1. N°
°3
THE MCI MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 - 2009 I NOMINAL CHARGE 10€
TEvangelist MEETING OF
he Procurement
mINDS
p
OUT ERFORM
Allianz Group
Hyundai
p
INS IRE
Meetings
and Events
Effectiveness
s
IN IGHT
Still Rising
Those with Glowing Eyes

2. IN 60SECONDS
Wonderful Copenhagen,
ditorial
Dear Commun nity,
here we come
MCI announces its merger with NHG A/S in Copenhagen.
Already present in Scandinavia with offices in Stockholm and
Gothenburg, MCI is developing its presence in the region by
expanding in one of the most rapidly growing cities in Europe.
‘Wonderful Copenhagen’, which markets the city as a meeting
As I prepare fo the final year of my executive programme
or destination, will manage an increased marketing budget during
at MIT, I remem mber last year’s theme ‘Be Unreasonable’. the next 4 years. This represents a great opportunity for MCI
As traditional a advertising disappears, your soon-to-be
MCI and Green Globe in attracting clients to this destination.
customers, ov verwhelmed by constant virtual targeting,
are reminded that we all have a first life before a Second
International
Life. A first life where we connect in real places, in real
time, with real brands. In our latest Strategic Event
Alliance
MCI entered into an agreement with Green Globe Interna-
Research we interviewed over 400 Marketing Directors tional, Inc., the premier global brand for sustainable travel, MCI Support
CSR Action
u
tourism and related businesses. The two companies will
to uncover tha Events have the highest perceived ROI
at provide sustainability consultancy services, based on Green
result of the m marketing mix. Globe and MCI MeetGreenSM standards, to meeting
Be Unreasona able, embrace change by unleashing the facilities and destinations that are compelled to improve the MCI sponsored Cycle Europe 2008, a
environmental and financial performance of their operations, charity bike ride around Europe to raise
power of mee etings, NOW! through the integration of sustainable business principles. awareness and money for young stroke
victims. All funds raised during the
charity ride went directly to organiza-
tions that support rehabilitation centres
for young stroke victims in the United
pdated
Kingdom and the countries he rode
through. Furthermore, this sponsorship
2
was an opportunity for MCI to explore,
engage and share its commitment to the
EDITORIAL social end of Corporate Social Respon-
sibility (CSR).
Sébastien Tondeur on unleashing
3
the power of meetings.
UPDATED IN 60 SECONDS
The most important MCI news
in 60 seconds
at a glance.
4 INSPIRE
Sébastien Tondeur discusses
the effectiveness of meetings
World Expo
2010
6
and events.
MEETING OF MINDS
The Procurement Evangelist - As a Service Partner of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, MCI is
Luc Volatier on the evolving best placed to invite its corporate and association clientele to explore
role procurement. and expand growth opportunities in China. MCI Shanghai will provide a
8
one-stop shop solution for any integrated event management services
OUTPERFORM needed. The expected attendance is 70 million people with 206 nations
EuroFest – Hyundai Builds Community exhibiting. The expo will showcase eco-friendly approaches to sustaining
through sponsorship. a society that is ever developing and evolving.
Allianz Asia: Agent Engagement Programme.
Raising
14
Brands, People, Markets: Success Stories.
GLOBAL LIFE
Coolhunting: Top Tips Straight New Practice: £30,000 for NCH
from our Global Offices.
Performance
f The MCI Belfast office provided assistance
with the corporate fundraising event NCH
16
‘Never Mind the Business’ Fundraising Event.
INSIGHT
Still Rising – The growing recognition
of value of event marketing in Europe.
Improvement This fundraising gala was attended by 350
people from 35 local corporate companies.
MCI Belfast helped this children’s charity
Uwin Iwin and MCI are two powerful entrepreneurial cultures that are
Those with Glowing Eyes – Roger Tondeur to raise more than £30,000 on that night…
seeking to influence the effectiveness of internal communications,
tells us how he identifies talent. a great success!
channel platform productivity and employee motivation. Effective
recognition and reward strategies complement MCI’s offering and
enhance existing meetings and events practices. Uwin Iwin’s unique
technology and consultative methodologies provide the added value
needed to meet challenging organizational performance improve-
Sébastien Tondeur ment requirements.
