Tilman Hengevoss discusses the value of engagement at events. He notes that keeping audience attention and measuring event results are key challenges. Emotional elements can foster greater engagement than rational ones. Zurich Financial Services has shifted budgets from traditional media to event platforms that engage customers through discussion and entertainment on topics like climate change. Hengevoss measures event impact through engagement surveys with quantitative KPIs. High engagement reflects effective communication and translates to increased productivity.

1. 4
N°
THE MCI MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 - 2010 I NOMINAL CHARGE 10€
mINDS
TheEngagement
MEETING OF
Value
of
p
OUT ERFORM
Guinness
SAP
Sibos
p
INS IRE
“The Measurement
Debate is Alive”
s
IN IGHT
ROI on the Rise
What Value Really Means

2. e ditorial
Dear Community,
Last year’s economic turmoil brought on a number
of fundamental changes to our industry. Meeting
spend came under increased scrutiny driven by public
perception and regulations. Expectations for the
meaningful demonstration of value of events reached
significant proportions. Oddly enough, it is during
these times of slowdown that events can show even
greater significance as they provide the right tools for
an organization to revitalize its talents, nurture its client
relationships and ward off competitors. In this issue, as
our attention turns to demonstrating value, I invite you
to discover its many faces and forms.
2 EDITORIAL
3
Sébastien Tondeur
on demonstrating value.
UPDATED IN 60 SECONDS
4
The most important MCI news
at a glance.
INSPIRE
The Measurement Debate is
6
Alive by Dev Sharma.
MEETING OF MINDS
The Value of Engagement -
8
Tilman Hengevoss on the value
of events.
OUTPERFORM
Guinness: 250th Jubilee Celebration
SAP Branding & Engagement Strategy
14
Sibos: A Financial Community
Brands, People, Markets: Success Stories
GLOBAL LIFE
Coolhunting: Top Tips Straight
16
from our Global Offices.
INSIGHT
ROI on the Rise – It’s in hot demand
by those writing the checks.
What Value Really Means –
Ben Goedegebuure tells us
all about value.
Sébastien Tondeur
Chief Executive Officer

3. IN 60SECONDS
2009 : A Year of Expansion 2009 was a good year for MCI expansion. To meet the ever-increasing demand
for services in Latin America, MCI added offices in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
to complement our presence in Argentina. Following the successful launch and
growth of its Shanghai and Hong Kong offices, MCI Beijing opened its doors to
provide operational excellence in the Central Business District of Beijing.
Building on the success of MCI in Paris and Lyon, we opened additional offices
in Montpellier, Marseille and the French Riviera.
MCI Sustainability Services Instrumental in
BS8901 Certification of COP15
Large, complex events often have a heavy environmental impact on the
host communities in which they occur. In 2007, MCI created Sustainability
u
Services to innovate practical, measured solutions for creating and delivering
sustainable events. An exciting example of the return on this investment
came during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) held
in Copenhagen in December 2009. MCI Sustainability Services provided
tools, structure and communications support to achieve “greener” results.
The COP15 event, which accredited more than 47,000 people from all
over the world, presented significant challenges for all stakeholders. MCI’s MCI Dublin
Best Workplace
Sustainable Event Management framework helped guide an approach
which resulted in COP15 organizers having their event management system
recognized as compliant with the BS8901 standard for sustainable event
management by Danish Certification.
in Ireland
pdated
MCI Dublin has been named one of
the Best Workplaces in Ireland
according to the Great Place to Work
Institute Ireland. It is the only event
company in the country to make it
onto the list. MCI Dublin is one of fifty
companies who, according to the
Institute, serve as real-world
examples of what can be achieved
in 60 seconds when organizations are prepared to
articulate and live by timeless values.
MCI Group
Best Event
Company in Asia
Shoe Aid
CEI Asia, one of the leading corporate events publications in the region,
honored MCI Group as ‘Best Event Company’ at its annual CEI Asia Industry
Awards 2010. Readers of the magazine were asked to vote and MCI took
first place. MCI established its first regional office in Singapore in 2006 and
has grown to 8 offices in the region since then. for Africa Initiative
When MCI team members from around the
globe learned that half of all youths in Africa
have no shoes, they responded beyond all
expectations. As part of MCI’s annual business
MCI Dublin Honored By meeting which transpired in Vienna in
Leading Irish Charity
December 2009, a social responsibility
campaign was organized with a goal to
collect 500 pairs of shoes and 800€ for carbon-
responsible shipping. Nearly 700 pairs of shoes
and over 3000€ were collected to support
Established in 2001 to campaign for the rights and entitlements of the Kiwi Shoe Aid for Africa campaign. MCI
people with Autism, Irish Autism Action is MCI Dublin’s charity of sees strength in collaboration with corporate
choice in Ireland. For the past four years, MCI Dublin has supported partners and is proud to have supported Kiwi
the charity in the organization of several annual high profile events, and their chosen charity as another exciting
provided event management expertise and onsite event operations example of how MCI is Building Community.
free of charge.
|3

