IMG Show exhibitors speak about what event organizers want

On the eve of the first International MICE Geography Show that was held in the Metropol on September 17-18 we interviewed exhibitors on their assessment of the present state of the meetings industry. The trends that were mentioned by industry experts at the time included a more thorough provider choice by the customer, clients` redirection to internal destinations, a decrease in the amount of events and sale depth. The year is coming to the end, and it`s time to draw the line. How has the situation in the MICE market changed during this time? IMGS exhibitors have given its short characteristic in a quick round of questions held by ABT-ACTE Russia.

What is the situation with requests of prospective customers at the moment? What do corporate event organizers want?

— Pavel Muftakhin, commercial director of Baikalov DMC: at the present moment the situation is good for the low season, because we do receive requests.

— Ellina Akinschina, general director of «Planet Sochi» travel union: customers want a very busy VIP schedule for a small amount of money and within a short time. The autumn was busy, but sales depth for 2016 is not big.

— Artem Chernyshov, business development and customer service director of MaxiMICE agency: the number of requests is stable. Customers, as before, want to promote their products, increase partner loyalty, hold efficient motivational and educational events for their staff.

What is the format of events requested?

— Pavel Muftakhin: corporate event organizers wand good accommodation, so that they could have a rest and work at the same time during one trip. Forms are different — from classic guided tours to events with an original concept worked out by the agency. The Baikal is large, so tours for hundreds of kilometres are quite possible.

— Ellina Akinschina: the most requested are conferences and incentives.

— Artem Chernyshov: preferred are combined projects aimed to settle customer`s several business tasks at the same time, so they combine several event types simultaneously.

What can be the number of event participants?

— Pavel Muftakhin: as a rule, 10-120 persons. On average 50-100 persons.

— Ellina Akinschina: about 20-50 participants.

— Artem Chernyshov: the number may vary depending on the type of the project. But in general, of course, the number of participants tends to decrease.

What industries do the main customers belong to?

— Pavel Muftakhin: in the majority of cases our customers are companies that deal with pharmaceutics, IT, household chemicals.

— Ellina Akinschina: our most frequent customers are international companies or companies of the bank sector and the pharmaceutical industry.

— Artem Chernyshov: we have not noticed a decrease in the marketing activity in any industry.

What is an average event budget?

— Pavel Muftakhin: as a rule, an average budget per person is 30-90 thousand roubles, event budget is from 1.5 to 6 million roubles.

— Ellina Akinschina: 1 million roubles on average.

— Artem Chernyshov: this information is confidential.

What time in advance are events requested and confirmed?

— Pavel Muftakhin: events are requested a year ahead, confirmed — several months before the event.

— Ellina Akinschina: 1-2 months in advance.

— Artem Chernyshov: here everything depends on the event format. For example, conferences for several hundred participants are requested about half a year in advance, sometimes a year; round tables for less than 50 participants — several weeks before the event. Other events — 2-3 months in advance. Nevertheless, there are requests that are received a very short time before the event, because it took the company itself quite long to approve the budget — in this case we use «last minute event» analytics.

What has changed compared to last year?

— Pavel Muftakhin: it`s hard to say yet.

— Ellina Akinschina: budgets are cut, customers want a quick response, use programs that are already available and book services on the direct basis.

— Artem Chernyshov: first of all, we see that the amount of participants has decreased, but not the number of the projects themselves. Secondly, customers choose Russian destinations more and more often (however, we must say that the demand for events in our country was high previous years as well — Russia offers incredible event facilities).

Have you received requests from the companies you established contacts with at IMG Show 2015?

— Pavel Muftakhin: yes, we have had requests from IMGS-2015 participants.

— Ellina Akinschina: yes.

— Artem Chernyshov: we have not received such requests so far, but we have had meetings, and hope they will grow into future cooperation.