IMG Show Gala Dinner — a grand MICE event!
They all know each other, but do not recognize... The villain of the piece is the IMG Show! The MICE industry has never seen such a festival of sheens and dinner jackets before. Female guests of the gala dinner that was held in the Metropol and was part of the show program, admitted they finally got a chance to demonstrate their beautiful dresses, some discussed how much time they had spent at the hairdresser’s, some — how long they had shopped in search of a suitable handbag...
The best of the best in the MICE industry came to the hotel from all over the world, and the Metropol seemed to speak different languages that night, but about the same thing — the ways you could surprise Russian corporate buyers nowadays.
Hosts of the party, which was the climax of the first day of IMG Show organized by ABT-ACTE Russia, were Svetlana Denikina, editor-in-chief of the Russian electronic magazine BBT Russia and Anton Koronelli, sales director Russia of the largest hotel network, AccorHotels.
«Fortunately, pessimistic predictions have not come true — Russian MICE is alive, and the best proof of it is the great interest on the part of both providers and professional buyers to our today`s event», Svetlana said. «Indeed, budget policies have toughened, the number of business events has decreased, but it has only encouraged competition in the industry».
«The choice of venues and providers has become more careful», Anton notes. «Buyers need not only a creative program and irreproachable organization, but also return on investment. I wish you full satisfaction with ROI of our party!»
Dominic Goda, general director of the Metropol, and after him Sergey Shpilko, the first deputy head of Moscow Department for multicultural policy, interregional cooperation and tourism also addressed the guests with the greeting word. Vadim Zelenski, chairman of the Russian Association of Business Travel ABT-ACTE Russia stressed that at IMG Show exhibitors could not only tell professional buyers about their services, but also demonstrate their best competences: «There is a great warm atmosphere at the event! Of course, many of us have known each other for a long time and have met today as old friends, but those who have made a long way to meet us here have become part of this big family as well».
Hardly had the experts left the scene, that the hall virtually became alive: the guests were caught in the rain, then found themselves in an art gallery, and then — in a thick forest. And all this within some minutes! It was Metropol`s presentation of the latest 3d-mapping MICE technology that allows to animate the whole buildings or some interior elements, making them visually mobile.
The hotel also astonished the guests with its really royal menu — red caviar, original salads, a wide choice of refreshments, hotplates and fancy wines — all this in a luxurious hall with crystal chandeliers and a fantastic fountain.
The guests returned to the Metropol hall with the sounds of live saxophone, after which event participants joined the tender procedure. Professional buyers, who were seven largest Russian and international business travel and MICE service buyers placed their applications for corporate events on IMG Show website. Their RFPs included all the main tender requirements: the number of participants, days, event geography and all the other requirements. Let us remind you that exhibitors could choose a certain event, which was of the most interest for them, and reply to this RFP with a video not more than 2 minutes long. Creative approach was especially welcome — the organizers themselves compared it to home assignment in the Club of the Cheerful and Quick-Witted. By the way, both professional buyers and event agencies were very enthusiastic about the idea of such virtual tenders.
The first tender application was presented by Jet Infosystems. This IT-company was going to send a group of 15 persons to Rio de Janeiro for 5 days. The obligatory condition of the travel program was a tour of the city and a trip to Iguazu falls, besides it was desirable to visit the falls from the both sides during one day.
ZCTS and PAM Travel Argentina decided to arrange this trip.
The largest printed technology provider and printing expendables supplier in Russia and the CIS Nissa Centre decided to arrange an incentive trip for its 25 employees from its offices in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Ekaterinburg to Europe for 6 days. Their requirements were all the employees leaving from the Northern capital by ship and a visit to 2-3 cities or countries during the trip.
Special Project Agency, Greek National Tourism Organization and the travel department of the Embassy of Spain participated in this tender.
Johnson&Johnson decided to work out a creative concept and a scenario of a 3 day corporate event for 500 employees of LifeScan. The goal of the meeting was to discuss the results of 2015 and to present new targets to the employees of the company. It was stressed that the main focus of the event scenario should be on the main goals and targets of the marketing department and the marketing strategy of OneTouch brand. And it should include teambuilding and interactive elements.
MaxiMICE, The Metropol and Jey&Pam Incentives faced out Johnson&Johnson`s request.