4. “The
Measurement
Debate
is Alive”
The recent global economic turmoil
seems to have sent the Meeting &
Events world into hyper-drive,
if not even obsession,
about measurement, ROI,
ROO and any and all other
business value indicators
on the important spend
levels in this category
of marketing and
communications.
By Dev Sharma
Director Global Accounts -
Meeting & Events

5. IN PIREs
W
hat reasons Fig 2 Value Loss2 4. Keep it simple: Adoption of simple
motivate 220 Corporations Surveyed:
and streamlined measurement sys-
measure- Best in Class: 5% of corporations had
tems have the highest likelihood of
ments today? a >80% value retention becoming part of your company DNA.
Is it to gauge Average: 54% value retention • Caution: Collecting large amounts
the satisfac- Laggard: 12% of corporations had <20%
value retention
of data might look great in the report
tion of the 100% From 100% down to 8% but it needs to be balanced with infor-
attendees or is it due to the ever-increas- Strategy  No clear strategy mation overload that hinders versus
ing influence from procurement? Clearly Planning  Wrong strategic planning helps decision making.
the results (see fig 1) are reflecting times Budget  Lack of budget to achieve impact and sustainability 5. Help is out there: Consider and collabo-
have changed dramatically and after Target group  Low level target group
rate with event management agencies
a period of relative freedom of spend- which understand the business rele-
Business impact  No business impact - just a nice event
ing over the last twenty years, the last vance and importance of measurement.
18 months of economic instability has Brand impact  Bad communication and brand presence Alternatively, complement internal plan-
changed most managements’ attitude to Implementation  Implementation problems ning teams with specialist measure-
wanting to know what they can Sustainability  No sustainability link/follow-up activities ment companies or event management
expect as a return on the money they 8% companies that can audit, evaluate and
invest in events. optimize your strategy.
Fig 3 Event Measurement Today3
Fig 1 Measurement Motivation 1 Measurement Motivation Measurement Motivation
no measurement 16 Value retention through effective
internal basic
Question: Why do you measure the impact meas. 41
Question: Why do you measure the impact measurement Why do you measure the impact of even
Question:
Measurement Motivation
of event marketing? 18 event marketing?
of
prof. internal
tools The value chain can be influenced by
Marketing Best Practice 44 Marketing Best Practice
To Demonstrate Marketing ROI
surveys
5% 24
many steps in the process. Interestingly
5%
business analysis
37% prof. external
To Demonstrate Marketing ROI enough To Demonstrate Marketing ROI
the opportunity of value reten-
15
tools
37% tion is best illustrated in the chart “Value
37%
ROI model 8 To Improve Attendee Experience
Marketing
Best Practice To Protect or 17% Loss” (seeImproveBy establishing clear
To fig 2). Attendee Experience
5% Increase Budget 0 10 20 Protect or Increase Budget
To 30 40 50 17%
4% 4% (survey Germany 2008 - n 850) Key Performanceor Increase Budget
To Protect Indicators for each
To Justify Expenditure step of the event life cycle, the optimiza-
4%
Regardless of the level of measurement
10% To Justify Expenditure
tion potential learnt through a measure-
To Improve Attendee Procurement Influence
Experience methodologies you may have in place,
5%
10%
ment management Influence can signifi-
system
Other 22% Procurement
17% when you measure you are always one
Other
cantly improve the overall performance
22% 5%
step ahead. picture. Other repeatedly and over time,
Done
Procurement Influence To Justify Expenditure
10% 22%
it can prognosticate a success DNA –
5%
Establishing a decisional framework which evolves the value of measurement
Furthermore, in the financial statements Giving all the variables a number helps from cost justification to mitigating risk
of most publicly-traded companies, after quantify what success looks like and and allowing better budget allocation
Cost of Goods Sold and Talent, usually reduces decisions based on intuition. decisions to be made. Rationale being:
the “Travel, Meetings and Events” line Furthermore measurement needs a invest on the activities that bring the
up shows up quite soon. As companies custodian in the company, establishing most value to the business, whilst reduc-
continue to streamline their overall who owns and is accountable for meas- ing or eliminating activities that do not.
operations to deliver maximum share- urements will bring the program to life. The example shown is a real case of a
holder value, larger spend areas quickly If you are in the early stages of a global brand – needless to say any event
fall under the microscope. measurement system, getting started with a 92% bleed rate on value is far
can be difficult, but you must start from desirable.
somewhere. Like any journey it always
Measure before you get measured starts with a first few steps - below our
Even the most basic of measurement Measurement and information add
recommendations: value only if they change our actions
programs are better than no measure- 1. Gauging your company culture:
ment at all. Measure proactively and in the process
Does the company make data driven If the Wright brothers had known in 1903
enhance your measurement approach decisions or do other criteria come
step by step. Value generated from that measurement had shown that at
into play? high altitudes a plane encounters less
measurement is not only figures but also 2. Establishing a clear vision for what
learnings and identification of areas of air resistance and can fly faster with less
successful measurement looks like for power consumption they may have been
optimization (fig 2). the company and the functional de- inclined to build a different kind of flying
partments: While “One size” doesn’t machine and today’s aeronautics may
Lastly, measure where it matters the fit all and critical success factors vary have looked very different.
most, frequently on the large spend are- between Marketing, Travel, Meeting
as, for example your largest events. The and Events, an integrated perform- Event marketing is about uniting internal
“Event Measurement Today” chart (fig 3) ance measurement approach will and external stakeholders and
shows data from a survey conducted in accelerate internal alignment. engaging with them in live experiences.
Germany and illustrates that the tenden- 3. Embedding measurement at the be- By successfully shaping, managing and
cy to use simplistic versus professional ginning of the business planning proc- measuring those experiences and rela-
or complex tools was most prevalent. ess: Measurement should become a tionships, value is created for the organi-
With the crescendo of the economic way of working. Key performance indi- zations, brands, products and services.
crunch having come late 2008, we feel cators established in the design phase
certain that the use and implementation invariably leads to event planning and Source: EventView 2009 Global
1
of more evolved tools was accelerated. execution that meets the mark. Source: Reflection Marketing
2
Source: Reflection Marketing
3
|5

