Agency interview
I gather there are three growth paths being explored in the expansion plans? Organic investment( building internally) In markets where we have a strong Event Solutions team but lack production and content expertise, or where production and content are in place, but logistics capabilities are missing, we can invest in key talent to build and launch the full offering. Combined with client demand and a market that is ready for The Collective, this creates a strong foundation for growth.
Joint ventures BCD M & E EMEA operates in 12 wholly owned and 23 partner markets today. A joint venture could potentially include a partner market, but it could also be something we would consider in a wholly owned market as well. It all depends on what the joint venture deal structure would look like.
Mergers & acquisitions Anyone familiar with the M & A space knows that it is not only a financial numbers game but equally important to
find a match in culture, service, vision and ownership structure. This means that many Investor Memorandums( IM’ s) don’ t even make it past that first stage, which makes the process difficult to plan and foresee.
What other projects are you involved with now at BCD? We are quite active in the M & A, JV and organic investment area which takes considerable time and effort.
We never share details regarding our clients, but what I can tell you is that we are currently implementing a client within the Life Sciences sector. Globally, we won 80 % of the RFP for EMEA alone. This client is being implemented in 28 new countries and will be one of our largest customers in the region.
What other current trends are you seeing in the EMEA meetings market? Sustainability remains a key focus for some of our clients in key markets. The EMEA region is incredibly diverse, so it’ s not accurate to treat sustainability as a universal trend. In some countries, sustainability simply isn’ t viewed as a primary priority. In France, Germany and in the Nordics, we must meet our clients need and support with measuring CO2 and / or advising on how to plan and execute a sustainable event. Our ISO certification held together with our trained sustainability team enables us to fully support our clients and deliver on that commitment.
Despite the challenges we’ re facing right now, I’ m genuinely optimistic about the future of the meetings and events industry. More people are coming together in practical ways – listening more, solving problems locally, and staying focused on what we can control.
Looking ahead, my priority at BCD M & E is to keep moving forward with purpose by supporting our communities, strengthening partnerships, and turning lessons from recent years into smarter, more resilient plans.
Progress is still possible and it starts with steady, consistent action and a commitment to each other. n
ISSUE 142 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 27