Andrew Hiebl, CEO of the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB), knows that it’s not just the event that’s important, but what it leaves behind.
The term ‘lasting legacies’ has been introduced by the business events industry in recent years to extend the value of meetings beyond destination and tourism impacts. This concept has been applied more commonly to association or government events, yet the key expected outcomes for corporate events are similar.
Corporate event participants vary slightly to include employers, employees, distributors, franchisees, sponsors and media, however the core motivations for these people to meet are the same:
- Develop and share ideas
- Educate and inform
- Promote
- Network and socialise
- Change attitudes and behaviour
- Increase sales
- Improve performance
I have not yet heard a corporate executive assistant say that they selected destination X to hold their business event due to the economic benefit their event would bring the destination. However, a destination, through its facilities and experiences, should provide an environment that enables key outcomes for corporates, including:
- Improved individual performance
- Improved organisational performance
- Information sharing
- Problem-solving
- Collaboration on new products and services
- Motivation and team building
- Work skills training
- Corporate plans
- Product promotion
- Performance rewards
In 2018, AACB members secured 307 corporate meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions for their respective destinations—in total supporting an estimated 130,000 attendees. I encourage you to discuss your organisation’s needs and motivations with an AACB member to identify that perfect destination for your next business event.
Andrew is CEO at the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux, and has a long career history in events, operations and destination management.