6. Keeping an audience’s
attention and measuring
the results of events are some
of the main challenges we face
today. Tilman Hengevoss,
Chief Marketing Officer at
Zurich Financial Services
in Switzerland, elaborates
on how emotional elements
more so than rational ones
can foster the desired level of
engagement during an event.
Tilman Hengevoss,
Chief Marketing Officer, Zurich Schweiz
The
value of
engagement
Photo © 2010 Tamara Ferrari

7. MEETING OF mINDS
MCI: Please tell us briefly about your that for most of our customers these significantly shifted our budgets from
professional career path? conversations are driven much more classical media activities to event plat-
Tilman Hengevoss: My career started by emotions and the feeling of being forms. These events can be described
in the ABB group marketing depart- pampered by someone rather than by as infotainment. We engage our custom-
ment, which was managed as a profit rational arguments. Our sales and claims ers in discussions about our business
centre within the company. Selling our agents are basically event managers propositions or the role of our industry in
services internally, I very quickly realized who have to create and manage these the economy in an entertaining way.
that any marketing activity has to create brand experiences. In order to allow this An example is our climate change
a value that someone - be it an internal to happen we have to train our people dialogue platform. We lead our guests
or an end customer - is prepared to pay with similar event based concepts. through a multimedia presentation on
a price for. I spent some years in the Interaction with an internal or external the topic and then engage them in a
international consumer goods industry audience through events has become conversation with experts illustrating
with various marketing and sales re- significantly more important over the impact on their private and business
sponsibilities. Brands and products were the last years. worlds. They also get the opportunity to
“
strategically managed in an increasingly
global context from international fran-
chise platforms. This reflected changing
customer behaviour, with consumers We measure the impact of activities through
living and acting increasingly in a global engagement surveys based on quantitative KPIs.
High engagement values reflect the effectiveness
market environment under the impact of
international media. The globalisation of
marketing functions was also driven by
the need to get costs and effects organ- of event communication concepts and translate
ised in a more efficient way. In the two into higher productivity.”
years I spent with an international fair
organiser, we transformed the business
from renting out square meters to exhibi- MCI: Can you elaborate on the nature discuss the challenge with well known
tors to creating brand experience events of these internal events and how you politicians. We combine the event with
for visitors. For several years I have now would define their value? the Zurich climate prize contest where
been in the insurance industry working T.H. : As we are all flooded with informa- customers can win a financial support
for Zurich Financial Services with dual tion 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is package for innovation towards a more
job responsibilities: coordinating product a real challenge to make ourselves heard climate friendly infrastructure or opera-
development across countries in Europe and understood by a target audience. tional model of their business. The event
and heading the market management Complex communication has to be is leveraged through a PR program
function in the Swiss business unit. radically reduced and rational arguments giving us excellent press coverage.
To the latter belongs strategic planning, substituted by more emotional mes- The value of this initiative is measured
managing the product portfolio, all the sages. When we organise internal events through questionnaires, media surveys
communication disciplines and the we no longer take our people through and by tracking the business relation-
governance of our sales channels. endless presentations by senior manag- ship development with the individual
ers. We use communication techniques customer.
MCI: What is the particular challenge such as role play, music, multimedia
for a marketing function in the insur- visualisation and discussions in small MCI: How do you see meetings and
ance industry and how do you see the groups with voting tools on best ideas events evolving to provide the best
role of events there? developed. Interaction and personal in- value in the future?
T.H. : We start with the assumption that volvement is key, the emotional agenda T.H. : One-on-one interactions with audi-
insurance is an absolute low interest becoming much more important than the ences will have a more prominent place
topic and the paradox that a customer rational one. We don’t really expect that in the marketing mix. The challenge will
has to pay for a product that he hopes our people remember each detail of the be to get the attention and sustainable
never to have to consume. That is a very business or product strategy presented buy-in from increasingly critical and
challenging starting point for customer at the event, but they incorporate the well informed employees or customers.
interaction. In the mix of marketing spirit, build up trust and feel reassured. Authentic messages, relevant content
activities, events are taking over a very We measure the impact of these and the right mix of rational and emo-
crucial role. We tackle the problem from activities through engagement surveys tional formats are key success factors.
two angles: by dramatizing the customer based on quantitative KPIs. High In order to make this happen, close
experience as an accident actually hap- engagement values reflect the effective- cooperation between the industry and
pens, and then Zurich activates a series ness of event communication concepts event management companies on a true
of services that solves our customers’ and translate into higher productivity of partnership basis is a must. The spirit of
problems, restoring order to their life. our employees. this partnership must be as authentic,
We also have to be as close as possible differentiating and engaged as the expe-
to our customer at all times, to consult MCI: How important are customer rience we intend to create for our guests
with him how best to prevent risky situa- events in your marketing mix and do to these event platforms.
tions which could result in accidents and you also measure the value of these
ensure he is covered against all negative external events?
consequences. We have to understand T.H. : In customer interaction we
|7

