ICCA UK & Ireland Chapter Summer Debate

ICCA’s UK & Ireland Chapter is very active and supports its members’ desire for networking and educational opportunities. These include a Winter and Summer Educational Debate each year.

The recent Summer Debate, “Destination Northern Europe: How to Maximise our City Assets” was held in Edinburgh on 7-8 June and was organised in collaboration with the Scandinavian Chapter. The education focused on understanding which USPs or city assets are being promoted by our venues, cities and destination marketers in order to attract association meetings, whilst minimising expenditure – very topical in our age of austerity. For the first time, the Chapter offered a number free places to students from three of the local Edinburgh universities that offer event industry courses.

The Debate was opened by Brigadier David Allfrey, CEO & Producer of the world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo, who gave a fascinating speech regarding the importance of the attitude and culture of a city in shaping the experience of attendees to events. Interestingly, he shared his military training in advising that good delegation is vital in minimising business risk.

Further topics highlighted major infrastructure investments in Aberdeen and Liverpool, the restructuring of destination marketing organisations in Edinburgh and London, an update on technology involved in hybrid events from MCI and an update on client expectations from the British Orthopaedics Association where the desire for “partnership privileges” between client/venue/city are now a decision-making priority. As part of the collaboration with the Scandinavian Chapter, delegates learned about the new Nordic Sustainable Meeting Zone and subsequent accord and how that initiative is driving potential new business for the cities in that region.

This was another successful Chapter event, with over 60 member and non-member delegates and feedback from those that attended was overwhelmingly positive. The Scandinavian Chapter has invited us to join them in Aarhus in 2013 which we hope will be another great collaboration.

To download the presentations from the Summer Debate please click here.

James Rees
Chairperson

ICCA UK & Ireland Chapter 

Director of Conferences & Events
ExCeL London