Euro-Congrès

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

THE CONCEPT. . .
Launched ten 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 meeting planners, event and incentive organizers. Statistics tell us that bookings for conferences and incentive travel are the most reliable, because they are less likely to be cancelled than any other type of travel business, so it makes sense to target this most lucrative area of the market. Since the average visiting conference delegate spends over 1,200 Euro in the local community on top of their accommodation, conferences create jobs and prosperity where ever they take place.
THE OBJECTIVE. . .
Euro-Congrès has three main goals... It is aimed at directing new international conference and incentive travel business into Europe, retaining European conferences within Europe and ensuring your facilities are more fully utilised when you participate in the project. It will assist 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. . .
Euro-Congrès comprises three elements and is producing a stream of inquiries for its members . . .
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 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 to an audience of conference organizers, corporate meeting planners, insurance company travel buyers, hospital and medical planners, association and educational planners. A link is provided to member's own web site and those without a site are promoted on the Euro-Congrès Internet site. The site is currently attracting about 2,000 - 3,000 visitors on weekdays.

The second element is a travelling exhibit visiting conference, incentive and business travel exhibitions around the world, such as the annual IT&ME in Chicago, Confex in London, IMEX in Frankfurt, the BTC in Florence, the Business Travel Show in London and the EIBTM, carrying Euro-Congrès' message out to meeting planners around the globe. It enables members' brochures 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 1,600 inquiries to our members over the last three years, from planners who between them organize over 16,000 events every year.

The third element is the Euro-Congrès annual Summer Soirée held in London, it gives our members the opportunity to meet 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.

Two years ago we introduced a Winter Soirée which was held at the Hotel Rey Juan-Carlos in Barcelona to coincide with the EIBTM.

In his introduction to the Euro-Congrès Meetings Guide, Pat Cox MEP, the 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 COST. . .
The annual subscription for an individual venue or company is just £3,500 Sterling or € 5,000 EURO, which includes everything, a full page on our Internet site with a direct link to your own site, two of your staff at our Summer and Winter Soirees, representation on our stand at the shows where we exhibit, with distribution of your brochures and the inquiries 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! The full potential of the project will only be realised by including everyone in the European meeting industry. Join the project today and ensure we are not directing your potential clients to your competitors.