THE CONCEPT . . .
Launched more than thirteen years ago, the purpose of this important initiative is to promote Europe as a conference, event and incentive travel destination to a world wide audience of corporate, association, educational and health, meeting and event planners. Statistics tell us that bookings for conferences, groups, exhibitions and incentive travel are the most reliable, because they are far less likely to be cancelled than leisure travel, so it makes sense to target this most lucrative area of the market. Since the average visiting conference delegate spends over 1,000 Euro in the local community on top of their accommodation, conferences create jobs and prosperity where ever they take place.

THE OBJECTIVE. . .
The European Convention Bureau has three main goals... It is aimed at directing new international conference, exhibition and incentive travel business into Europe, retaining European events within our continent and ensuring your facilities are more fully utilised when you participate in the project. It assists event organizers and meeting planners from around the world to gain a comprehensive picture of the facilities you have available here in Europe.

THE TOOLS. . . The first is the Euro-Congrès Internet Site, including all the latest members and instantly accessible on the World Wide Web, making it available 24 hours a day to 80,000,000 people! New members of the Euro-Congrès project usually appear on the Internet within seven days of joining! There is a chapter for each of the countries participating and it is within these chapters that suppliers, individual venues, towns, regional and national tourist boards are able to promote their particular facilities. A link is provided to each member's own website from the Euro-Congrès Internet site, which can attract up to 2,000 visitors a day seeking European facilities.

The second element is exhibiting at five or six MICE shows and meetings exhibitions around the world, such as the Business Travel Show in London, CONFEX, IMEX in Frankfurt, the annual IT&ME in Chicago, the BTC in Rome and the EIBTM, carrying Euro-Congrès' message out to meeting planners from around the globe. It enables members to be seen at exhibitions where they might not normally be represented or able to attend on their own. Our stand provides our members with a place to meet their clients at these important shows. It has enabled us to circulate over 3,000 qualified inquiries to our members over the last few years, from planners organizing more than 30,000 events every year.

The third element is the annual Euro-Congrès Summer Soirée held at one of our member's venues in London, it gives our members the opportunity to meet about 100 buyers from some of Britain and Europe's largest and most important companies and organizations in the informal atmosphere of a beautiful venue. A buffet supper and prize draw complete an enjoyable evening.

In his introduction to the Euro-Congrès Meetings Guide, Pat Cox MEP, former President of the European Parliament says, "I am happy to support the continued good work of the European Convention Bureau as an organisation which aims to encourage the creation of jobs and prosperity by promoting European conference and meeting facilities. This is exactly the kind of outward looking approach we need to attract new dynamism and drive into our economy." The full text is available on our website.

THE COST. . .
The current annual subscription for an individual venue or company is only 5,000 EURO, plus a Joining Fee, which includes everything, a full colour page on our Internet site with a direct link to your own site, two of your sales team at our Soirées and other events, representation on our stand at the shows where we exhibit, with distribution of your brochures and the inquiries we collect.

YOUR PLACE IN THE PROJECT. . . IF YOUR FACILITIES ARE NOT BEING USED TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL NOW, then the Euro-Congrès project is where you need to be seen! Apply today, to see if your facilities and services are what we seek in a new member of the European Convention Bureau. If you are accepted, it will ensure we are not just directing your potential clients to your competitors.

Last updated 7 June 2009