8. p
OUT ERFORM
Guinness:
250th Jubilee Celebration

9. p
OUT ERFORM
On September 24th 2009, celebrations rang out across the globe to mark
the 250th birthday of Guinness, one of the most well known and celebrated
beers. The date, specifically, was the anniversary of the signing of a 9,000
year lease on the Arthur Guinness brewery at St. James’s Gate, Dublin.
T
he highlight of this once in in the context of live communication. The Challenge
a lifetime celebration saw Effectively aligning suppliers enabled MCI Guinness’ parent company Diageo
consumers and internation- to leverage quality purchasing power to needed an inspirational and creative
ally renowned music acts, provide the best value in relation to the concept to celebrate the signing
including Tom Jones, client’s budget. of the 9,000 year brewery lease in
Kasabian and Razorlight, 1759 by Arthur Guinness. It had to
gather with local talent in Dublin. Special emphasis was placed on ensur- engage, inspire, reward and motivate
At 17:59 GMT, celebrating the initial year ing the guest experience at each location employees of Diageo with event
of business of the company, a global was the same. The Dublin event in the delivery replicated at three locations
toast commemorated the philanthropic Guinness Storehouse would necessitate in Ireland, Northern Ireland & the UK.
achievements of Arthur Guinness and his rigorous planning to ensure the event
family, also marking the establishment of set-up would not impact the production The Solution
the Arthur Guinness Fund. at the plant. MCI’s concept was centralized around
the iconic image that is a pint of
Diageo’s key objective for the Arthur’s The three employee events strengthened Guinness and the world renowned
Day Celebration was to recognize and MCI Dublin’s relationship with Diageo, Guinness brand. MCI’s ability to
motivate the company’s 2,500 employ- building a pioneering event platform that deliver the concept in 3 unique venues
ees. MCI Dublin was privileged to be will become the benchmark for future seamlessly was the key to success.
appointed sole partner for all planned annual celebrations. By creating the best
celebrations. conditions for motivating the Guinness The Result
teams, MCI helped ensure employee The success of the three “Arthur’s
The project challenges faced by MCI morale and productivity were boosted Day” events delivered by MCI
Dublin were multiple; one of the most and the spirit of Arthur’s Day continues created a huge talking point among
critical was the conceptualization and to work its magic in providing a return on the 2,500 employees of Diageo,
replication of events in three venues Diageo’s business objectives and resulting in a highly motivated team
across Ireland, Northern Ireland and delivering business results. and exceeding client expectation.
the United Kingdom.
“When I first found out about the whole
The MCI event concept was centered event and what it entailed, I needed to
on the iconic image of a pint of Guinness. find an event management company that
The brand’s distinctive black and white I was confident would understand our
colors were used along with customized building and our business. Through our
furniture and linens. learning and mutual co-operation we have
developed an excellent working relation-
During the ten month planning process, ship. I was thrilled with the outcome of
MCI concentrated on creating events the 250 celebrations. MCI delivered a first
going beyond the logistics of event man- class event’’.
agement delivery to implement its fifteen Paul Carty,
year expertise in full service production Managing Director, GUINNESS Storehouse Contact: mark.egan@mci-group.com
|9