CEO Corporate Division
|

3. s
IN PIRE
“ If you do not measure, you won’t
get the marketing dollars” – Anonymous
Meetings T
oday, meetings and
events provide a busi-
ness solution to meet
strategic organizational
Strategic Meetings Management vs.
Meetings Consolidation?
Strategic Meetings Management
(also referred to as Portfolio Optimization,
The Competitive Framework 2
Best-in-Class Average Laggards
Key functionalities of management tools:
and Events
60% corporate 41% corporate 31% corporate
goals; taking the dialog or Strategic Planning). A methodical meetings meetings meetings
calendar calendar calendar
beyond price or cost to process, whereby an organization stra-
42% electronic 31% electronic 23% electronic
elevate the conversa- tegically decides which programmes to
Te c h n o l o g y
workflow for workflow for workflow for
approval of approval of approval of
tion from logistics planning to strategic run in the context of the value derived. requests requests requests
organizational goals for employee moti- The goal is to make sure organizations 42% electronic 36% electronic 35% electronic
payment payment payment
vation, team development, learning, do not mandate meetings and events submission and submission and submission and
Effe
processing processing processing
or to drive sales. In this article we will programmes that do not fit with organi-
40% budget 30% budget 22% budget
explore what outsourcing success looks zational goals. planning and planning and planning and
analysis analysis analysis
like, why you should care and what’s in Meetings Consolidation is the process
30% online 22% online 21% online
it for you. by which an organization decides to sourcing sourcing sourcing
of meetings of meetings of meetings
centralize the control of meetings and
Why Outsource a Meetings and events programmes in order to leverage
Events Department? spend, align the brand and optimize What Does Success Look Like?
In the service industry era where human resources. In other words, how to ensure success-
Focus on core-competences
r capital is a key component of organiza- ful meetings and events outsourcing?
tional success, companies must invest Technology – What’s the Big Deal? 1. Save time and money by leveraging
and outsource the rest.
r in the resources that create the most A technology system deployment is of our purchasing power and human capi-
A professional service
n value, the most competitive differences.
A pharmaceutical company should fo-
essence to service excellence. Tech-
nology serves the following purposes:
tal. We will guarantee significant savings
on your third-party meeting spend.
firm in the meetings and cus on attracting talented researchers, automating human processes, connect-
not talented meetings professionals. ing data systems together and intel- Meetings Management Programme Savings 2
events industry will offer
s An information technology company ligence reporting. Most agencies use
11,4%
the right human capital
m should deploy resources to recruit great
systems engineers. Likewise, automo-
component technologies for registration,
sourcing, inventory management, and
12%
and an environment to
i tive companies should invest in the best consolidate them through data systems
10%
8,8%
designers. connectors. Multilayer data-reporting is 7,7%
grow; technology and
o used to ensure the effective use of hu-
8%
innovations to increase
s Meetings Management Programme Savings 1 man labour, to generate complex reports 6%
and dashboards for optimal decision
ROI; and purchasing
u making, and to avoid re-inputting data
4%
several times.
power to save costs.
v Advanced spreadsheet programmes,
2%
USE
MANDING simple database applications, and word
MOST DE
Best-in-Class Average Laggard
By Sébastien Tondeur
d USE processing are vital to our operations.
UALITY
PERFORMANCE
CEO Corporate Diviision HIGH Q
Y
These technologies are very well suited 2. Be faster and better as a focus. By
G
LO
NO
TE
CH for events of up to 250 attendees. They being a dedicated professional service
N
TIO
SR
UP
QUALIT
Y USE are the most commonly used software firm in the congress and meetings in-
DI MEDIUM
USE
in the meetings industry. Slightly more dustry, we will advise you based on our
ITY
LOW QUAL
advanced, custom-made systems us- knowledge of the latest innovations,
ing these technologies support larger trends, and technological advances.
