The second Mercado Workshop hailed as an outstanding success!


The second Mercado Workshop was held in Berlin last week on 17-19th February. Ten ECM members joined the workshop, each one inviting a corporate client.  

The secret of this success lies in the formula. Mercado is a workshop for ECM conventions members, and each participating convention bureau brings along one of its key clients representing the lucrative corporate meetings sector. Working to a schedule in the form of 20 minute speed-dating appointments, the bureaux exchange clients to the mutual benefit of all. The clients hear about new city destinations and the bureaux meet new clients with the potential of this translating into future sales and business.
 
The venue for Mercado 2011 was Hotel Scandic, located right in the heart of Berlin (at Potsdamer Platz). From the welcome cocktail on Thursday to the coffee breaks and closing dinner on Friday, much business was discussed and transacted in a friendly and lively manner.
 
The feedback from clients and bureaux has been equally positive.
Eliane Serve, representing Renault Trucks Marketing Opérationnel France, and the client invited by Lyon Convention Bureau says:   “The stay in Berlin was very pleasant and friendly. The programme was short but intensive, so I could meet with all ECM members and find out about the conference and meetings offers of their respective cities. Also, I discovered Berlin which is a very interesting city for the different events we organize”.
Barbara Schwaiger, representing Tourismus Salzburg GmbH says: “This workshop was very well organized. For we ECM members, it was great to see that all colleagues brought along excellent clients. So the investment of time and money was absolutely worth it. This format is always a little risky but it worked, and the spirit of the workshop was so agreeable and courteous. Mercado contains a simple but very important message, namely that we are not always competitors and we can be copartners to our mutual benefit”.
 
All attendees are looking forward to taking part in the next edition.

 

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