10. p
OUT ERFORM
SAP&
Branding
Engagement Strategy

11. p
OUT ERFORM
SAP, a major business software provider, sought to bring its Middle East
and North African customers and partners together in a forum to raise
brand awareness and to reiterate its commitment to the region.
A
s one of the world’s lead- innovative technology and its The Challenge:
ing providers of business commitment to the region. SAP wanted to reinforce its local
software, SAP delivers presence vis-à-vis the convergence
products and services that Held in the language of the host city of its strong partner network in the
help accelerate business and without the need for long-distance region. The idea was to facilitate the
innovation for its custom- travel, attendees explored the entire SAP nurturing of the partner and customer
ers. Founded in 1972, SAP has a rich ecosystem (experts, partners, analysts ecosystem that they have very care-
history of innovation and growth as a true and more) through unparalleled network- fully developed over the years.
industry leader. ing opportunities, thought-leadership
keynotes, and focused presentations and The Solution:
Today, SAP delivers business solutions demonstrations in innovative formats. MCI’s concept enabled SAP to show-
for its customers in 120 countries world- case its innovative business solutions,
wide - from distinct solutions addressing The SAP World Tour Forum 2009 in applicable to small, medium and large
the needs of small and medium enterpris- Dubai turned out to be an outstanding scale enterprises, in virtually every
es to suite offerings for companies with a business technology event in the Middle major industry sector, thus raising the
global footprint. In addition to India and East and North Africa region with over level of product and brand awareness
Russia, the Middle East and North Africa 1,400 delegates in attendance for a at the same time.
(MENA) region is proving to be one of the period of 3 days.
best emerging markets for SAP in terms The Result:
of strategic growth for the company. With audience attendance goals met The SAP World Tour Forum brought
and lead generation targets surpassed, together over 1,400 delegates over
Building on its successful global out- MCI helped SAP successfully raise the 3 days. Relationships were strength-
reach initiatives in the region, SAP level of its brand awareness in the region, ened across all audiences and the
decided to organize the prestigious SAP reiterate its commitment to the region high engagement level allowed SAP to
Forum in Dubai as part of its World Tour and dwell in detail upon its cutting-edge provide excellent networking opportu-
series of such events. Themed See Your business solutions. This prestigious event nities and generate new potential
Way Clear: Strategies for Success in the was extensively covered in the regional customers. With high client satisfac-
New Reality, the event focused on media and appreciated as the benchmark tion and excellent feedback, SAP’s
exploring how companies can reach the business event in this operational space. return on objectives was clearly met.
goal of operational transparency.
“It has been a splendid pleasure working
MCI took on the challenge and helped with you and your ‘dream team’ over the
SAP conceive, plan and skillfully deploy past few months, for the premium event
a strategic regional convergence of its of SAP in the Middle East region. We got
vital regional ecosystem elements and excellent feedback from SAP Executives,
set the grounds for all SAP partners and local user group board members, partners
customers (both existing and potential) to and customers regarding the organization
come together to experience first-hand quality of the event.”
SAP’s cutting-edge business solutions, SAP Forum 09
Contact: alexander.john@mci-group.com
|11

12. OUT ERFORMp
Sibos:
A Financial
Community
Sibos, the premier event of the financial services industry, was due to take
place amidst the worst global recession in decades. The challenge for SWIFT,
the organizer of Sibos, was to ensure the conference continued to deliver
unique value to its delegates despite the unprecedented economic conditions.
S
WIFT - the Society Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong The Challenge:
for Worldwide Kong Tourism Board and governmental The challenge to deliver seamless
Interbank Financial service providers to facilitate the smooth transportation services for close to
Telecommunication delivery of ground and event services. 6000 delegates as well as organize up
provides solutions for over A pool of more than 500 temporary staff to 30 events in a 5 day timeframe for
8,300 banking organiza- was employed in various positions dur- various financial industry clients.
tions, securities institutions and corporate ing Sibos 2009. To ensure the staff met
customers in more than 208 countries SWIFT’s high standards, all staff were The Solution:
to exchange millions of standardized put through a stringent process of inter- Working closely with the MCI team in
financial messages securely and reliably view, briefing and training. MCI also man- Vienna, MCI Hong Kong established
every day. aged five official Sibos social events and processes to facilitate the preparation
the SWIFT board members’ spouse of the project. A transparent
Once a year, SWIFT organizes the world’s program at different locations throughout organization of key staff and their
premier financial services event, Sibos, the week. specific areas of competence and
which brings together the financial indus- responsibilities was established.
try to create opportunities for individuals, Hong Kong was struck with a ‘Level 8’
organizations and the industry community typhoon on the first day of the Sibos The Result:
as a whole. Sibos creates the stimulus for conference that lasted until the afternoon SWIFT was able to demonstrate that
learning, collaborating, developing new of the second day. By having an ‘extreme Sibos provided exceptional value to
business, defining future strategies and weather contingency plan’ in place, MCI its delegates. With an ever-improving
taking collective action that can shape ensured that staff and suppliers were able level of service, MCI allowed SWIFT
the future of the industry. to continue to deliver their services for to deliver an uncompromised plat-
Sibos and the delegates. form, while maintaining a positive
Following the remarkable organization budget balance through rigorous
of the event in Vienna the previous year, A total of 5,782 delegates attended Sibos cost control. Internal as well as
SWIFT appointed MCI the contract for 2009 in Hong Kong, coming from Europe external communication with the
handling the ground services and all (40%), the Americas (13%), Asia Pacific client and with partners, event
official events for Sibos 2009 in Hong (42%) and Middle East & Africa (5%). locations and governmental service
Kong. In response to SWIFT’s call for SWIFT published results post-conference providers over a timeframe of 7
greater value during the tough economic that showed that despite the economic months expedited the implementation.
conditions, MCI’s strategy focused on conditions, Sibos continued to deliver MCI was awarded the organization of
creating solutions and delivering services exceptional value to its delegates. Sibos for a further 3 years.
to bring maximum convenience to the The final financial statement for SWIFT
delegates, while minimizing the amount of was positive without jeopardizing the
waste generated. Over 30 events were quality of the project. MCI was awarded
organized during a 5 day timeframe. the organization of Sibos for a further
Throughout the entire event, SWIFT three years including the 2010 event in
and MCI maintained constant and open Amsterdam.
communication with each other as well
as with partners such as the Hong Kong
Contact: michael.chiay@mci-group.com

