BestCities March 2011 e-Newsletter
Explore our website to learn more about BestCities Global Alliance and its Partners – Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Melbourne, San Juan, Singapore and Vancouver.
After Three Successful Conventions with BestCities, World Congress on Ultrasound to return again in 2012 this time to Copenhagen
In 1998 we held our World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Edinburgh which was a great success. Thanks to Ellen Collingsworth, who was working for the Edinburgh Convention Bureau at the time, she told us about BestCities and put us in touch with Melbourne and Vancouver. Due to the people and support in those destinatons we then took the congress to Melbourne in 2001 and Vancouver in 2005. We are now delighted to be holding the congress in Copenhagen in 2012.
It is important that when we approach a CVB that the request is handled efficiently and they show interest in the association and congress. The information returned must be clear and based on what is required not on what they think they want. I can say that of the BestCities we have used we have had a wonderful experience and had the pleasure of dealing with a bunch of great people who are really good at their jobs and who are all part of the BestCities network.'
Sarah Johnson
Executive Director
ISUOG
The International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Special announcement:
Following a successful hosted buyer programme at IMEX in 2010 BestCities Global Alliance is delighted to invite association meeting organisers to join them in Frankfurt again this year. To find out more about the hosted buyer programme and the association day this year, please follow this link http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/hostedbuyerprogrammenew.html. BestCities will also be organising a client dinner on the Tuesday night and a representative from each of the cities will be there to answer any questions meeting organisers may have about holding a meeting in their cities.
To find out more about participating at IMEX under the BestCities banner, please contact Jane Cunningham on jane.cunningham@bestcities.net, tel +44 208 392 9575 or please register directly using this link.
"The round-table format of Association Day made for a lot of very fruitful interaction – this is definitely the place to meet MICE experts and to develop one's own professionalism."
Lambert Okrah, Secretary General, The Institute of Cultural Affairs International, Quebec, Canada
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EDITORIAL:
Cape Town: Still riding the 2010 wave
With the momentous 2010 behind us Cape Town is looking ahead to 2011 with much excitement. And from the start of things, this year looks likely to deliver on our high expectations of it.
To date no fewer than six high profile site inspections – 2 corporate and 4 for association conferences – have been conducted. In order to sustain the presence of the destination the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau was at this year's Meetings Africa (21-23 February), and will at IMEX (24-26 May) and EIBTM (29 November-1 December). In addition to these we will be amongst other BestCities attending the BestCities Client Workshops in Copenhagen (8-10 June) and Dubai (17-19 December).
Cape Town is set to capitalise on the exposure and the positive sentiment generated by our successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™. Since April 2010 (the start of our financial year) we have submitted 38 bids – interest in the destination being highest after the World Cup. The destination was also able to secure 17 bids, which are estimated to contribute more than R279 million (US$38.7 million) to the local economy, attracting 23 500 delegates and generating 58 conference nights.
Winning these bids illustrates the importance of strong working relationships among the bidding partners. Cape Town is fortunate to have industry players that ascribe to the highest standards ethically and professionally. The hosting of such prestigious events will go a long way in establishing Cape Town as one of the world's most sought after long-haul conference destinations by 2020.
Taking into account all these activities and the fact that it is Cape Town's turn to chair the BestCities Board prospects for 2011 look good and we are ready to take on whatever challenges we will be confronted with as we continue to strive to deliver the best services and adding to the increasing number of satisfied customers leaving our shores.
All of us at BestCities Global Alliance look forward to welcoming you, and your delegates, to our destinations.
Best Practices. Best Meetings. BestCities.
Yours sincerely,
Nina Richards
Cape Town Convention Bureau
On behalf of BestCities Global Alliance.
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FEATURED STORY:
Bocuse d’Or: Dane crowned world’s best chef
In 2010 Copenhagen's restaurant noma was named world's best restaurant by the prestigious Restaurant Magazine in the hotly contested San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants in the World list. Recently, the title of world's best chef was awarded to a Danish chef, further underlining Copenhagen's position as a food Mecca.
Danish cooking has undergone a revolution in the last decade as many of the country's chefs have learned to exploit the wonderful natural bounty of the Nordic larder. Fresh, seasonal vegetables; wild game; locally-caught fish; and cured or smoked fish and meats are some of the hallmark ingredients which have helped shape a modern local cuisine with international appeal. The revolution has been led by Copenhagen's restaurants, which are recognised by international food writers, gourmets and gourmands as among the most exciting in the world. In the latest Michelin Guide Copenhagen was awarded thirteen stars, more than Rome, Milan, Amsterdam and Vienna, and the same number as Madrid and Berlin.
Danish chef Rasmus Kofoed has won the title of World's Best Chef at the 24-country Bocuse D'Or competition - widely considered the unofficial world championship for chefs - in Lyon in France. Kofoed, who is chef at the fully organic restaurant Geranium in Copenhagen, is the only chef to have participated in the biennial Bocuse d'Or more than twice and the only chef ever to have won more than one statuette - he won bronze in 2005 and silver in 2007.
