Atlantic and the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway is accessible to most European cities and offers an invaluable combination of high-tech facilities and a heavenly natural landscape. Systematically ranked as one of the most developed, peaceful and happy countries in the world by various experts and global reports, the country is also a prominent player in diplomacy and international cooperation serving as stage for various summits and international conferences.

Despite being perceived as a restricted and somewhat expensive place for international membership, the Nordic country continues to lay the groundwork for its event experience and the progress of the MICE industry. As of September 25, the Norwegian authorities decided to lift domestic COVID-19 restrictions and facilitate international travel, ending capacity limitations for businesses, services, and events. However, as soon as the pandemic hit them in March 2020, agencies and MICE organisers had to cancel and/or suspend all planned activities virtually overnight. “We even maintained a certain level of MICE clients going into digitalisation, where we broadcast some webinars and workshops, but the biggest challenge was associations and PCOs who were in huge trouble,” told us Frode Aasheim (pictured right), Director of Meetings and Events at Visit Norway. For this reason, it was difficult to get in touch with associations and suppliers, which led to a business break and the interruption of the sales cycle. “We are proud that we have chosen digital solutions to spark new fam trips and site inspections, albeit in a much smaller number.”

On top of that, just before the pandemic outbreak, the national convention bureau took a budget cut, putting pressure on staff and resource constraints. The challenge was twofold, led to some adjustments in their international offices and which also affected the Visit Oslo Convention Bureau and the work of its director, Kristin Overvaag (pictured left) − “We are gaining momentum with all the activities that have emerged in digital format to reconnect with our clients, but also to advocate on behalf of our partners.” Oslo, being the capital and largest city in Norway, attracts more than 50% of all the international meetings, and is very much aligned with the national strategy. “Now more than ever it is important that the conference delivers genuine meaning, as the content will play a key role. Something you can’t find on YouTube or Google. I think that will be crucial for the future of the conference industry,” adds Overvaag. For our speakers, some of these changes will be permanent with a growing concern with sustainability, the profitability of travel and a new digital literacy. “I think we are still a very conservative industry with all these travelling and in-person meetings. Hybrid is here to stay but it hasn’t taken away the importance of meeting physically.”

Furthermore, the fact that the associations are now quite tired of the pandemic routines and all this digital fatigue, helps to see how the situation will move towards the “new normal”. “I think the big conferences will likely be smaller or in a hybrid format in the future. You don't need to go to Colombia, for example, if you can be part of a European hub in Norway where everyone follows the meeting agenda and briefing.”  

Doing hybrid versions down the road will ensure that delegates who really need to meet do so, but also that many more attendees get a chance to follow the content of the meeting. This is definitely a game changer for the Norwegian MICE sector. Many of the congresses that should have been taking place here for the past 18 months have been moved forward. “That's another challenge, as with events piling up the calendar will become even more jam-packed and with few slots to book. However, the sky is still blue and the recovery will happen even if it takes a little longer in the international market,” says Aasheim.

Two arguments that the national bureau intends to highlight are sustainability, which is crucial for a new profile of travellers, as well as reliability and security — since we are talking about a small and sparsely populated society. “Our opinion is that Norway is likely to become an even stronger post-pandemic MICE site, especially within Europe as the continent will, at least initially, look more inwardly,” says Overvaag. If there's one thing Norway is known for internationally, it's scenery and nature. Now they are pushing this envelope, tweaking it a little bit with a new narrative. A business trip combined with these wild environments is a must experience in this country — A heritage that serves a Norwegian experience by definition. “We found out that for PCOs, hotels and especially associations, the surrounding aspect is very important in the bidding process. if you engage in the usual city routine from venue to airport, you are missing something,” says Aasheim.


Oslo Public Library, Main Library

Norway has just launched a tourism strategy, where MICE is a vital part, focusing on aspects such as sustainability, carbon footprints, legacies, and trying to inspire the background knowledge of participants. “In the field of associations, Norway has enormous potential,” tells us the director. “We have many Norwegians who are part of all these international associations. Our aim is to entice these executives and make these conferences reach Norway. Many of them have never been here.” Part of their strategy is not to work with abstract numbers, but rather with clients who stay longer in business, are more productive and value this system of ideas.

During the pandemic, Visit Norway also established a new tourism strategy to reduce 50% of CO2 as recommended by the Paris agreement. This is something that Norway has promised and it applies to the field of conventions as well. With this, they hope to win twice as many international conferences by 2030 regardless of size or number of attendees. “Our main goal is to work with key players in Norway to convince them of our advantages, show them how safe it is and the good partnerships they can get if they decide to take this step,” says Overvaag. On the other hand, an industry influencer can also be the professor at the University of Oslo, who is more motivated by the quality of the event than by the intricacies of the industry itself.


Oslo city center

In the meantime, all the convention centres had to start rethinking, ‘What do we have to do now?’. Some of them turned out to be vaccination centres and temporary hotels. Fortunately, the Norwegian government stepped up the recovery with several rescue packages that ended up in VisitNorway, which is also Innovation Norway. “It helped their bottom line, to kept themselves with greater or lesser difficulty. They wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for the rescue packages that the government issued.” And then, they had to come up with a new, different set of ideas like Norway Trade Fairs by instance: “In addition to setting up a space for vaccines, they also struck a deal with Tesla to become the vehicle storage centre for new owners. They needed some financial liquidity and it turned out to work for both parties,” explained us Aasheim. At the end of the day, rescue packages were vital, but venues had to go after new targets and projects. These rescues also served to remodel their spaces and technological equipment such as the studios that started to pop up in Norway.

Other Articles

About Us

Supported by the Union of International Associations (UIA), the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and the Interel Group, the global public affairs and association management consultancy, Headquarters Magazines serve the needs of international associations organising worldwide congresses.