Criteria for choosing congress destinations How decisions are made? Criteria for choosing congress destinations Roslyn McLeod OAM Managing Director arinex Australia Tuesday 19 February 2013 Lisbon

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1. INCON perspectives & best practice 2. Ideal world perspectives

The Bid Procedure for International Congresses A Bid is defined as an invitation to hold a (international) congress in your country Need to strategically plan very early Typically the national section of an international organisation will drive the bid process After obtaining such a commitment from the national organisation, the "Bid Procedure" can start The PCO is able to support members of the national committee during a Bid Procedure for a (international) congress to be held in this country

Bidding takes time, people and $! . . . And importantly Teamwork

What you need to know before making contact? Members from / in a country Association structure Boards Committees Past meeting history Next potential open date Rotation pattern

Financial Responsibility for hosting the Congress Fully financed by international umbrella organisation? Financial responsibility with local committee? Dependent on government sponsorship? Association expects profits from the congress? Importance of exhibition component?

The Bid Team or Organising Committee The members of the Organising Committee can consist of but are not limited to: The person who initiated the Bid (often the Chairperson) Invited high profile members from the same field PCO Convention Centre Convention Bureau Host country airline Sponsoring organisations

The Involvement of the PCO in the Bid Process The PCO should always be involved in the bid process since the planning and presentation of the bid will benefit from their knowledge and experience: PCO knows the whole picture of the congress IAPCO PCO can share information through their international network PCO is able to detail financial planning PCO has experience and skills in project management and co- ordination PCO often has a history of related or past meetings

Convention Bureau Very diverse roles and resources Membership - private State supported Funding and subvention $$$$$ Research National International

Role of Convention Bureau Coordination of promotion Producing and feeding information Coordination of quality control Experience and know-how Reliable partner

Project Managing the Bid Form a bid team or organising committee Analyse the bid criteria

The Bid Criteria Past congresses, confirmed future venues, frequency of the congresses Established rotation between continents or countries Next open year and ideal dates (preferred season/ month) Existence of an official tender document (guideline for bid presentation) Specific congress requirements and evolution over the past years Support of the related national industry and Local Authorities

The Bid Criteria (continued) Accessibility of the host country and general infrastructure and logistics Who are you competing against? Availability of congress facilities and hotels for the proposed dates Congress budget taking into consideration the financial objective of the congress Place and dates for the presentation of the bid Decision making process / voting rights...

Decision Making Process Made by board based on presidential recommendation Made by board based on internal meeting planning department recommendation Presentations accepted by interested parties at a previous meeting or congress Put to open vote with each country having a number of votes (political nightmare!) Close committee or Board vote Closed vote by board after presentations - room for lots of political influences but more manageable

Criteria for selecting Congress Site Availability of suitable venue which can cater for all the - minimum number of rooms over period of congress Can provide all necessary technology Stable environment & modern infrastructure Freedom of movement: goods & services Reliable local partners International airport & ease of access Local authority involvement & needs support

Project Managing the Bid Form a bid team or organising committee Analyse the bid criteria Undertake background research and prepare a profile of the congress Compile a SWOT analysis for the bid

SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Host country has a member who holds office within the organisation, e.g. President, Executive Secretary Suitable convention/exhibition facilities & excellent infrastructure Weaknesses Professional group in the host country is small /not well known Host country has not hosted a convention of a similar size / scope Opportunities Convention has never been held in the country or region Venue is determined by rotation (open date is favourable) Threats Other destinations are bidding for a second time Political instability (real or perceived) in the host country/region

Project Managing the Bid Form a bid team or organising committee Analyse the bid criteria Undertake background research and prepare a profile at the congress Compile a SWOT analysis for the bid Select city/venue & expand the project plan Prepare a bid budget and confirm funding

Project Managing the Bid Prepare a congress budget and confirm availability of funding Enlist the support of other appropriate parties Confirm bid components Design the logo for the bid Produce the bid documents Prepare any presentations & prepare any supporting presentations

Project Managing the Bid Organise a display stand & hospitality to be provided Organise promotion items to give away Organise logistics associated with the bid Rehearse the presentation Make the bid presentation Prepare & submit further information required by the bid panel If required, host a site inspection

Selling Your Competitive Advantage Get information about the other countries/cities bidding for the congress Highlight the differences and competitive advantages and make sure you cover all key issues in the most satisfactory way What is your “USP” (Unique Selling Point)

LOSS AND WIN . . . CASE STUDY

International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS) Triennial Congress

XIVth International Symposium on Atherosclerosis, Rome 2006 58 IAS national or regional societies Highly scientific 232 invited speakers 2427 abstracts, 1914 posters 16 plenary lectures & 61 workshops 17 sponsored symposia, 9 master lectures 5600 delegates and 500 accompanying persons Exhibition of 40 exhibiting companies

In the beginning….. 1994 – our client suggested we bid for the 2000 Congress with the Australian Atherosclerosis Society (AAS). PCO (arinex), Sydney Convention Centre and Sydney Convention Bureau join forces to bid. arinex prepares budget. 1995 – AAS agrees to bid

May 1995 Site inspection by four of the International Executive at our cost arinex underwrote the site inspection when our Bureau had no funding Competitors - Yokohama, Stockholm and Glasgow

July 1995 we lost to Stockholm Reason: a pharmaceutical company was conducting clinical trials and wanted to launch their outcomes so provided a $1M sponsorship Advice received: preference would be given to a Pacific Rim country for 2003

Bid for 2003 1997 second bid for 2003 Against Delhi, Jakarta, Taipei and Kyoto December 1998 hosted our second site inspection of four executive from Europe and North America

We lost to Kyoto 1976 IAS was hosted in Tokyo, Japan 1985 in Melbourne, Victoria….Australia Our previous meeting was more recent than the one in Japan! Pharmaceutical companies in Japan subsidised accommodation prices Emotional decision – Kyoto didn’t give up

Next step We decided to rest Rome chosen for 2006 Boston chosen for 2009. We knew this would be tough as this is a significant anniversary year for the USA so we decided not to bid again.

2003 Urged our client to put in their intent to bid for 2012 2004 AAS agrees to place bid and present in Rome in 2006

Motto of the story is never give up! 2006 at the Rome meeting we WON! Finally….. Sydney will host the 2012 XVI International Symposium on Atherosclerosis Motto of the story is never give up! 1994 – 2012 (18 years)! It happened last April

ISA2012 Progress!

What makes a bid successful? City / venue to fulfill the bid criteria Highly committed bid committee and their international professional relations Sponsorship opportunities Strong presence of professional group in your country Attractiveness of destination Capability and experience Budget A presentation that impacts Enthusiasm and commitment, deserve to win But most of the time it’s all about lobbying

Bidding is… The beginning of a fantastic human, scientific and financial adventure. It is exciting, rewarding and worth the effort

Thank you, May you have a wonderful 2013