As an industry partner of The ICEBERG – a joint project between the Joint Meeting Industry Council (JMIC) and the Technical University of Sydney- we at tmf dialogmarketing, are one of the ambassadors of the current international hot topic “Legacy” . A successful “Call for Destinations to Join the Movement” should therefore also be supported by us!
Especially in English-speaking countries, the concept attracts a great deal of attention when it comes to the marketing of congress destinations – it is time that good examples from the European continental markets space show that there are many approaches to sustainability and (positive) effects of “our” destinations that Congresses are offered ….
What does Legacy mean in this context? It simply means that holding a congress or conference in a city should be able to have the widest possible impact. It’s not just about filling hotel rooms or putting the congress center to work – no, the local peculiarities and achievements in terms of research, expertise, start-ups, funding projects and more should be taken into account
One well-known approach to the local experts and scientists in a destination are “ambassador programs”, which encourage local key opinion leaders to apply for international congresses by resorting to the support of the municipal convention bureau or similar institution. The approach works well, but too short. It’s not about winning the congress only for the destination, but about optimizing a way for the event to be as effective as possible – and to create a positive “legacy”.
I would like to show this with an example from Qatar. With its Qatar Foundation, the country of Qatar has created an institution whose primary goal is the progressive development of a knowledge society in order to free itself from dependence on fossil fuels. Knowledge from all over the world is accumulated and particularly interesting projects may hope for far-reaching support from the foundation. The foundation’s university campus offers study opportunities at a number of well-known international institutions and universities. The young Qataris should be kept in the country and the existing knowledge be used economically for the further development of the country.
The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Social Development is a government-sponsored non-profit organization that has been helping to ensure that the Emirate’s leadership in both the region and internationally is maximizing the development of its society and local knowledge tap.
The Foundation specifically supports initiatives that fit into this grid. Mainly interest is in the development of new technologies that can be used economically – the promotion of start-ups or locating interesting research areas included. This not only broadens the economy, but also fulfills the claim to leadership in development and research.
The Business Events Department of the Qatar Tourism Authority works closely with QF and provides organizers of international congresses in the fields of education, science and selected core topics such as health/medicine and the environment with the best possible support and local contacts. In addition to the matchmaking offered, there are various financial and political incentives, including the opening of local branches of relevant companies and associations.
The Emirate’s initiatives to support congress organizers are far-reaching and amazing. Applied to European destinations, a similar approach would entail increased cooperation of universities, companies, research institutes on the ground with the responsible city marketing department – the city’s congress office. The approach is to offer a service that spares no effort to bring together the right people and ensure the best possible support for important congresses.
Another example of an obvious way to create legacy and positive legacy in the convention destination may be sponsoring first-class speakers at host institutions – we have published an article on our newsroom regarding the same. Examples of destinations, how the design and the resulting “stories” can look like, can be found here: https://storyline.network/the-iceberg-destination-storytelling/
See also examples of the Boardroom magazine on securing legacy.
We are happy to assist with the design and editing of the topic and the targeted dissemination of the message to international congress organizers, media and associations. Please contact me directly if you are interested.
Johanna Fischer