TIME
projects. Well known registration sys-
tems and event management software 3. Provide the utmost quality and dedi-
Event management agencies are focus- are also used in very specific cases. cation in the execution of our services
ing all their efforts on attracting, growing Usually these technologies add value to by attracting the best talent this industry
and nurturing meetings professionals. projects with at least 1,000 attendees or can offer. Talent is trained on the job; our
We provide the vision and setting for for multi-events campaigns. focus is on the congress and meetings
success – rich job diversity, a culture of A best in class technology deployment industry.
innovation, a learning environment and a would first define expected outcomes
critical mass for technology systems and and business objectives, develop proc- But above all, the intent must be to
focused processes. esses, and then finally assign the right inspire trust and to open a dialog with
talent to the right job. your selected strategic partner.
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_technology
2 Source: Aberdeen Group, February 2008
|5

4. MEETING OF mINDS
The role of procurement has
come a long way with many
Chief Procurement Officers now MCI: Please tell us about your current
job position.
different categories. From the genetically
modified mouse you need to buy for the
I know several companies which have
institutionalized this approach to such an
reporting directly to companies’ Luc Volatier: I describe myself as a R&D lab to the stage performance of a extent that for every Euro they spend on
Procurement Evangelist. As a matter pop star, the same company is buying any communication action they allocate
CEOs. Luc Volatier, former of fact, I started in procurement right many different things. The challenges five cents to objectively measuring the
CPO for Numico and currently after university when I became a ‘buyer’
for a Belgian company. After a few
linked to these categories are multiple.
To name a few: (a) lack of spend visibility
real impact on their pre-defined objecti-
ves using a third party.
Executive in Residence at IMD, years in Northern Europe, I moved to at stake and the supply base involved,
the UK where I became a Purchasing (b) most of the buying is done locally MCI: In your experience, what types
dissects the evolving role of Manager. Then, after going to INSEAD, therefore difficult to coordinate globally, of measurements seem to be efficient
procurement, its evolutions and I became the first Procurement Director (c) procurement professionals don’t have in a best-in-class supplier relationship
for Danone in Asia. Until recently I was the right skill set as they mostly use the for an outsourced category? Is it
its challenges, notably in the Chief Procurement Officer for Numico, ‘toolkits’ they’ve acquired while working different for meetings and events
a Dutch food manufacturer. Today I am on their direct categories. As Martin category?
realm of measurement and ROI. an Executive in Residence at IMD, Sorrell puts in his latest Annual Report of L. V. : I would say that mutual trust and
where I am preaching about the strategic WPP: ‘The question remains whether the long term vision alignment are the most
Luc Volatier role of procurement in corporations. procurement process can successfully important ingredients for a successful
In 2008, I worked closely with two IMD purchase creative services in the way lasting outsourcing relationship. I don’t
Professors to publish a book titled ‘The door handles or widgets are bought.’ think it is that different for an outsourcing
Power of Two – How Smart Companies
“
Create Win-Win Customer-Supplier Partner-
ships that Outperform Competition.’ There is almost no limit to how much value you can
Parallel to teaching, I consult for firms
that wish to transform their procurement add to your business. The key is innovation. But
organizations. I am an invited speaker at this is not enough. As we know the devil’s in the details,
therefore seamless execution is equally important.
many conferences on procurement and
new ideas in supply chain management.
MCI: What is the importance of
This is what I call inno-cution.”
the procurement organization in
companies? MCI: What are factors you look at partnership for meetings and events.
