Taking Meetings in New Directions

by Alex Palmer | May 02, 2016

Padraic Gilligan, co-founder of SoolNua, a MICE business marketing consultancy based in Dublin, Ireland believes that unusual international meetings destinations offer a number of distinct advantages -- the first being value. 

"Less demand means more supply and better prices," says Gilligan. "It also means greater attention and service levels from DMOs and destination suppliers. From an attendee perspective, there's also the joy of discovery as he or she is less likely to have been there for a summer vacation or weekend away. So you save money, you delight your attendees, and you're lavished with attention and great service by the DMO and other suppliers -- what's not to love?"

He gives the example of Bratislava, Slovakia's capital, a place unlikely to be one of the first destinations a planner considers when putting together an international meeting. But it's also a bourgeoning start-up ecosystem and a center for automobile manufacturing, hosting VW, Kia, Jaguar, Citreon, a nd more. With two airports within 40 minutes of the city center, it's also very accessible. Last month, the city hosted Globsec, a global security conference, with four E.U. presidents and former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright in attendance. 

Or Slovenia's capital Ljubjana, where SoolNua helped plan the annual users' conference for IT company MikroTikas this past February, attracting 1,500 attendees to two events. 

"Feedback was massively positive with many users commenting on the fact that they hadn't been to Slovenia before and that itself was a reason for attending the conference," says Gilligan.

When it comes to international destinations, it pays to think outside the box. A number of emerging destinations, and even those usually considered more for incentives rather than meetings, offer unexpected benefits.

Getaways for Getting Things DoneTake, for example, somewhere as far afield as South Africa. Most planners might think as a destination for safaris and relaxing retreats. While it has adventure and leisure to spare, South Africa also is proving to be an ideal meetings destination. Not only does it include world-class convention centers and hotels and accessible flights (with three daily flights from the U.S. into Johannesburg), it also offers local culture that can't be found anywhere else.

"Music for opening events can include drumming, and choirs singing different traditional languages; add beautiful African dance and you have an opening ceremony to remember forever," says Margi Biggs, president of Cape Town­-based Specialized Tours and Events. "Handmade authentic African goods of superior quality make for meaningful gifts and conference bags for delegates and speakers."

These offerings are expanding quickly. The Cape Town Convention Centre is in the process of expansion, and the new Century City Conference Centre at Canal Walk opened last year. This year will see the opening of the 125-room Century City Hotel and boutique 28-room Silo Hotel, Cape Town. Other recent openings have included The Olive Convention Centre on Durban's Golden Mile, and the Greyville Convention Centre, located in the historic Greyville Race Course.

"A great deal of money has been invested in the meetings and conferences industry in the past five years, to include comprehensive conference facilities for groups, from small intimate business meetings to conferences hosting thousands of delegates," says Henk Graaff, owner of the DMC SW Africa Destination Management. "These facilities are generally very well run and maintained and technology regularly updated."

SW Africa Destination Management recently helped coordinate a 120-person medical conference around the theme of "Western Medicine Meets Nature," which combined high-tech conferencing in Cape Town, Knysna, and Pilanesberg, with general tourist activities and tailored programs. The conference ended in the bush with a highlight, flying in an indigenous San herbalist from the Kalahari to interact with the western doctors. This was combined with a lecture on how the San people dealt with specific medical problems in their daily lives -- not a medical conference program you could get anywhere else.

Unusual LandscapesEvents held in one-of-a-kind international locations can create powerful memories for attendees. Take the adventurous destination of Cusco, Peru. Right near Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the South American city offers a top-notch tourism infrastructure. It offers meetings-ready properties such as the JW Marriott El Convento Cusco, with 9,400-square-feet of meeting space and five event rooms. The property, built on the site of the 16th-century Convent of San Agustin, also serves as an homage to Cusco's beauty and history.

"Upon entering the property, guests are greeted by a very large Swarovski crystal lamp representing the Inca god of the Sun, Inti," says Cecilia Rispa, destinatio n sales manager for the JW Marriott El Convento Cusco. "Thereafter, you literally bump into history at every turn," from pre-Inca walls in some rooms, original columns and arches in shared areas, or exhibit spaces with archeological artifacts. 