More and more restaurants, cafes and hotels are riding the "green wave" - use of organic products – in Copenhagen and pushing the city to a whole new level of eco-consciousness. Today, the private sector's purchase of organic products in Copenhagen is about 23% percent, and 75 percent of all food consumed in the city's institutions is organic - which is a world record. To ensure Copenhagen continued development, the environmental strategy `Environment Metropolis - Our Vision 2015´ has set targets for organic food consumption up to 90 percent by 2015 in all of the city's institutions.
p.s. BestCities is inviting suitably qualified association meeting planners for a fully hosted 3-day workshop in Wonderful Copenhagen from 8-10 June 2011. For details, please contact Anne Dissing or Jane Cunningham.
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ArtScience Museum Opens at Marina Bay Sands
Singapore’s newest museum, located at Marina Bay Sands, has opened its doors to the public on 19 February. This unique lotus-shaped museum, designed as a symbolic gesture of welcome to guests, is Singapore’s premier attraction for major international touring exhibitions curated by leading museums from around the world. Embracing art, science, design and architecture, the museum has 21 gallery spaces totaling over 50,000 square feet.
The museum’s showpiece exhibition, ArtScience: A Journey Through Creativity, will feature a series of permanent exhibits that anchors the iconic venue at the forefront of technology, design and culture. Genghis Khan: The Exhibition, one of the opening shows at the museum, will boast over 200 rare authentic treasures from the conqueror’s reign. This is the first time that this extensive exhibition will be on show in Asia. In the coming months, the museum will also be launching a speaker series that will bring globally renowned thought-leaders in the field of ArtScience to Singapore to drive discussion and further generate ideas on the topic.
For more information, please visit http://www.marinabaysands.com/ArtScienceMuseum/
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Vancouver's Olympic Resume, One Year After The Games
There are events, and then there are super events. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games - which kicked off one year ago on February 12, 2010 - fall into the latter category. It was an event so large, so complex and so high profile that it spurred the whole of Vancouver to "up its game".
Aside from the new facilities, transportation improvements and hotels, perhaps the most important legacy from the Games has been a city-wide understanding of what it takes to throw a world-class event. Now, everyone from Vancouver’s taxi drivers to city officials understands how to work seamlessly together to make an event truly sparkle.
One year after hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver is ramping up towards its strongest convention year ever. In terms of city-wide generated hotel room nights, 2011 is Vancouver’s busiest convention year to date with 24 city-wide conventions on the books. That is some 160,000 convention delegates, totalling approximately 220,000 room nights.
Click here to see a short video produced by the Vancouver Convention Centre about hosting the event of a lifetime, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
To further assist meeting planners, Tourism Vancouver recently launched its Five-Minute Meeting Planner™ - a first of its kind online planning tool that allows organisers to quickly evaluate and compare hotels and meeting space through easy, customizable searches. Planners simply enter their meeting criteria and within seconds receive a customized list of Vancouver venues that match their requirements. In addition, planners can save their searches and create RFPs directly through the site.
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Melbourne CVB opens London office
The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) recently announced the appointment of Fiona Chappell to the position of Director, Business Development – UK/Europe. Fiona will be based in MCVB/MCEC’s new office in central London, and will commence her new role in late March.
Sandra Chipchase, MCVB’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to appoint Ms Chappell to this new role, which will capitalise on the strength and growth of Melbourne’s Business Events operations within the region. Our continued growth is a result of the commitment and dedication of all involved in positioning Melbourne as a highly desired Business Events destination, including Janet Sealy Partnership (JSP), which represented Melbourne for the last 19 years.”
Fiona was most recently Head of Sales for Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) - Meetings & Events Portfolio. She will be supported by Giles Handford, Business Development Executive. Mr Handford commenced in the MCVB/MCEC London office in December, having previously worked on the MCVB/MCEC Melbourne account with JSP.
At the recent AIME trade show in Melbourne (15-16 February 2011), MCVB and RTE organised a fundraising drive for the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal to assist those who have been affected by the devastating and unprecedented flood damage in Queensland.
MCVB London office contact details:
Victoria House at the Australia Centre
Corner of Melbourne Place & Strand
London WC2B 4LG United Kingdom
t| +44 (0) 20 7836 7766
e| europe@mcvb.com.au
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Introducing DUBAI: The Merchant’s City
There is no doubt that Dubai has successfully transformed itself from a humble fishing village into a global hub for trading, manufacturing and tourism.
Today, it offers meeting planners the best of both worlds: a tax-free liberal haven for business and a luxurious holiday destination for pre and post tours. With record-breaking skyscrapers, shopping malls and marvellous hotels cradled by pristine beaches and desert dunes, Dubai is like no other city on Earth. Welcome to exotic Arabia with a 21st century twist!
Dubai’s global success today is also a product of its global outlook. It has an open, multi-cultural society that is bilingual in English and Arabic, and extremely tolerant of different religious beliefs. So even though the local populace preserves Dubai’s Islamic heritage, it is not enforced upon others, making alcohol-consumption and western clothing accepted for men and women alike. This cosmopolitan spirit has attracted some of the world’s biggest events and given rise to international sporting tournaments, like the Dubai Desert Classic and the Dubai World Cup. But despite an outward mentality, local traditions such as dhow sailing, camel riding and falconry are still shared and celebrated.
