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| Setting the convention |
| Anand Sankar / New Delhi Oct 02, 2009, 00:13 IST |
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Hyderabad’s new convention complex is all set to host the 2010 ICCA Congress
 While New Delhi is huffing and puffing to gear up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the very same year, Hyderabad will put itself on the world map for hosting a series of “mini Olympics”. The “mini Olympics” are massive conventions on everything from healthcare to power tools, explains Martin Sirk, CEO, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). According to him Hyderabad with its new convention complex, could become a major hotspot for such events in the world.
Sirk is on a trip to India to see first hand the preparations for the 2010 ICCA Congress in Hyderabad and he feels that this event will market Hyderabad as a world-class convention centre to the world. “Our congress is an enormous platform to showcase India among the about 1,000 delegates participating, one third will be CEOs and presidents and another third directors and vice-presidents from a variety of organisations and companies,” says Sirk.
ICCA focuses exclusively on organising, which includes taking care of the transport and accommodation, international meetings and events. These meetings are not corporate or government but are those that are held by a multitude of organisations from around the world. An example would be a convention of cardiologists from around the world. ICCA keeps a database of such regular events that happen across the world and its members can access data on these events so that they can either participate in or host them. The ICCA Congress is an annual gathering of its 850 members.
These conventions by organisations, according to Sirk are lucrative money spinners for host countries or cities. He says statistics compiled by ICCA has shown that on an average, spend by delegates who attend these conventions is three to eight times that of a regular visitor. A convention usually has between 700 to 1,000 delegates. He says these conventions, numbering about 7,500 annually as of 2008, are “not just how many bed nights”. Thus as a consequence a number of countries and cities across the world fight for a piece of the pie estimated at about US$ 12 billion.
Europe, Sirk says, leads the way with around 4,100 events annually and that is simply due to the sheer density of organisations in the continent. Following second is Asia and West Asia, which hold about 1,400 events. Sirk says this number is bound to grow as Asia’s influence on the global economy grows. Among the countries leading the way in hosting events in the Asia-Pacific region are Japan, China, Australia, Republic of Korea and Singapore. But the data gets interesting if one looks purely only at cities. Singapore is the undisputed leader followed by Seoul and Beijing, with New Delhi coming a distant 13th.
“In Korea every city has a convention centre and they aggressively chase this business. China has the infrastructure but doesn’t chase. Singapore is unique because the city-state government actively backs chasing and the city continuously wins even though it is among the most expensive destinations,” says Sirk.
The trick to attract such events, according to Sirk is for a “bid to be focussed on the business case”. He believes the host should bring people together and also show them what they can offer, thus benefiting in the long term. Sirk says he is impressed by both the Hyderabad International Airport and the convention centre, signing up as ICCA members. He adds that it is a departure from what he has seen in India. “The states here are more leisure-tourism focussed. And there is no one here doing city-level stuff. Also in India the capital development in hotels has been lagging behind. But they will soon catch up.”
Sirk says the hospitality industry in India is gearing up for this new business and the evidence of that is free broadband at major hotels. He says that is the first requirement for a modern meeting. “You can say this is the middle business for the hotel industry. The international associations meetings market is quite recession proof as bookings are usually done three to four years in advance,” adds Sirk.
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