Event planners across Asia who took part in the 7th Asia for Asia Summit at ITCMA & CTW 2014 selected key trends that will influence a new generation of event managers.
Organised by the Asia Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (AACVB) together with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Asia for Asia Summit emphasises insights by young MICE practitioners in order to highlight new practices and provide relevant advice to industry professionals on how to best attract MICE business to the region.
During the summit, five key trends were identified:
• Out-of-the-box venues will be more influential in creating memorable meetings. Delegates added it will be more important to emphasise a destination's commercial attributes over cultural.
• Virtual events and connectivity were considered a major advancement in the industry by 84 per cent of summit delegates.
• Strategic partnerships were noted by 75 per cent of delegates for their advantages in expanding business opportunities and enhancing reputations.
• Tighter budgets will remain a challenge in 2015, but they will be seen as driving tangible business benefits – 72 per cent of delegates said they needed to heavily justify their expenditure.
• 360-degree sustainability was viewed as a priority among planners, with 63 per cent stating that delegates were willing to absorb the additional costs involved.
The discussions were led by a panel of business events leaders including senior manager at convention advisory Gaining Edge, Jane Vong Holmes; managing director at micenetAsia, El Kwang and managing director at Sampran Riverside Resort Arrut Navaraj together with participating delegates from across the business events industry.
