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CZECH REPUBLIC – Growing influence of the generation Y sets new trends in congress industry
Corinthia Prague Hotel hosted another international educational seminar organized by Prague Convention Bureau entitled “Keeping Pace in MICE: From Knowledge to Skills”. The seminar was attended by more than 120 MICE professionals, who heard presentations of seven renowned foreign and Czech speakers.
The seminar, which is becoming an annual tradition, was held in Prague for the fourth time. This time it focused on Prague as a host city of the 56th ICCA Congress and the latest trends in the field of congress tourism.
The seminar was opened by prof. MUDr. Jana Hercogová, CSc., who had been awarded for her activities in the organization of international congresses and conferences, and is also one of the patrons of Prague Convention Bureau’s Ambassador Programme. In her presentation she focused primarily on the key factors that determine the selection of the host destination. Based on her long experience in organizing congresses she also defined the main conditions for successful events – most importantly an interesting topic and coordinated organizational team.
Miloš Milovanović from the company Gaining Edge spoke about growing importance of strategic partnerships in the congress industry in response to the changing needs and requirements of clients. Creating strategic alliances is one of the current trends in MICE which is crucial to a destination’s success in today’s highly competitive environment. He stressed, however, that the trend cannot be just blindly followed without knowing in advance what we want and how to achieve it.
Rob Davidson from MICE Knowledge, who also moderated the entire event, introduced the second part of the seminar focused on the latest trends in congress industry. He analysed the current economic situation with the growing importance of emerging destinations, especially the developing and Asian countries. In particular, he mentioned trends related to demographic changes and new technologies. He stressed out the growing influence of the generation Y. By 2025 the generation Y will represent 75 % of the world’s workforce, therefore it is necessary to adjust the destination strategies to fit the requirements, expectations, values and interests of this generation in the future.
Pierre Fernandez, Senior Director of European Operations at Meeting Professionals International, introduced results of the latest MPI research on the congress industry and its further development. The results indicated that the industry can expect recovery and increase in inquiries.