Meetings Industry

The Reason Why | Purpose

Our objective is to collectively help shape the convention bureau of tomorrow by improving and broadening best practices to strengthen the sustainable visitor economy for the city.

We believe that meetings create long-term, positive, sustainable impacts in destinations to benefit their business clusters and academic, science and cultural communities through global audiences.

Together, European destinations aim to position the Meetings Industry as a key component in national and international economies, thus contributing to the unity of our sector.

We identify and acknowledge new trends, as well as provide educational programmes to retain and attract talents while securing the future of meetings professionals.

Goals & Guiding Principles

We are responsible for all Meetings Industry-related activities which represent one of City Destinations Alliance’s 3 key pillars. We aim to position the Meetings Industry as an acknowledged and respected key component in national and international economies, inspire to strengthen the unity of the industry community, secure the future of our young meeting professionals and contribute to positively shaping the European Convention Bureaux of tomorrow.

• We support the CVBs role in Europe (advocacy).
• We are responsible for the planning and delivery of all Meetings Industry-related activities, like the CityDNA Summer School or the presence of City Destinations Alliance at global tradeshows.
• We create a community of CVBs, a place to meet, exchange and identify key issues in the Meetings Industry.
• We monitor data related to the Meetings Industry (in cooperation with R&I group).
• We help identify trends and support CVBs in their efforts to align their own strategic agendas to whatever demands the future will bring (ex: sustainability topics, hybrid value proposition for destinations, what value propositions can DMOs/CVBs make in the future, how CVBs can remain relevant in the rapidly-evolving virtual landscape, how associations will build their congresses in the future, how to partner with suppliers and local economic cluster within your city, PCOs, Convention centres, etc.

What we do | Action Plan

• Suggest topics and speakers for Meetings Industry sessions during both CityDNA annual conferences (ex: innovation and digital transformation, navigating new safety & security regulations for our clients, sustainability and how it permeates in all aspects of events, how to develop or implement legacy in a destination, etc).
• Promote the CityDNA Summer School.
• Organise CityDNA’s presence at global industry tradeshows (IMEX and IBTM).
• Organise CityDNA CVB Cafés twice a year.
• Find partners and/or sponsors for the CVB Cafés.
• Collaborate and strengthen relationships with Meetings Industry and media partners like IMEX, IBTM, ICCA, The Iceberg, SITE, HQ Magazine.
• Maintain the link between the CVBs with sessions on relevant and current issues and challenges.
• Promote CityDNA to non-member CVBs across Europe.
• Get more CVB members engaged in CityDNA through the Board and the conferences.