Dubai dared to dream big and the results of its realized vision can be seen everywhere: mega projects have transformed the face of the emirate, extending its coastline, greening the desert and reaching for the skies. These include the recently inaugurated Dubai metro rail system, which connects the city from end to end; Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island that can be seen from space; and the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building and a masterpiece of urban planning, with lakes, pedestrian boulevards, low-rise residential neighbourhoods, four hotels and the DubaiMall. It’s really no wonder that Dubai is always described in superlatives–the most, the biggest and the best reside in this city.
For more information about planning your meeting in Dubai visit http://www.bestcities.net/Dubai.aspx. We love to hear from you!
p.s. Dubai welcomes qualified association meeting organisers to participate as a Hosted Client to the BestCities Client Workshop which will take place from 17-19 Dec 2011. For more details, please contact Karina Lance or Jane Cunningham.
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Edinburgh Weathered the Storm
Despite temperatures recently plunging to -10C, there were no reports of any major conferences being cancelled according to the Edinburgh Convention Bureau (ECB).
ECB reported that the Bureau is experiencing a healthy start to 2011. Confirmed events since the start of financial year 2010/11 are now worth over £66m of economic benefit for the city, with expectation that a further £14m of economic benefit from confirmed conferences will be secured by the end of March 2011.
Sue Stuart, Chief Executive of ECB, said: “So far we have had a good year in helping attract meetings to the city and I’m confident we will achieve our target of bookings with a total economic value of £75.7m confirmed by the end of the financial year in April 2011.”
The pleasing performance of Edinburgh as a business tourism destination is in line with the latest tourism figures presented by Destination Marketing Edinburgh Alliance (DEMA) to Edinburgh City Council’s Economic Development Department.
The DEMA report shows that in the first nine months of the year the average room occupancy was 77.4%, up from 75.5% in 2009. Within the UK, Edinburgh’s room occupancy is now surpassed only by Greater London where it stands at 81.3%. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Edinburgh is the most popular UK city after London for hosting international association meetings and is the 36th most popular business tourism destination in the world. The annual total value of Edinburgh’s business tourism is estimated at almost £300 million.
The Edinburgh Ambassadors Programme matches recognised leaders in the city’s many areas of academic and commercial excellence with the professional marketing support of ECB staff who together work as a team to help them bring their international association’s conference to Edinburgh. Since 1996 the programme has helped bring more than 210 major events, worth almost £100 million, to the city.
Meanwhile visitor numbers to Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland and the National War Museum have risen by 4.45%. The 2010 Fringe Festival attracted 1,955,913 visitors, 5% more than last year.
Airport passenger numbers have decreased by almost 5% due mainly to a dramatic decline in the second quarter when volcanic dust from Iceland led to the closure of European airspace. However passenger numbers in the third quarter of this year were 0.8% higher than in 2009.
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Puerto Rico Convention Center District Continues on Towards Completion
Since its opening in November 2005, the Puerto Rico Convention Center has welcomed nearly 110,000 delegates, more than 1 million visitors and has been the site of 20 Citywide conventions, including prestigious groups like the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the Asociación Latinamericana de Pediatría (ALAPE) and the Caribbean Hotel Association’s Marketplace. In 2011, the Center will host the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for its 43rd World Chemistry Congress and General Assembly and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) World Library & Information Congress.
The 580,000 square foot Puerto Rico Convention Center is the largest facility of its kind in the Caribbean and the most technologically-advanced in the Caribbean and Latin America, featuring a 152,700 sq. ft. exhibition hall divisible into three individual exposition spaces, as well as a 39,500 sq. ft Grand Ballroom, the largest in the Caribbean. The Center also offers 36,400 sq. ft. of meeting space, including 15 separate meeting rooms on two levels, which can be divided into 28 breakout rooms.
As part of a dream conceived more than a decade ago, the Center was developed as a way of broadening the Island’s successful tourism industry with increased group and business travel. Now, when the entire Puerto Rico Convention Center District is completed, delegates, visitors and members of the community will enjoy a dynamic, multi-use urban center that combines business and entertainment in a 113-acre world-class complex that includes restaurants, retail shops, entertainment complexes, hotel accommodations, residential and commercial office space.
A key element of the District is the new Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino. Serving as the headquarter hotel to the Puerto Rico Convention Center and located directly across the street. Plans and development of two additional properties within the District include a 300-room Marriott Courtyard Convention District Hotel and a 252-room Aloft property, also part of the Starwood hotel collection.
“The new Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino and other properties as well as other services and amenities within the District represent our continued commitment to providing the best possible experience to convention delegates as well as the Island’s ongoing commitment to hotel development as part of Puerto Rico’s long term tourism goals.” summarized Ana Maria Viscasillas, President and CEO of Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRBC). PRCB, the official sales and marketing agent for the Center, is the only bureau to have certification by both Lloyds Register Quality Assurance through the BestCities Global Alliance and accreditation by Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) as an elite destination marketing organization.
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