INDIAN MICE stakeholders, including state governments, the Ministry of Tourism, CVBs, PCOs/PEOs, convention venues, hotels, airports and other suppliers, are coming together to crystallise a guide that aims to raise the standards and success rates of convention bids.
The guide, which is expected to be finalised in two to three months’ time, will address areas such as professional accreditation of vendors as a means of quality assurance, funding for client inspections, and the establishment of local ambassadors who will lobby for hosting rights ahead of time.
The guide is also expected to help organisers cope with the changes in venue and accommodation costs that can set in between the time of the bid submission and the date of the convention, as many association events begin tendering for bids five to eight years in advance.
Monimita Sarkar, managing director of KW Conferences, pointed out that a convention bid was not merely a tender document, but “a business plan with projections into the future that are frozen in time as commercial commitments”.
“As 60 per cent of the cost of an event stems from the venue (and accommodation), factoring cost escalations other than increments in taxes will require participation by hotels and venue suppliers,” she said.
Shyam Nagpal, managing director of International Conferences & Exhibition Services, concurred, saying: “Hotel expenditure comprises the largest share of the total event cost. A minor escalation not factored in earlier can render a bid untenable. All stakeholders need to address the common areas of concern and draw up a blueprint for successful bidding.”
Read more in TTG Show Daily – IT&CM India 2012