L. V. : In many companies, more than in deciding between insourcing and If we are in the same boat or bed, I want
fifty percent of the revenue generated outsourcing? my partner to enjoy it as much as I do.
by selling to customers is in fact used L. V. : The decision is simple. If it is I want my partner to surprise me positi-
to buy products and services from core business and if the future of your vely with unexpected initiatives; I call it
suppliers. This proportion even reaches company depends on it: keep it in- innovation. I want my chosen partner to
eighty percent in some manufacturing house. When you really do the test for be the right one for the entire sailing trip,
companies. Over the last decades, your company you then realize that not or life.
companies have gradually focused their so many things are that critical. Think of
resources on a limited number of core Apple. Steve Job has done the exercise. MCI: Where do you see the trend on
competencies and therefore have They even write on the back of every measurement going, towards more
become much more dependant on product they sell around the world what cost, value or quality and why?
outside vendors. Procurement professio- is really strategic for them and what’s L. V. : I think many procurement pro-
nals are here to help corporations get not: Designed in California (by Apple), fessionals have realized that there is a
the maximum value for every dollar they Assembled in China (by a supplier). The limit to how far costs can be reduced.
spend. This is an absolutely key idea. minute you’ve decided a product or a On the contrary, there is almost no limit
If they do it smartly they can bring a true service could be outsourced, you then to how much value you can add to your
competitive edge to their company. On have to find the company which has business. The key is INNOVATION. But
the down side, if they screw up, it can the greatest expertise and the adequate this is not enough. As we know the
be a disaster. Have you heard of Jose scale to become your partner. But re- devil’s in the details, therefore seamless
Lopez’ techniques while he was Pur- member, it takes two to tango! EXECUTION is equally important. This is
chasing VP at General Motors? what I call INNO-CUTION. It is all about
You see the result today… MCI: Generally speaking how do you bringing new products or new ideas to
measure ROI of marketing, commu- the market faster than competition but in
MCI: What are the main challenges nication or events spend? It is typi- a controlled manner. I have been able to
that procurement faces today in the cally measured in terms of financial witness first hand that MCI has this very
indirect spend category? returns? Does your measurement also special gene in its DNA.
L. V. : Procurement professionals started consider other benefits?
their job by focusing on direct spend. L. V. : This is in fact the first question a
Then they moved to the uncovered procurement professional would ask the
spend. Call it NPR - Non Product Rela- Marketing or Communication Director
ted, OGS - Other Goods and Services, before working on a project. How will
NFR - Not For Resale or simply ‘indi- you describe success? How could we
rect’; this is a huge collection of very measure it? There is not an easy answer.
|7

5. p
OUT ERFORM OUT ERFORM
T p
It’s the summer of 2008 and football euphoria rules in Europe. The UEFA
EURO 2008™in Austria and Switzerland is about to get into full swing
and the football fan community is anxiously awaiting the start of Europe’s
greatest sporting event.
he Hyundai Motor Company Daytime activities included holding the The Challenge:
T
(HMC), the official automo- official Kick-off ceremony where UEFA In the context of a Kick-off event prior
tive partner for the UEFA Officials and the HMC top management to the UEFA EURO 2008™, Hyundai
EURO 2008™ wanted to recognized and rewarded winners from the sought to generate positive brand
ensure that they remain one on-line and off-line marketing activities and awareness in the Swiss marketplace,
of the most visible brands a programme named ‘Quest for the Best’, to showcase its product lines and to
around football, which is one a football skills competition which provided incorporate key internal and external
of the most popular sports in the world. the opportunity for amateurs to try to break stakeholders. For a public event with
As part of a five month global marketing current Guinness world records. The Hyundai multiple on-site activities, Hyundai
campaign, South Korea’s largest auto objective was to enhance their image as a required a partner skilled in bringing
maker aimed to bring the crescendo of its ‘football loving’ brand as well as an Official multiple elements alive from their
sponsorship engagement to the fans in the Partner of the UEFA EURO 2008™. sponsorship engagements, whilst
host city of Basel, Switzerland, at the Kick- Further emotional impact was achieved leveraging the best of both the Korean
Hyundai
off of the UEFA EURO 2008™ games. in the hearts of the Swiss fans with a live and Swiss business cultures.
