Following some discussion about the absence of structured data regarding meetings and incentives in European Cities, ECM’s Research & Statistics Working Group decided to ask every ECM member about their individual practices in measuring this phenomenon in their cities.

Continuously scanning the market is a relevant practice among marketers to create and sustain the competitive advantage of their destinations. Regular monitoring of market conditions and competitors’ strategies is a valuable support to the fine-tuning of short- and medium-term strategies.

One of the key objectives of the ECM Research & Statistics Working Group for 2009 was the development of an online library for our members. I am glad to report that this objective was reached: the e-library is live!

With the aim of supporting ECM members with the task of data analysis, a new section has been created within the TourMIS system by Prof. Karl Wöber to provide short-term forecasts of tourism flows.

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it”. Had we had as much literary genius as Margaret Fuller, we would have written this line ourselves and made it the motto of the R&S Working Group. But we are more into figures, so we created the ECM Crisis Monitor.

This year will bring a lot of uncertainties in our lives and work. The economic crisis and the changing travel and leisure patterns of consumers create reductions in city trippers for a lot of our members. But on the other hand, it creates new opportunities, as consumers are looking for new destinations. Something they wouldn’t have done under ‘normal’ circumstances.

In times of crisis cut-price strategies are often seen as the only possible way to stimulate demand. Of course, such strategies only pay off if the price advantage is effective –how do you know if your destination is price competitive? And for which services, specifically? Now ECM and TourMis are able to offer a way to benchmark your city’s price competitiveness.

The European Travel Commission unifies the marketing efforts of 39 European NTOs and has the main objective of promoting Europe as an overseas destination. The Market Intelligence Group (MIG) of the ETC comprises the research directors of the member NTOs.

The next Knowledge Group meeting will be particularly dense given the number of projects currently being developed and the relatively short duration of the event. The three main items on the agenda are...