AN ALLIANCE of convention centres, which has been in operation since 2006, relaunched last month with a service to share congress information among members to enable a more effective bidding process for future editions.
Called Global Alliance, the grouping consists of Durban International Convention Centre in South Africa, Adelaide Convention Centre in Australia, Centro Banamex in Mexico, ACC Liverpool in the UK, and Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and Hynes Convention Center in the US.
The service uses a series of inter-venue processes to transfer information on a congress that was held in one of the member convention centres to others in the alliance.
Global Alliance chair and CEO of the Durban International Convention Centre, Julie-May Ellingson, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the service would take away the hassle of having to repeat details and requirements of a congress whenever it is up for bidding.
“By sharing leads and event information, we can fortify each other’s capability in the next bidding process,” said Ellingson, adding that PCOs “can utilise the alliance’s know-how to strengthen their own bid attempts”.
Global Alliance also aims to provide a platform for members to share best practices, collaborate on research and conduct training exchanges for convention centre staff.
To encourage an “open relationship” among its members, Ellingson said Global Alliance would strive to have a single member from each continent where possible.
“Similar alliances often fail because (multiple) members (from the same destination or region) are competitive and feel threatened when asked to share leads and information on past events,” she explained.
Ellingson believes that the alliance could welcome an Asian member and has identified “two to three potential ones” in the region.
To qualify for entry, convention centres must be of a world-class standard and possess sufficient space for large congresses.
“We are careful about who gets to be part of the alliance. We will not just look at pictures of the venue and decide, as the real thing can be so different. We will attend events at potential convention centres to suss out their capabilities – much like mystery shopping,” she said.