Hyundai objectives were to generate posi- evening performance by Baschi, a Swiss
tive brand awareness and positioning for a music star, singing his song ‘Bring en hei’ The Solution:
broad segment of the Swiss marketplace, which established itself as the Swiss foot- MCI conceived of a tailor-made
to showcase their product line and to ball anthem. This highlight was transmitted programme combining a fully branded
incorporate the HMC senior management, to all of Switzerland by the major Swiss communications campaign, on-site
dealers, partners and fans. HMC called television network, SF1. showcasing of their automobiles and
upon MCI Zurich to help bring all these an engagement concept for sporting
elements alive. Throughout all the event stages, Hyundai fans, clients and dealers alike.
and MCI project teams partnered together Implementation included hosting a
To build up the anticipation of the Hyundai to provide a high impact branded environ- Korean HMC team working in the MCI
EuroFest, MCI created a fully branded ment allowing HMC to build and reinforce Zurich offices for a few weeks prior to
Builds
communications programme which relationships and their brand with the the event – living and blending Korean
included a media mix of online, print, radio dealers, customers, media and the public and Swiss work cultures.
and TV spots and PR activities, as well as at large. The communication campaign
poster and flyer promotions within the host was successful in attracting a crowd of The Result:
city of Basel. Furthermore, to showcase over 10,000 people to the EuroFest, with This programme generated positive
the Hyundai automobiles on display, a transfer of the key branding messages brand association between HMC and
various POS materials were created for the being reported in 24 different media the excitement of Europe’s greatest
occasion. channels. Interestingly enough, in Western sporting event, having reached a
In the official Basel Fan Zone, which was Europe sales of the i10 1, one of the broader audience of over 10,000 on-
no more than the parade grounds of a featured vehicules at the EuroFest, site visitors and generating 24 positive
Swiss military campus, MCI created the increased 25% two months later… articles 2 in important media channels.
Community through sponsorship EuroFest environment providing a place for
Hyundai to engage and entertain the ge-
neral public, as well as VIP zones for their
a score HMC can be proud of!
1 www.hyundai.com (European Retail Sales)
2 www.argus.ch
dealers, customers, press, public officials
and senior executives of HMC. Contact: richard.staub@mci-group.com
|9

6. p
OUT ERFORM p
OUT ERFORM
T
Allianz, one of the major global insurers, sought to motivate and reward
its top agents from the Asia Pacific region, with the ultimate goal to develop
long term and sustainable growth for both the company and its local talents.
Allianz
he Allianz Group, one of both China’s heritage and the modern
T
The Challenge:
today’s leading global ser- face of the People’s Republic. Allianz Asia sought to motivate and
vice providers in insurance The programme kicked off with a series reward its top agents from the Asia
and financial services, has of workshops. Session topics were de- Pacific region, with the ultimate goal
operations on almost every signed to be relevant to the local audien- to develop long term and sustainable
continent. With over 150,000 ce and reinforce the global positioning growth in the region for both the com-
employees, the group serves more than of Allianz. Sessions’ topics included pany and its local high performers.
75 million customers in over 70 coun- ‘Persistence’, ‘Achieving through the This representing the company’s first
tries. Heart’, ‘Power of Believing’ and ‘Next performance improvement program-
The Asia Pacific region represents one Generation Leader’ just to name a few. me in Asia, they called upon MCI’s
of the strategic growth regions for the These workshops supplied the substan- global experience and reach (Shanghai
company. Allianz has been present in the tive input for achieving the visions of the Office) to create a locally relevant
Asia:
region for over 90 years, currently with future in a learning environment. incentive and reward programme.
its 13,000 staff serving over 17 million Following the workshop sessions, par-
policy holders. As Allianz had never ticipants were then requested to attend The Solution:
rolled out a performance improvement the Award Presentation. The Olympic MCI conceived a content-based
campaign in Asia on a regional basis, Sports Centre was the appropriate set- training programme culminating in
they called upon MCI’s global experien- ting for honouring the best performances a rewarding and motivational expe-
ce and reach (Shanghai Office) to initiate of the participants in a true sports-like rience. The programme’s slogan was
a locally relevant incentive and reward spirit. ‘Determine, Overcome, Innovate,
programme. The Great Wall of China was host of Triumph’. The concept was imple-
The company’s top agents invited to the final event of the day. The regional mented in a way that leveraged the
this event came from China, Indonesia, agents came together around a once in company’s business objectives.
Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand, while a lifetime production creating a lasting
Agent
committee members arrived from Allianz’ memory of key business objectives and The Result:
regional head office in Singapore. Beijing communication messages. This also This programme helped create a
was chosen as the destination of choice provided an unforgettable experience, lasting memory of key business objec-
to leverage on the winning spirit of the which further contributed towards tives and communication messages.
Engagement
Olympic Games taking place there a few building community between the high It also provided an unforgettable
months later. performers. experience, which contributed further
Answering Allianz’ call for greater Major economic powers around the towards building community between
productivity and growth, MCI’s stra- world have respect for the economic the agents.
tegy focused on creating an experience strength of the Chinese ‘dragon’. Allianz
Programme
that blended the right mix of learning, Asia benefited from that. With an
motivating and rewarding. The company Olympic team spirit, and with the self-
selected two coveted venues for this confidence of success, the company
event: the Great Wall and the Olympic prepared to scale new heights of growth
Sports Centre Gymnasium, showcasing with the dragon. Contact: frankie.gao@mci-group.com
|11

7. T p
OUT ERFORM OUT ERFORM
T p
Celebrate outstanding
Unite your performance
organization MCI Dublin worked with a large telecommuni-
cation company to produce their annual awards
Every company has important dates to Convey Focus on ceremony to recognize and reward outstanding
employees. The event was designed to energize
remember; they provide an opportunity
for staff to come together in a spirit to a press launch your core business team work and motivate employees. Creativity
as well as on-time and on-budget requirements
of celebration and recognize all those
who help create a company’s history, Legendary Swiss watchmaker Patek One of the world’s largest pharmaceu- were successfully met for this client.
day by day. MCI worked with a major Philippe decided to re-launch its famous tical companies decided to outsource
Nautilus brand, an iconic watch from the its event management department MCI DUBLIN
telecom player to bring its staff to-
gether, inform them of the company’s 1970’s. MCI designed an appealing 70’s to reduce operational cost and to
new strategic direction and present theme to convey the essence of the Nau- concentrate on its competitive core
them with last year’s successes. tilus heritage to over 300 journalists. The business, pharmaceutical research.
result was extensive international media MCI was chosen because of its global
MCI PARIS and MCI LYON coverage and the product was success- reach and strong purchasing power.
fully launched into the market. MCI is about people, therefore the
lock-step plan of integrating their event
MCI GENEVA and DORIER management staff into our organiza-
tion won the client over.
MCI GENEVA and MCI ZURICH
Create effective
communication
collaterals
MCI Geneva helped a client
in the luxury industry to
create a modular event stand
concept which allowed for
easy reproduction in many
different markets. MCI pro-
duced the necessary market-
ing collateral including an
intranet, for easy access to
information.
Energize your
MCI GENEVA
new team during
a merger
Two leaders in the Swiss energy
sector completed a merger to
create Alpiq. The new management
called upon MCI to bring together
Build market share, Communicate across its newly formed team and cele-
brate the merger. MCI developed a
build your brand five different countries Reward your channel progressive brand immersion expe-
rience that created a clear percep-
With limited budget and just one
month to prepare, MCI Barcelona
MCI was approached by a multinational
IT manufacturer to help design a customer
partners tion of the key messages, a positive
attitude toward the merger, trust in
worked with an international relationship management programme in the Board and the will to engage.
To boost distribution sales, Mercedes-
pharmaceutical company on a national five different countries. With account mana- Benz Truck and Van Division was MCI GENEVA
product launch that targeted 150 key gement in Singapore, MCI developed all presented with an incentive scheme
industry opinion leaders and experts. back-end logistics and creative support to improve its sales and increase
MCI produced a memorable event to from India. The client was then free to focus revenues. The top performers were
enforce the client’s key message. on its marketing message to key customers rewarded with a motivational programme
and strongly position itself in new markets. in an attractive destination in Europe.