Food producer Fazer applied for a two day event with a conference and teambuilding for 30 top managers from Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The destination was Europe or Russia. According to the company’s safety policy, top managers had to travel in two separate groups, 10 persons each, on the eve of the event.
This request was taken up by Moscow hotel Swissotel Krasnye Holmy and Planet Sochi Travel Company.
In order to provide some time for the guests to think about the applications and to assess the solutions offered, the music band «Qui? Toi!», a French kitsch mix organized by four girls, was invited to the stage.
After the musical break Elena Lobanova, representative of one of the largest Russian manufacturing companies Uralkali took the floor; the company decided to hold a tender to arrange a trip for a group of 60 persons from the regions of Russia, including a conference and an entertainment program. Preferred destinations were Turkey, Egypt and other countries with visa-free entry.
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Flying Carpet DMC/El Al/Isrotel offered their services to this customer.
Leroy Merlin decided to take a group of 60 employees from Samara to Europe to show them the supermarkets of the company. The customer’s requirements included a gala dinner at the end of this five day trip and twin rooms at a hotel of not more than a four star category.
Interestingly, that the only participant in this tender and therefore, the winner, was Atout France.
Honeywell asked for several variants of a trip to the region of South-East Asia (Middle East, Turkey, Russia) for three days. The customer specified that the hotel should have a conference hall with all the necessary equipment and an opportunity to divide it into smaller halls, because the schedule of the meeting included trainings. The participants were heads of international offices — a total of about 30-35 persons.
Tourism Malaysia decided to help Honeywell arrange this event.
While TMCs were waiting for tender results and customers` decisions, the guests shared their impressions of the party. «You came up to me the very moment I was writing in Facebook «Vadim Zelensky, thanks for gathering us tonight!», Dmitry Saveliev, an independent expert in business travel and administrative business support admitted. «IMG Show is a great communication platform, and this initiative should of course be developed further. Like all the projects of the Association of Business Travel, the event is necessary for the industry, because it has a positive impact on the perception of MICE as a separate fully-featured travel industry sector».
«It was worth going thousands of kilometres only to see that sound and light show at the beginning of the gala dinner», is the opinion of Sofia Turkina, commercial promotion manager of France’s National Travel Office — Atout France. «It is my first time at such a large MICE party in Russia. It is great that ABT-ACTE Russia has managed to gather industry experts from all over the country in such a beautiful historic place».
«IMG Show is an important event of my life», Maria Gurova, head of PAM Travel Argentina says. «And it is great honour for me to invite all the guests of this gala dinner to Argentina — a beautiful country, which I consider to be my second home for the last three years. And I worried very much for the team of organizers because I have been in their shoes lots of times. But today my role is different — I’m a guest. Nevertheless, you should not forget that we all know from A to Z how to arrange events. We deal with it every day, so everyone here thinks: „Okay, now I will see whether the champagne is cold enough“. This is why the organizers bear great responsibility. And I see that they are attentive and understanding today. They do not show they are tired or stressed, and give us their positive energy, which is very valuable».
«It is the first event of such a great scale. We can say it has gathered the cream of the MICE society», Anna Entelis, head of World Trade Center of Moscow shared her impressions. «I have met everyone here I contact with on business, but with whom I could not discuss for some reasons the trends we now see in the market. It is great honour for me to be here, enjoy communication with experts and gain experience».
«Our office life is often routine», Maria Kelmurzina, travel expert of Johnson & Johnson notes. «We lack emotions, meetings with colleagues. And today we can communicate, say thanks to each other, learn, hear our colleagues` opinions on important issues we are all concerned about. It is important not to stand still, but to grow. And my thanks are to ABT-ACTE Russia for this opportunity».
So, ZCTS (Jet Infosystems), Greek National Tourism Organization (Nissa Centre), MaxiMICE (Johnson & Johnson), Planet Sochi (Fazer) and Jumeirah at Etihad Towers (Uralkali) were a little more creative and flexible in solving their tasks.
«I am grateful to all of you for finding time to come here as the guests of IMG Show Gala dinner», Ekaterina Aleksandrova, executive director of ABT-ACTE Russia ended the program of the party. «Today we have proved our capabilities have no boundaries. There is a busy educational program ahead, presentations of talented speakers, interesting discussions... And it means that the MICE party goes on!»
Marina Osipova
Source: buyingbusinesstravel.com.ru