Geographic location should never be a conference’s main attraction

Although a number of Latin American destinations –such as Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, to name a few—have done remarkably well in the international MICE industry in recent decades, it is also true that the proper distinction between the meeting-and-conference sector and leisure tourism remains a challenge in many countries of the region –a fact that could cause a number of simple, yet costly mistakes in their quest to attract more events.

According to Christian Mutschlechner, former director of the Vienna Convention Bureau, MICE destinations around the globe, for example, risk losing many important international events (and therefore, millions of dollars in profits) due to a wrong emphasis on the geographic location’s marketing.

Mutschlechner, who issued his statements during his keynote presentation at this year’s FIEXPO Latin America in Santiago, Chile, substantiated his claim by citing a case in which he was required to review an event’s compliance with the client’s expectations.

He said: “In evaluating all the information available, I soon discovered that the scientific details –the most important aspect of the information—were not ready. I then decided to take a look at its web page and, much to my surprise, discovered a picture of the hotel’s swimming pool accompanied by the statement, ‘The best option for you and your family’. No pictures of the conference halls were found on the page. This, of course, rendered the aforementioned activity as a ‘high-risk event’. Geographic location should never be a conference’s main attraction.”

FIEXPO Latin America is considered the largest MICE-industry trade fair in Latin America and the Caribbean. This year’s fair offered keynote presentations and forums on topics such as Emergent destinations vs. capital cities; the convergence of international associations and organizations on the same path, and tourist services vs. meeting services.

This year’s FIEXPO coincided with the “changing of guards” with regards to host countries, with Chile transferring the role to Colombia after a cycle of three years.

One of the main features of this annual event is a series of business meetings to promote networking amongst guest buyers, commercial visitors, exhibitors, and over 60 government representatives from throughout the Americas.