by Geoff Donaghy, AIPC President, CEO of International Convention Centre Sydney and Director Convention Centres AEG Ogden.
In a time of increasing globalisation, when many events are rotating widely, there is truly something to be said for the development and maintenance of venue performance standards that can provide a level of confidence among users that they will get what they need and expect. That’s why AIPC has invested a lot of time and effort in developing standards in key areas of centre management and created an audit process to help members demonstrate their accomplishments. It’s also why we have ongoing competitions that recognise special achievements and encourage centre clients to take these into account when making their venue selections.
But standards don’t mean standardisation. The same research that documents the significance of performance reliability also indicates the importance both organisers and delegates are placing on having a unique and satisfying event experience, particularly when so much hard information is readily available through other vehicles than conventions and conferences. A big part of that uniqueness relates to what a venue can deliver in terms of special services and ambiance that reflect what makes their facilities and destination different from everyone else.
By ensuring that they are delivering at least part of what makes their part of the world unique and distinctive, centres can be active participants in shaping the event experience to the benefit of all. This can include anything and everything from centre location and decor to helping facilitate community connections or arrange off-site events that both relate to an events own objectives and at the same time create something unique. And it’s not just event organisers and delegates that benefit – it can also reward the local community itself by helping it realise a greater overall return from the events they are hosting.
Education takes many forms – and travel can and should be one of the most important of these. At the same time, an exciting and distinctive environment is stimulating to delegates, particularly those who may have been attending a particular event for many years. All of these are good reasons for centres and destinations to make the extra effort to deliver a distinctive event – one that not only respects organisational aims but honor the destination and it’s qualities.
So while we must strive to respond to the international standards that increasingly define client expectations, there’s another important area where centres can distinguish themselves – and that’s helping deliver something unique. High standards don’t have to mean just conformity – they can also open the door to the kind of creativity increasingly valued by participants
