Business events become smaller and more exclusive
Barbra Albrecht, Director of the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau (SCIB), on event trends and the opportunities for Switzerland as a MICE destination.
m&k: Barbra Albrecht, the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the MICE industry into a crisis. Were there any positive aspects during this time?
Barbra Albrecht: With the best will in the world, I simply cannot see anything positive for the MICE industry coming out of this crisis. Perhaps the only thing is this: the potential for innovation and creativity has been further developed. Vendors and organizers demonstrated tremendous flexibility in rescheduling confirmed business events and in dealing with the planning uncertainty surrounding new events, and they’ve prepared themselves for the post-pandemic era by implementing safety protocols, upgrading conference technology, and adopting digital and hybrid formats.
Does the industry now need to reinvent itself?
The industry continuously meets and anticipates customer needs. The crisis has created new needs that are being implemented and further developed, such as safety protocols and expectations regarding digital capabilities. A trend toward smaller, more exclusive business events is also expected to play a role in the recovery of the events industry.
Where are the greatest opportunities?
Switzerland is a premier destination and is synonymous with reliability and exceptional quality. We anticipate that business events will tend to become smaller and more exclusive in the near future. Safety and reliability are clearly becoming more important. These factors further enhance Switzerland’s appeal as a destination for high-caliber business events and make it possible to host events that were previously too large for our country due to their high number of participants.
Are you already seeing signs of a recovery?
Definitely. The postponed meetings are taking place again, and requests for new events are on the rise—especially from Switzerland and neighboring countries, but also from all over Europe and North America.
This interview first appeared in m&k go!, the print edition of m&k, No. 6-7/2021
