Key Service Providers and What They Do

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Key Service Providers and What They Do
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Key Service Providers

• Distribution Channels Corporate

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Key Service Providers

• Distribution Channels Association

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Key Service Providers

• Distribution Channels Incentive

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Key Service Providers

• Professional Congress Organisations (PCO)
• Destination Management Companies (DMC)
• Event Management Companies
• Convention Service Companies
• Exhibition Management Companies
• Airlines

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Professional Congress Organiser

• A Definition
• A Professional Congress Organiser is a company
  which specialises in the organisation and
  administration of congresses
• The company acts as a consultant to an
  organising committee, enacting its decisions
  whilst utilising the experience and knowledge it
  has gained over many years in organising
  conventions

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Professional Congress Organiser
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PCO Services

• EXHIBITION
• Sales prospect
• Floor plans
• Contracts
• Promotion
• Contact with exhibitors
• Liaison with stand builders
• Security
• Administration
• Supervision

• OPERATION PLANNING
• Venue selection
• Action plan
• Marketing
• Database management
• Internet
• Printing promotion
• Secretariat
• Registration
• Hotel reservations
• Logistics
• AV, other equipment
• Interpretation
• Staff hostesses
• On-site secretariat
• Badges and congress bags
• Signage, decoration
• Press relations

• PROGRAMME
• Themes
• Invited speakers
• Free communications
• Sattelite Symposia
• Posters
• Abstract handling

• FINANCE
• Budget
• Cost control
• Guarantees
• Fund raising
• Sponsors
• Taxation
• VAT
• Accounting
• Finance report
• Final statement

• SOCIAL PROGRAMME
• Catering
• Receptions
• Spouse programme
• Excursions
• Transportation
• Pre- post tours
• Cultural events
• Entertainment

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Professional Congress Organisers

• Revenue sources
• Project Management Fee
• Fee per delegate
• Fee per abstract
• Sales Commission on Sponsors Exhibitors
• Commissions from third parties

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Professional Congress Organisers

• Revenue sources
• Some PCOs agree to underwrite or partially
  underwrite the event
• Profit share agreement with event owners

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Professional Congress Organiser

• Different types
• In-house PCO - professional staff within the
  organisation
• PCO - local external company
• Core PCO - external company, fully integrated in
  the organisation
• Preferred PCO - network of local external PCOs
• Association Management Company - outsourced
  secretariat responsible for the organisations
  administration incl. meetings

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Professional Congress Organiser

• Some players
• IAPCO www.iapco.org
• Major global PCOs
• MCI www.mci-group.com
• Congrex www.congrex.com
• Kenes www.kenes.com
• AIMS www.aims-international.com
• Preferred PCO
• INCON www.incon-pco.com

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Destination Managing Company

• A Definition
• A DMC is a company which specialises in supplying
  local knowledge to and supporting an organiser of
  meetings and/or events
• Locally based company which specialise in selling
  travel packages to overseas travel distributors
• They coordinate the reservations, confirmations
  and payments for all packaging components

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Destination Management Company

• What do they deliver
• Destination specialist
• Transfers to/from aiport, social events
• Social pre/post touring programme
• Logistics
• Social event budget
• Destination marketing
• Reports to PCO or to meeting planner for a
  corporate event

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Event Management Company

• Event production and logistics
• Catering
• Lighting and staging
• Entertainment
• Theming props, tableware
• Product launches, theme dinners, awards nights,
  opening closing ceremonies

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Convention Services Companies

• Catering services
• Interpreters
• Information technologies
• AV and staging suppliers
• Travel agencies
• Stand display builders
• Speaker bureaux

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Convention Services Companies

• Corporate gifts and conference support materials
  name badges, satchels, speaker gifts
• Transport companies coach, taxi, ferry

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Catering services

• In-house in the meeting venue
• Off site caterers

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Interpreters

• Different language regimes
• Technical equipment - built in or to be built up?
• Interpreters need demand high service level to
  be able to do a good job

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Information technology

• Computers
• For the organisers
• For the delegates (Internet cafés)
• Printers
• Copy machines
• Electronic banners

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AV suppliers

• Computers
• Sound Light
• AV equipment
• Staging
• On site technicians

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Travel agencies

• Support with accommodation
• Support with travel arrangements to the
  destination

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Stand builders

• Special stands for the organiser
• Poster stands
• Exhibitor booths modular or customised
• Stand fittings and signage

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Exhibition Management Companies

• Exhibition management
• Exhibition sales
• Exhibition set up and close down

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Airlines and the Meeting Industry

• Yield Management
• Official Carrier agreements
• Non competitive fares
• Closed Code not good tracking
• Convention desks
• Incentive vs. Association vs. corporate

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Airlines and the Meeting Industry

• Destination Support
• Event Sponsorship - sometimes
• Bid Support almost never
• Tickets for sales travel limited (trade for
  membership in bureau)
• Support for Site inspections sometimes

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Airlines and the Meeting Industry

• Alliance Programmes
• One World EventFlyer 8 carriers
• Group coordinator
• Discounted fares
• Support tickets
• Organisers incentive program
• 500 attendees
• gt6 months out and lt 3 years out
• Potential for 3 alliance carriers

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Airlines and the Meeting Industry

• Alliance Programme
• Star Alliance Conventions Plus 16 carriers
• Same except minimum number of attendees
• 3 countries and 2 continents

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Airlines and the Meeting Industry

• National programmes
• SAS
• European meetings
• National meetings
• Charter possibilities (corporate meetings)

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Airlines and the Meeting Industry

• Low Cost Carriers
• Probably more important than regular airlines
• Direct flights to a low price
• No Official Carrier programmes

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Thank You