Chapter 3
Conventions
Chapter 3: Conventions
For simplicity, convention and conference may be used interchangeably while congress is
commonly used in Europeans countries and seen as similar in meaning to conference.
◼ Convention: An event where the primary activity of the attendees is to attend
educational sessions, participate in meetings/discussions, socialize or attend other
organized events. There is a secondary exhibit component.
◼ Conference
✓ 1) Participatory meeting designed for discussion, fact-finding, problem solving and
consultation.
✓ 2) An event used by any organization to meet and exchange views, convey a message,
open a debate or give publicity to some area of opinion on a specific issue. No
tradition, continuity or periodicity is required to convene a conference. Although not
generally limited in time, conferences are usually of short duration with specific
objectives. Conferences are generally on a smaller scale than congresses.
Chapter 3: Conventions
◼ Congress :
✓ 1) The regular coming together of large groups of individuals, generally to discuss a
particular subject. A congress will often last several days and has several
simultaneous sessions. The length of time between congresses is usually established in
advance of the implementation stage and can be either pluri-annual or annual. Most
international or world congresses are of the former type while national congresses are
more frequently held annually.
✓ 2) An event used by any organization to meet and exchange views, convey a message,
open a debate or give publicity to some area of opinion on a specific issue. No
tradition, continuity or periodicity is required to convene a conference. Although not
generally limited in time, conferences are usually of short duration with specific
objectives. Conferences are generally on a smaller scale than congresses.
✓ 3) European term for convention.
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Conventions in the Past
⚫ Origins and Progression
✓ Growth in the number of was once restricted by travel distances and discretionary time
✓ The industrial revolution era stimulated the growth of convention industry exponentially
✓ First, the development of large-scale and heavy manufacturing created the need to
distribute products far beyond what they used to keep up with the volume they were able
to produce
✓ Another main contributor for the advancement of the convention industry was railroad
systems
✓ Not only could they can transport products at a faster pace, but also people as well were
provided with a transportation option that was less time consuming allowing anyone to
attend conventions in another city
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Conventions in the Past
⚫ Convention and Visitors Bureau Origins
✓ Efforts to attract conventions and visitors into a city by local representatives were
undertaken in a very unsystematic and casual way
✓ Consequently, the establishment of the Detroit CVB was a model for attracting
conventions in a systematic and focused manner
✓ There are three underlying grounds for the establishment of a central association
representing local CVB
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Conventions in the Past
⚫ Convention and Visitors Bureau Origins
✓ 1. The need to share legitimate information among local CVB was the most
important factor to prevent potential problems from unorganized and
unsystematic local CVB
✓ 2. To promote ethical practices
✓ 3. IACB could collectively develop the science, proper and desirable practices for
the industry, through publishing and sharing of knowledge about the industry in
order to assist CVB and other stakeholders
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Recent Convention Trends
⚫ The evolvement of convention industry continuously gained popularity among developed
and emerging countries alike
⚫ Many countries continue to seek to reap significant benefit this industry can bring as
spending per head of delegates is far higher than that of leisure tourists making it among
the most attractive income sources for a country
⚫ Conventions also can be used as a tool to publicize a country in the eyes of foreigners
hoping for potential returns as well as new entrants in the future
⚫ As optimistic as the industry could get, it reached a hard slump in 2009 due to the
economic crisis in the United States at the end of 2008
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Recent Convention Trends
⚫ This has proven to be a turning point sending the high-spending industry into a more cost
effective one
⚫ The survey highlighted main drivers and barriers to convention effectiveness with top
barriers or consisting attendance costs, poor organization and a lack of design focus
⚫ While main driver were found to be the quality of a convention, technology and the
quality of the convention’s network
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Recent Convention Trends
⚫ Conventions have become increasingly delegate-oriented with successful coming to those
that can organize conventions in such a way that they meet the requirements delegates are
seeking
