WORLD – Gdansk Convention Bureau (GCB) was the winner of the ICCA Best Marketing Award. The decision was announced at the closing session of the 52nd ICCA Congress, in Shanghai. The award was for the bureau’s Christmas CSR Campaign held during EIBTM 2012.
When EU funds dried up, Gdansk Convention Bureau used their creativity to re-imagine their impact on the market. The bureau’s goals were to attract 8-10 per cent more guests to its stand at EIBTM 2012, to have higher quality meetings at the stand, to meet more association and corporate meeting planners (instead of the rising number of agencies) and to attract the attention of international media.
The bureau reached these goals by creating a Christmas atmosphere at the Gdansk stand, and engaging visitors to make their own personal Christmas bauble. All baubles were sent to a chosen children’s organisation in Barcelona.
They also donated €250 (US$335) for Christmas gifts for a children’s home, and exhibitors and buyers were informed and inspired prior to EIBTM about the opportunity to join the project and bring gifts to their stand.
After the tradeshow, Gdansk Convention Bureau encouraged all exhibitors to bring promotional gifts that were left over to the Gdansk stand, to subsequently donate to the children.
Simone Sfeir, General Manager of Bedouk Event Sourcing Solutions, the sponsor of ICCA’s Best Marketing Award and part of the judging panel, said: “Gdansk Convention Bureau’s campaign stood out because of its simplicity, and shows how you can create a large impact with small means by being creative. We thought their Christmas Baubles Campaign was a great CSR initiative that reached their clearly defined objectives. They won the sympathy vote of many ICCA Congress delegates.”
ICCA CEO Martin Sirk: “It is one thing to create a great marketing campaign when you have got the resources, but when budgets are slashed, that’s when you really need to unleash creativity.”
Other finalists of this year’s Best Marketing Award were: Melbourne Convention Bureau, Palais des Congres de Montreal and VisitDenmark.
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