The events and convention sector is currently undergoing considerable change and, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, extensive dialogue and visibility in the market are among the key factors for recovery and future success. The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe launched its new website www.convention-europe.com to provide customers, suppliers and partners with useful resources as well as direct channels of communication to its 28 members from all over Europe.

The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe is a network of national destination marketing organisations. As a collaborative industry platform, it concentrates on strengthening Europe’s position as a leading destination for international business events. The purpose of the Alliance is to create a beneficial working relationship amongst the national convention bureaux of Europe in order to sustain and further develop the position of Europe. The idea of creating synergies and establishing a joint platform for Europe as a destination for business events on the international stage continues to gain traction: Officially announced at IMEX 2014 in Las Vegas with nine founding countries, the Alliance is now a 28-member strong network that has steadily grown over the past couple of years. Since 2014, the Alliance has met twice a year in rotating host destinations. The last meetings took place online to maintain the dialogue even in a phase in which personal meetings across national borders were not possible due to the corona pandemic.

New website boosts visibility
The launch of the Alliance’s new website www.convention-europe.com is the next step in boosting Europe’s visibility as an excellent meeting destination. As well as offering outstanding value for money and a superb infrastructure, the region profits from its first-class know-how in many areas of science and business. ICCA statistics show that associations from around the world choose Europe as a great place to meet, share knowledge, drive innovation and connect with people and ideas. As the number one meeting destination worldwide for association meetings, European countries host nearly 2.4 million business visitors a year. More than half of all association meetings worldwide (54 percent) take place on the European continent.

Resources and direct access
Besides an overview map with all members, the new website also offers direct access to the online presences of all 28 members as well as contact persons and contact details for each national convention bureau. The resources section contains, among other things, press information and links to further information. The results of a recent study commissioned by the alliance on the impact of the coronavirus on the European convention sector are also available for download. The study, prepared by Tourism Economics, aims at providing a constructive narrative of the meetings and conference sector’s pathway through the corona crisis, towards recovery, and has developed three scenarios to reflect the possible range of outcomes from this crisis.