The property's linens are sourced from local linen makers and the on-site restaurant and catering menus are inspired by locally sourced, native Andes ingredients (including quinoa, Andean Trout, and alpaca, as well as local veggies and legumes). 

Rispa gives the example of a group that went outside the property to truly get immersed in the ancient culture with a Pachamanca in the Sacred Valley. A traditional "earth-oven" style of cooking that dates back to the Inca era, it refers to a hole dug in the ground to cook several foods like potatoes, meats, and vegetables. Representing a celebration of life and gratitude, it made for a fitting way to end a meeting and reflect on what was discussed. 

Another unconventional Latin American destination groups can consider is Panama City. With a rich culture and folklore traditions, a charming Old Quarter, and proximity to a stunning rainforest and the 8th Wonder of the World (the Panama Canal), it is a place that meeting attendees won't soon forget after visiting.

"When we mix up the different elements and add in our first-class resort, programs are set-up for success," says Christel Brandwagt, director of resort sales and marketing for Bern Hotels & Resorts Panamá, which oversees eight properties in the country, including The Westin Playa Bonita Panama and Intercontinental Miramar Panama. "Other great features that make planning a program in Panama a lot easier are air connectivity (Hub of the Americas), the U.S. dollar as the main currency, and overall safety in the country."

While properties like the Westin Playa Bonita, with 66,000 square feet of meeting space, make for solid options for meetings, groups can also consider more unconvention al venues to capitalize on the surroundings. Villa Bonita, located on a secluded stretch of the Pacific Coast just 20 minutes from Panama City, offers a private villa for small groups. It includes 20 junior suites, a living room and dining room, infinity swimming pool, boardroom, outdoor terrace, and even a wine cellar. Altogether it creates an ideal spot for groups to get away from distractions and get down to work, immersed in a unique destination.

On the Other Side of the World

While meetings in unusual destinations provide many benefits for groups, planners must be careful to avoid going too far outside attendees' comfort zones. This can be done by striking a balance when selecting a venue, such as choosing a property with a familiar brand name, but that incorporates the local environment into its offerings. That is just the balance struck by The Ritz-Carlton, Bali. The Indonesian province boasts natural beauty and cultural richness, along with solid meetings infrast ructure. But for many American groups who have not visited the city, it can seem a world away.

For these reasons, the Ritz-Carlton, Bali has taken steps to incorporate the local culture into its on-site offerings. The property brings in local entertainment, such as Balinese dance or kecak dance. F&B offerings are inspired by the local culture, such as Balinese Craftsmanship coffee breaks in which kite makers, sculptors, sarong makers, and other craftspeople set up stalls around the perimeter of the ballroom foyer. The Ritz-Carlton has also recently introduced a warung lunch, in which owners of local warungs (street food stalls) rent their colorful food carts to the property, so its chefs create authentic local dishes, which attendees order while standing then can enjoy with other delegates.

Another way the property has done this is by rethinking its ballroom space, bringing in rattan sofas, plants, lanterns, and softer lighting to create a more intimate, homey feel t o the space. "We believe that the meetings concept has been evolving into a more 'experiential' way to provide a business meeting," says Roberta Pellacci, director of sales and marketing for the Ritz-Carlton, Bali. "By re-designing the meeting space incorporating locally sourced elements which connect the delegates to local traditions we avoid a disconnection between the meeting experience and the time spent outside the meeting room in Bali." 

Malaysia is also a solid bet for groups looking for something far-flung. The constitutional monarchy has seen a number of recent developments, including the recent arrival of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts to the destination, with the opening of the St. Regis Langkawi, on one of the 99 islands on the Malaysian archipelago, Langkawi.

SoolNua's Gilligan agrees that having a familiar hotel brand at a destination can help ensure attendees are kept within their comfort zones, and adds that planners should seek out the local chapter of SITE, MPI, or similar association, as well as DMCs who belong to global networks.

"Access, infrastructure, and overall MICE support are probably the elements to start with when going 'off the beaten path,'" says Gilligan. "Once you can get to the destination, source accommodation and meetings space at the required level and are satisfied that you have the support of a well trained, local MICE community, the other aspects of a successful meeting will fall into place."This article appears in the May 2016 issue of Successful Meetings

Source: Taking Meetings in New Directions