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Artikel fra One+
11-12-2009
Rethinking the impact of the Meetings industry!
It is counterproductive to exaggerate – also when it comes to the impact of the Meeting Industry!
As the Meetings and event industry is maturing there are many discussions of the societal importance of the meetings industry within national tourism organizations, convention bureaus, companies in our industry and MPI.
All meetings professionals feel pride in their job and industry. MPI is growing and enthusiasm and energy is booming. And high on the agenda is the wish to get respect and attention. To boost self esteem. To attract talent. And to influence the politicians - those who frame the conditions in which we work.
In this article I will argue that in our urge to get this respect and attention we occasionally shoot ourselves in the feet.
What is the problem?
I am one of the sinners myself. So is my organization. And so is the national tourism organization in my country. And – I am sorry to say – so is MPI.
We are all sinners because of the basic challenge that we have within the meetings industry: the lack of trustworthy statistics. Neither national statistical bureaus nor Eurostat include our industry in their statistics. Hence we have to rely on estimates and ad hoc surveys and research.
MPI Foundations own recent study on the economic impact of meetings in Canada shows for example, that the turnover from meetings held in Canada in 2006 was $32.2 Billion. And the solid academic work in the study shows, that a total of 583.500 Canadian jobs (direct, indirect and induced) have their roots in the Meetings industry. To put this figure into a European context this would if we (probably wrongly) assume that the meetings industry in Germany is of the same relative size mean that 1.426.800 German jobs have their roots in the Meetings industry. Onemillionfourhundredtwentysixthousindeighthundred. (!)
This and other studies forgets what is the reason – the determinant variable – behind activity in our meetings industry! We are nothing in our own. We reflect activity in society.
In my perspective the study in its eager to report a high number misses this important point: The connection between the turnover generated and the jobs created mirrors the activity in society. And nothing else.
We only generate turnover and jobs because conventions are being held. Companies launch products. Employees gets training etc. The demand side is forgotten.
This is not only wrong. It is also counterproductive.
My experience from discussions with friends and professionals working within finance, life sciences or for the government is clear. Arguments claiming the meetings industry is producing turnover and jobs “on its own” and bringing forth too high numbers are not taken seriously. Less is more. Exaggerating reduces respect.
And an analysis failing in its basic assumption (forgetting the demand side) fails in an academic perspective.
Hence – we produce studies and we argue hard. But we risk not to be taken seriously.
Less is more – Suggestion for another way to go
The optimistic message is: It is not necessary to boost figures and to claim credit for jobs and turnover.
To put it academically the meetings industry has lots of power as an intermediate variable.
The meetings industry has no life of its own. But I am in no doubt that the Meetings industry in itself contributes to growth and prospering of the world economy. Or in other words – professional meetingplanners enhance and accelerate the output and RoI of Meetings.
If the presentation involves participants RoI increases compared to boring old fashioned monologue based meetings. If the meetingplanner have coached and challenged his or her customers on the content of the meeting RoI increases. If F&B are healty energy is released and delegates do not sleep after lunch. If clever IT solutions are integrated participants expands their network and gets richer.
The possibilities are numerous. In Denmark the Meetings industry has under the headline ‘Meetovation’ developed a number of involving and innovative meeting concepts which contain participation, flexibility, evaluation and relocation. The concepts engage participants actively and break with one-way communication.
The concepts help planners to transform the traditional one-way communication standards into a creative forum, in which the participants are actively involved in obtaining the tools, and knowledge they need to strengthen their companies’ or associations’ overall objectives and strategies.
There is room for new research in how to quantify the effects of skilled meetingplanners work. How do we on a societal level measure the accelerates RoI from Meetings?
But in other words: The meetings industry does contribute to society. And in times of crisis we can on solid ground claim that meetings are a part of the solution.
Lars Ramme Nielsen – lrn@woco.dk
Director of Business Development, Wonderful Copenhagen CVB
VP Finance, President Elect