13. p
OUT ERFORM
Rewarding your
Employees and Affiliates
Twice a year, Orange organizes a program rewarding its
employees and affiliates for their sales excellence across 10
countries. As Orange aims to increase sales and reach a level
of excellence in customer care and support, they selected
MCI to run both the communication and the award program.
MCI’s knowledge in both fields of incentive and performance
improvement enabled Orange to reach its goals and gave the
event’s financial partner LG Electronics the desired return on
investment.
Building Healthcare MCI GENEVA | Orange
Foundation in Asia
Pacific
One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical
companies leveraged its long-term relation-
ship with MCI in Europe to better serve its
Asia Pacific operations. What started as just
one event engagement was built further to a
four event engagement across six MCI
offices. MCI organized a sales kick-off
meeting, product launches and a
symposium, extending to the client the same
experience and professional support in all
countries and offices, thereby exhibiting the
commitment to quality and bandwidth of
delivery throughout Asia Pacific.
MCI BEIJING, DELHI, BENGALURU,
MUMBAI, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE
A major pharmaceutical company
Strengthen
Brand
Awareness
amongst Key
Delivering Clients and
Key Messages Industry
to your Professionals
Stakeholders Accor Hotels wanted to
To mark their global merger, a
leading bank appointed MCI Influencing Choices increase knowledge and
transform perceptions for its
to conduct six separate client
and internal events in one day of Potential Investors properties within the Asia-Pacific
region. 54 representatives from
different brands of Accor
in Hong Kong. MCI rotated the
majority of entertainment acts Claiming a lead position towards inves- gathered at Hong Kong Novotel
and activities between concur- tors in today’s crowded markets is no easy Kowloon restaurant space to
rent events resulting in substan- task. When a global asset management exhibit their properties to industry
tial cost savings for the client company wanted to create a professionals and to entertain
and consistency of delivery and dynamic event that would consolidate and key clients. MCI transformed the
experience for the guests. strengthen existing relationships among its restaurant into a modern, chic
stakeholders, it called upon MCI to create and innovating showroom and
MCI HONG KONG | A leading a concept and deliver the event flawlessly. brought in live entertainment
European bank MCI recommended a high profile political that would inspire, captivate and
figure to lead the meeting and the develop- inform Accor’s target audience.
ment of a luxurious partner program for A continuous stream of guests all
networking. The event ensured the client day and night was testament to
was seen as an educator within their sec- the success of the event.
tor and as the natural choice for investors.
MCI HONG KONG | Accor Hotels
MCI LONDON | A global asset management
company
|13

14. S
UENO S AIRE
B
y of Tango
T he Cit -
lly recre ds
magica io
P orteño ptivating per
Tango most ca framed
e
ates th tory of tango stored
is re
in the h e luxuriously Theater.
r
within tholdwyn Meye the most
M etro G teño blends
Por nd pure
Tango nvironment a h great
e it
refined ays’ decor w ductions,
gold en d ble pro
unbeata paying
artists, class cuisine the
t is
and firs to the era. It es,
e ir
homag n of Buenos A
refl ectio g o.”
y of Tan
the “Cit ci-grou
p.com
l
qu ero@m
lucio.va
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vishal.dsouza@mci-group.com |15