⚫ MICE events, conventions in particular, can also lead to significant social legacies with
the host destination as well; those legacies consist of the following
✓ Knowledge expansion
✓ Networking, relationship, and collaboration
✓ Educational outcome
✓ Fundraising and future research capacity
✓ Raising awareness and profiling
✓ Showcasing and destination reputation
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Convention Industry Outlook
⚫ Technology
✓ Mobiles/Tablets apps, Social Media, and Wi-Fi Access
• Mobile/Tablet apps and the extensive use of social media will intensify and shift the
traditional convention platform
• The increased popularity of smart phones has redefined needs within the industry as
more smart phones users enter the market
• Application use can be used as a tool to promote CSR or sustainability meetings as it
can lower paper use
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Convention Industry Outlook
⚫ Technology
✓ Mobiles/Tablets apps, Social Media, and Wi-Fi Access
• Social Media has become an incredible and cost-effective tool in spreading advertising
or product buzz
• Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, the big three social media platforms have gained
immense popularity and should continue to grow into the future
• Wi-Fi access is now a must-have in every convention
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Convention Industry Outlook
⚫ Technology
✓ Virtual Conference
• Tighter budgets due to the unrelenting economic recession in the US as well as the
Euro zone debt crisis, has altered the typical operation of meetings and conventions
• The introduction virtual conferences, conducted via the internet in the comfort of a
home office, has become well accepted, in particular, as it saves time and cost for
attendees especially those who are recession-prone
• The growth of hybrid meetings, in which some participants remain at a distance while
others gather in a central location, has become very popular
Chapter 3: Conventions
Conventions Industry Evolvement
◼ Convention Industry Outlook
⚫ Sustainability
✓ Sustainability issues have now become major concerns in the convention industry and
planners in every area
• 1. Meetings are expected to show efforts to promote sustainability since meeting
activities are highly visible to the entire community
• 2. Corporate client through the needs of their own members also expect green services
from planners
• 3. Sustainability measures can contribute to cost effective operations and if managed
with an ongoing perspective can help to reduce overall long-term cost of operations
• 4. Laws and regulations have now shifted towards integrating sustainability into
regulations
✓ Sustainability concerns are gaining a foothold and merging into every facet of the
industry, they are recognized as a very new and vibrant initiative to be explored
Chapter 3: Conventions
Convention Categorization and Measurement
According to Global meetings and exhibitions (2007) by Krugman and Wright classifying
conventions, conferences and congresses can be organized in a number of patterns
1. By purpose
• Congresses are usually to inform, communicate and provide opportunities to debate
different issues
• Conferences are used to inform and to reach conclusions or decisions for issues
introduced
• Conventions, on the other hand, are mainly held to organize, inform, motivate,
communicate, debate or vote
2. By number of participants
• Conferences are usually smaller in nature when compared to conventions and congresses
Chapter 3: Conventions
Convention Categorization and Measurement
According to Global meetings and exhibitions (2007) by Krugman and Wright classifying
conventions, conferences and congresses can be organized in a number of patterns
3. By frequency
• Conventions are usually held annually, whereby congresses can be held annually, semi-
annually or even on an ad-hoc basis
• Conferences have established and fixed schedules with a frequency that varies depending
on each association
4. By type of attendees
• ICCA has classified international into corporate and association
• International corporate meetings consist of internal and external meetings and
combinations of both
• International association meetings are grouped into governmental associations and non-
governmental associations meetings
Chapter 3: Conventions
Value Chain in Convention Industry
Human resource management
Destination infrastructure
Technology development
Procurement
Procurement Bureau Hospitality
Operations Marketing marketing service
PCO&DMC and sales delivery
⚫ Associations usually meet on a predetermined schedule ensuring a predictable starting point
for a convention timeline Associations can choose to organize the convention in-house or
outsource to Professional Conference Organizer (PCO)
⚫ PCOs will develop proposals and budget required to run the convention and submit them
⚫ In practice, a PCO can be brought in anywhere in the planning process but are commonly
brought in as early as the bidding process
Chapter 3: Conventions
Value Chain in Convention Industry
⚫ According to IAPCO, a bid is defined as “an invitation to host an international convention
in a country.”