MCI BARCELONA
MCI SINGAPORE and MCI DELHI MCI ZURICH
|13

8. T GLOBAL IF
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top ics fr rs a n unp true ,0
1,200 00m² offer gs and exc fashion
ue offe res the Movie Route offers a fascinating perspective of th vibrant
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the ven ce that captu ers and metropolis and famous film and television production sets, d lu
facing elegates, h auditoriums sive galas
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experie automobile lo re lovers such as Almodóvar’s All About My Mother and Ky Mino-
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kerstin m
GLOBAL Coolhunters! We have distilled the best insider
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in real place, real time.
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the Storehouse is a Dublin must-see!
mark.egan@mci-group.com
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frankie.gao@mci-group.com cecilia.lindbladh@mci-group.com
|15

9. s
IN IGHT s
IN IGHT
An increasing
recognition of
value highlights
the current state The Greatest ROI in Marketing Accelerating and Deepening Relationships Measurement Motivation
of event Question: Of these marketing elements,
which would you say is best for accelerating
Question: Why do you measure the impact
of event marketing?
StillRising
marketing in Event Marketing
and deepening relationships?
To Demonstrate Marketing ROI
Western Europe. Direct Mail
13%
23%
Event Marketing
37%
Marketing
44% Best Practice To Protect or
Increase Budget
Print Advertising 5%
10%
Direct Mail 4%
Other 13% 11%
Print Advertising
Broadcast Advertising Other 6%
6% To Improve Attendee
Experience
7% Broadcast Advertising Other 22% 17%
Web Marketing
Web Marketing 3%
17% 7%
Public Relations Public Relations To Justify Expenditure
Procurement Influence
17% 23% 5% 10%
Source: EventView 2009 Global
Taken from MPI one+ EMEA March/April 2009 Issue http://www.mpiweb.org/CMS/uploadedFiles/EventView%202009%20Global%20Webcast.ppt
By Dalia Fahmy
At a time when companies in Western Europe believe that using ing is the marketing discipline that best recession have only accelerated this trend, they are designed to fulfill a particular a company’s business goals and help
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are cutting events, slashing events to market their products is one accelerates and deepens relationships, says Event Marketing Institute’s Smith. strategic objective. And in order to fulfill achieve them.
marketing budgets and of the most effective forms of market- trailed by a wide margin by public rela- «When times were good, companies objectives, event planners must measure Event planners who can position
fretting about how they will ing out there and expect any potential tions at 23 per cent. would hold an event because they very specific results. themselves accordingly have a rare
hold on to customers in marketing budget increases this year to For companies that sell complicated and always have. But now companies Into the Future opportunity to rise up the corporate food
the recession, one of IBM’s go toward events. expensive products, such face-to-face are asking ‘What is the ROI we’re Not surprisingly, the drive to prove ROI chain. Instead of simply being viewed
highest-ranking marketing executives is Twenty-three per cent of marketing meetings are especially crucial. getting?’» Smith said. «We’re seeing has produced another pleasant side as logistical wizards who can smoothly
surprisingly upbeat. Eric Andrews belie- managers said event marketing provides a very strong movement toward effect: innovation. As event marketers pull off complex events, they are being
ves an aggressive event strategy will help the highest ROI, according to prelimi- Experience Marketing measuring the impact of events.» experiment with ways to produce better welcomed to the decision-making table
carry IBM through the storm. nary findings from the EventView 2009 But face-to-face meetings also work According to EventView, 64 per cent results, they find it necessary to break along with heads of marketing and
As a vice president in charge of generat- survey, published by the MPI Foun- wonders for consumer product or of respondents said they engage in obsolete barriers. Many companies are advertising.
ing demand for IBM products around the dation, the Event Marketing Institute service companies trying to build brand some form of post-event ROI measu- experimenting with new event formats, However, to make that transition, plan-
world, Andrews sees a clear correlation and marketing firm George P. Johnson loyalty. Many of these companies refer rement. More interestingly, companies for example, or broadening the life of ners must be willing to show they can
between smartly planned events and (GPJ). This figure is up slightly over the to «event marketing» as «experience that measure ROI are three times as an event by focusing more on pre- and supply results.