16. s
IN IGHT
It’s in hot demand
by those writing
the checks. And
ROIRise
now there’s ample
data and research
available to help
prove the value of
on the your events.
Taken from MPI one+ January 2010 Issue
By Dalia Fahmy
M
easuring the value of opinions from 300 senior executives of the Forbes publishing group, which
events is a hot topic at U.S. companies to show that every surveyed 760 business executives. The
these days—research dollar invested in business travel earned Case for Face-to-Face found that the
proves ROI is increas- companies $12.50 in revenue. Face- majority of respondents (84 percent)
ingly demanded by to-face meetings allow companies to prefer personal meetings to “build
those who spend money convert 40 percent of prospective cus- stronger, more meaningful business
on meetings, from Fortune 500 CEOs to tomers, as opposed to just 16 percent relationships” and “lead to higher quality
delegates who register for US$49 a day. without such a meeting. decision-making.”
But rarely is the right data available at The study is particularly strong because Unlike other studies of this kind, the
the right time, and many meeting profes- it didn’t just collect opinions, but also Forbes paper also elicited answers
sionals end up fudging their way through ran a statistical analysis of data across about the drawbacks of virtual meet-
ROI discussions. If you haven’t collected the economic spectrum provided by ings. Among others, 38 percent said that
years’ worth of data already, you probably governmental agencies to quantify what “technology-enabled meetings often
don’t have the numbers to make your kind of an impact business travel had on result in disruption and delays,” and 49
case now. And planners face many differ- economic productivity. percent of respondents said face-to-
ent situations in which they have to prove Another convincing survey published face meetings offer less opportunity for
the value of meetings—and each situation by the Harvard Business Review and unnecessary distraction.
calls for a different set of data. sponsored by British Airways, Managing And then there’s Why Face-to-Face
Don’t be discouraged. There is a growing Across Distance In Today’s Economic Business Meetings Matter, largely an
set of data you can rely on, from scientific Climate: The Value of Face-to-Face academic review of existing literature on
studies published by universities to Communication, asked 2,300 HBR small group and organizational behavior
informal surveys conducted by subscribers around the world to assess research, published by Dr. Richard Arvey
professional associations. the value of face-to-face communica- at the University of Singapore. Instead of
tion during the economic downturn. simply examining one group of respond-
Outside Research The results were powerful: 79 percent ents, the study combed through years
If you lack the time or know-how to con- said that face-to-face meetings are the of existing psychological research. He
duct your own research, scientific studies “most effective way to meet new clients found, among other things, that studies
conducted by academic researchers offer to sell business” and another 89 percent show “media rich channels” of commu-
a deep and authoritative well of data. agreed that in-person meetings “are nication, such as face-to-face meetings,
In the past couple of years, a variety of essential for sealing the deal.” Perhaps are more effective when participants
groups have published studies on meet- not surprisingly, 93 percent said such express feelings, when tasks must be
ings and events, some directly (by meas- meetings are particularly helpful when coordinated or when one is trying to
uring the impact of face-to-face meetings) negotiating with “people from a different persuade others.
and others indirectly (by, say, focusing on language and cultural background.”
the ROI of business travel). Another weighty study that measured Industry Numbers
An authoritative 2009 study by Oxford the impact of face-to-face meetings Industry associations have studies of
Economics used a mix of hard data and came from Forbes Insights, a division their own. One of the biggest such