⚫ Bidders should also analyze bid criteria and conduct in-depth research to ensure whether
their destinations meet the specifications needed to go further in the bidding process
⚫ According to ICCA, there are four underlying decision:
✓ Logistic criteria
✓ Financial criteria
✓ Internal association objectives
✓ Political and emotional factors
⚫ Regardless of the complexity of the bidding process, once bids from every destination are
submitted, potential bidders are shortlisted and site inspections have been conducted, the
winning bid will then be announced
Chapter 3: Conventions
Value Chain in Convention Industry
◼ Planning
⚫ The very first step is to establish goals and objectives and in doing so distinguish between
objectives of attendees, meeting professionals and the host organization
⚫ After setting the big picture, planners have to put all the details together, which might for
instance, include:
✓ organize site infrastructure
✓ determine marketing plan
✓ produce promotional tools
✓ estimate on-site staff requirements
✓ make other arrangements
Chapter 3: Conventions
Value Chain in Convention Industry
◼ Marketing the convention
⚫ This task is heart of the convention as it focuses on targeting the right group of attendees,
speakers and sponsors by using the right approach in the right place at the right time
⚫ A marketing plan for convention requires extensive market research to shape an impeccable
and compelling action plan and should not only be geared towards delegates but also
potential sponsors, suppliers and exhibitors as well
Chapter 3: Conventions
Key Stakeholders in Convention Industry
◼ Convention and Visitors Bureau
⚫ CVB is important as it directs and promotes the development of the MICE industry in the
area it represents
⚫ Two main roles and responsibilities specifically related to the convention industry:
✓ 1. Assisting and co-working with planners and associations
✓ 2. Liaising between planners, venues and governmental authorities
⚫ A CVB usually works closely with planners or professional conference organizers (PCOs)
from the initiation of a convention plan and the bidding process
⚫ Support from CVB is vital to decision-making since its full support symbolizes a smooth
convention process and strong backing from a body representing the host destination’s
goodwill
⚫ Not only do CVBs offer consulting services, but also coordinating services and often act as
an intermediary between planners and both private and the public sector involved in
organizing conventions
Chapter 3: Conventions
Key Stakeholders in Convention Industry
◼ Convention and Visitors Bureau
⚫ Thailand’s CVB, known as the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau or TCEB, also
intensely promotes and gives its full support to the local convention industry
⚫ TCEB divides its services into three main areas, bidding support, event support and
government related activities
◼ Professional Conference Organizer (PCO)
⚫ There are four main PCO types
✓ 1. A commercial PCO is the most basic and is simply a company rendering convention
organizing services with the goal of creating value for associations and operating profit
✓ 2. A non-commercial PCO is a convention organizer that does not charge for services
rendered such as an in-house organizer of the United Nations
✓ 3. A single PCO is an individual providing consulting service for an association
✓ 4. An Association Management Company (AMC), which have gain in popularity with
associations as it provides a full, cost saving operation service for an association
Chapter 3: Conventions
Key Stakeholders in Convention Industry
◼ Venues
⚫ There are three types of venues:
✓ 1.Conference centers are facilities specifically built to offer an atmosphere for people
who meet to exchange ideas with ease and comfort
✓ 2.Convention centers, on the other hand, are facilities for meeting and exposition without
sleeping rooms
✓ 3.Hotels are facilities provide sleeping rooms, meetings spaces and function rooms, food
& beverage and other amenities and can provide up to certain level of service for
conferences, as its core driver is room sales, not meeting spaces
Chapter 3: Conventions
Key Stakeholders in Convention Industry
◼ International Associations
International associations representing many areas within the convention industry are vital to
its global development
⚫ International Congress and Conference Association (ICCA)
✓ ICCA is by far one of the most renowned associations in the industry
✓ ICCA’s objective is to support international meetings via creating business opportunities
and knowledge for its members
⚫ Meeting Professional International (MPI)
✓ In helping its members create the community, MPI offers s knowledge and ideas platform,
opportunity to create relationship and a marketplaces to support interactions among
players in the industry
✓ MPI also offers a Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) program that focuses on
selecting, educating and certifying management-level meeting professionals and provides
intensive learning to enhance strategic decision-making and quality service offerings of
these professionals
Chapter 3: Conventions
Key Stakeholders in Convention Industry
◼ International Associations
⚫ International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO)
✓ The main role is to raise standards of practice in service rendering among its members
through education programs, setting codes of quality control and promote interaction
among members
⚫ Convention Industry Council (CIC)
✓ CIC offers several programs to support the industry, to facilitate the exchange
information & ideas and to educate the public on industry’s importance
✓ CIC offers Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) a certification recognizing
professionalism in providing service within the meeting industry
