Event Planners Moving To Secondary Cities For Venues
The global meetings market are dominated by several major cities across the world, cities familiar to people that handle marquee hire in Sydney, Orlando, Vegas, London and the like. But costs are going up while availability goes down, organizers and other event industries are moving their events to alternate cities.
EMEA Vice President Ian Cummings, CWT Meetings & Events, noted that companies were taking interest in secondary cities, like Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham in the UK. Other people in event management noted that secondary cities are now working hard to draw in events business, as they realize the importance of events to their economies, which means that they’re focused on delivering a better result to clients.
In the AU, events that are usually seen by marquee hire in Sydney are now happing in other cities, like Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Port Douglas.
A major incentive for companies looking to secondary cities is, of course, the financial benefits. Cost is a huge factor, with major cities like Paris and London having availability issues. Secondary cities can, potentially, offer more, like offsite restaurant choices, and exciting external team-building activities.
Caroline Gair, Director of Supplier Relations at Cievents, warned that any savings made from reduced venue costs could be eroded by increased transport costs, on top of limited flight availability and the necessity of extra stops. She did, however, point out that some cities offer additional benefits for bringing meetings and conventions to their city.
Secondary cities across the world are becoming more and more aware of the heavy bookings and high costs that are associated with the major cities, and, as such, are doing what they can in order to present themselves as worthy alternatives.
Gair says that secondary cities are more proactive when it comes to bringing in events business, as they know they need to work hard. The result is that secondary cities include more value add-ons, room freebies and cost waivers, which is good for the bottom line.
On the other end, the event industry gets a bit more space to take risks when they go for a lesser-known venue, but experts in the industry say that good research is more important as a result. Organizers have to make sure that the venue has the amenities, activities and service offerings that they need.