17. s
IN IGHT
efforts, the annual EventView survey Measuring the impact of the meetings which was planning a $16 million
published by the MPI Foundation, is you have organized in the past will not consumer conference. When he pegged
considered authoritative because its re- only give you data to present when his estimate for measuring ROI at
spondents consist mainly of top-ranking you’re making your case for a bigger $45,000, executives balked. But then
marketing executives at companies with budget or for a more innovative design, they realized that $45,000 comes out to
$250 million to $5 billion in revenue. Late it will also help you better analyze your less than 0.25 percent of the total bill.
last year, respondents were asked to as- own work so you can continue to grow
sess, among other things, the ROI they and deliver consistently higher returns. “One guy spoke up and said ‘we’re
derived from event-based marketing. If you do decide to measure ROI inter- going to spend that much on olives,’”
The bottom-line result: A growing nally—and you should, because that’s Phillips recalled.
number of top-level executives at where your competitors are headed—it’s
America’s largest companies believe good to get some myths out of the way. Another myth is that you must measure
that using events to market their prod- First, conducting your own studies is ROI for every event in order to have
ucts is one of the most effective forms not as expensive or time-consuming as enough data to make your case. Phillips
of marketing out there. it sounds. Jack Phillips, inventor of the argues that’s simply not true. Although
In fact, 26 percent of executives say Phillips ROI Methodology (which helps he recommends measuring participant
event marketing provides the highest companies across industries measure reactions at all events and participant
ROI—up from 22 percent in 2007. ROI), points out that once the measure- learning impact at 80 percent of events,
Executives say event marketing is so ment process becomes integrated in he suggests measuring business impact
effective because it brings customers the event planning strategy, it’s almost 10 percent of the time and ROI 5 percent
and companies face-to-face. And that, second nature. of the time. These samples of data are
in turn, fosters relationships more effec- He points to the example of a planner at more than enough to give event owners
tively than other forms of interaction. a medium-sized company who decided a good gauge of effectiveness.
The numbers concur: 53 percent of to measure ROI for the first time while
those surveyed say event marketing is planning a $1.4 million conference for “Finally,” says Phillips, “planners
the marketing discipline that best accel- insurance agents. The planner started should stop fearing the process
erates and deepens relationships, trailed by setting concrete objectives with help itself. It’s not mathematically com-
by a wide margin by public relations, at from executives, and then used those plicated, doesn’t require a lot of tech
19 percent. to create a questionnaire to measure savvy and inevitably carries more
While these results consist mainly of whether objectives were met. benefit than costs.”
opinions—which may or may not con- The total cost of setting the objectives, “Planners are always so busy and
vince your boss or clients to give you collecting and analyzing the data and stressed and they see this as extra
a bigger event budget—they do offer a briefing management was less than work during good times,” he said.
valuable glimpse at what the competition $5,000, Phillips estimates, measured “Now they see that measuring
thinks about events. largely in the cost of additional hours results is a good way to keep
worked. In most cases, measuring ROI their jobs.”
Remembering ROI for events takes one to three weeks.
While industry research and scientific Hiring an outside company to measure
studies doubtless give meeting profes- ROI can be considerably more expen-
sionals a significant advantage in prov- sive, although Phillips says the costs
ing the value of meetings, they can never pale in comparison to other expenses. www.mpiweb.org
replace the real thing: conducting your He points to a conference call he once Reprinted with permission from the January 2010 issue of
One+, the official monthly magazine of Meeting Professionals
own studies. had with a maker of mobile devices, International. All Rights Reserved.
|17

18. v

19. value
s
IN IGHT
What
really
Ben Goedegebuure
Director of Sales SECC means...
Value is an often overused and misinter- Value and cost saving we know the ease and access of this
preted term. When it comes to meetings, Cost saving has been on everyone’s destination is paramount. We under-
value can make the difference between mind over recent months and event stand this and see it as our responsibility
delivering a stunning occasion or just an organisers are under ever more pressure to help organisers convert delegates, be
adequate one. to deliver better return on investment it through tapping into the local popula-
(ROI). For me, it is in these circumstanc- tion to making sure they can access the
More recently ‘value’ has been ap- es that a partnership approach is most destination quickly and cheaply.
plied readily across all industry sectors. productive; suppliers need to work with
In the service industry, value refers to organisers within the budgets available, 2010 is a big year for our industry and
the relationship between a customer’s and vice versa. This can be about taking a challenging one; the word ‘value’ will
expectations of a service’s quality and a short term hit for a long term gain, increasingly be used; this is important
the actual price paid for it. Delivering about being more transparent, but also and correct. But for me, the more I
great value means exceeding customer about working harder to make budgets talk about value, the more I talk about
expectations. go further. partnership, and because this remains
of equal importance to our clients I’m
With any meeting there are opportunities Adding value through teamwork looking forward to 2010, with produc-
to add value; however, value is not the Another phrase that finds itself sit- tive relationships, better meetings and
same as ‘budget’, a great value event ting comfortable alongside value and another strong business performance
is not synonymous with cutting costs. partnership is one of teamwork, both from the SECC.
For me, value is about partnerships that internally and among all concerned with
work together to create something that an event. Nothing delivers value like it;
money can’t buy. for an organiser it means trust and con-
fidence in the people around them. As a
Creating value through partnerships venue I see it as being able to promise
I’m a big fan of partnerships within busi- and deliver; knowing the limits where
ness; they are one of the most effective expectations can be pushed. It’s when
ways an event can be made stronger these teams are engaged that we begin
because of the collective strength of the to really shine, making an event into an
sum of its parts. They make delegates experience.
feel welcome and that every detail has
been considered on their behalf. They Destination value
work best in the long term, where each This essence of teamwork is one very
organisation or person is focused on close to my heart and, through our Team
building success year on year and at Glasgow partnership, is one as a venue
every event, be they planner, venue, AV, and city we do well. We know location
caterer or beyond. remains key to choosing a destination, www.secc.co.uk
|19

20. Carefully craft the links to develop your community just as an artist would craft a beautiful No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of MCI. © 2010 MCI. All rights reserved
object. Choose the tools best suited to your objectives. Mobilise our international experience
across key industry sectors. Commit totally to our clients. Champion innovation, yet remain
true to your strategy. These are the beliefs that have today made us one of the key players within
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