IBM’s ability to attract customers. In fact, previous year’s global survey results, marketing,» because the events allow likely to expect increases in their event post-event activities. «The last thing you want is to get a
he says IBM’s event marketing budget for with 22 per cent citing event marketing prospective customers to live and brea- marketing budget than companies Companies known for technological call from above, saying that you’ll
2008-2009 rose slightly compared to the as providing the greatest ROI. the the brand. that don’t measure. Respondents say savvy in particular are feeling the push lose your budget if you can’t prove
prior fiscal year, and has not been cut so Perhaps more importantly, a large «Experience marketing gives people they measure ROI for a wide variety of toward creating richer experiences. IBM, how your department is contributing
far. percentage of respondents (30 per cent) an unprecedented opportunity to reasons, ranging from justifying expendi- for one, has begun to experiment with to the bottom line,» Smith said.
«Events are going to be critical for said they expect any budget increases look a brand in the eye and decide ture to improving attendee experience to different forms of events, with a focus And while this need for measuring ROI is
us in this economy, both in terms of this year to go toward event and Web how closely they want to affiliate influencing procurement. on helping customers co-create the especially acute today, don’t expect it to
reaching out to new customers and marketing. with that brand,» Rich said. «What But because ROI is still an emerging experience. disappear any time soon.
deepening relationships with our happens in print and broadcast is a field, there is little consistency within «We’ve been asked to be more stra-
core franchise,» said Andrews, who Face-to-Face Value statement of claims. In experience companies in how they measure the What This Means For You tegic, more clear about outcomes
manages a budget worth hundreds of One of the top reasons executives say marketing, you can actually give efficacy of events, let alone consistency «Companies recognize the impor- and more accountable for back-end
millions of dollars within IBM’s marketing event marketing is so effective is becau- people an experience of the brand’s across industries. Metrics also vary tance of events,» Event Marketing reporting,» Cisco’s Neipp said.
department and dedicates up to 40 per se it brings customers and companies values and attributes.» In effect, he widely depending on whether an event is Institute’s Smith said. «Even though «We will never go back to the way
cent of it to event-driven marketing each face-to-face. And that, in turn, helps says, the events allow potential consu- meant to spark sales, generate publicity the marketing pie might be getting we were before, and be permitted to
year. «Events are a critical aspect of foster relationships more effectively than mers to experience how their lives will or just educate consumers. Another pro- smaller because companies are being do anything less than measure and
face-to-face marketing. They enable any other form of interaction. be improved if they affiliate themselves blem with measuring ROI is that it takes really careful with their pennies, build that into how we invest.»
us to connect our salesforce with our «It’s like dating,» said Kerry Smith, with a certain brand. a long time - sometimes years - to build event marketing still makes up 26
customers and help us better under- executive director of the Event Mar- up a meaningful comparison base. per cent of their marketing spend.»
stand their needs and explain our keting Institute. «Face-to-face is the Happy Returns Consistency, of course, is key to mea- These days, companies want to make
products.» most efficient way to create and This growing understanding of event ningful ROI measurement. But industry sure every event has a clear place within
The good news is that Andrews is not deepen relationships with people.» marketing’s value has led to a growing leaders in event marketing are taking a wider marketing strategy. As a result,
alone: A growing number of top-level The numbers concur: 44 per cent of awareness of the need to measure ROI, the process one step further. They say successful meeting planners must be-
executives at the largest companies those surveyed said that event market- and the financial pressures caused by the that events are almost pointless unless come strategic players who understand www.mpiweb.org
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