AIPC
Black Box Revelation
ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRES( AIPC) CEO SVEN BOSSU SAYS CENTRES HAVE NEW WAYS TO‘ SET YOUR HEAD ON FIRE’( TO FOLLOW THE HEADLINE MUSIC ANALOGY:))
F lexibility is the key word
when it comes to convention centres these days: organisers want flexible meeting rooms, different types of furniture, great‘ in-between’ spaces and more. There are very different strategies when it comes to complying with these needs, resulting in very different service offerings. No, this article is not about one of the greatest Belgian garage bands ever( at least in my opinion), but about the different strategies applied by convention centres worldwide to offer their clients flexibility or – to put it in different terms – a toolkit which allows them to use the facility in a number of ways. So the question is no longer:“ How many square metres are there on offer” but“ What can those square metres be used for”.
Connectivity and community Convention centres traditionally were designed to move large quantities of people efficiently from one place to another – from registration to keynote, from keynote to coffee break, etc. This also meant large ballrooms and auditoria, allowing to pass knowledge from stage to audience. However, with content being abundantly available, it is no longer the key motivator to travel to a conference – connectivity and community are. People want to meet and feel they belong to something bigger. However, for this, large ballrooms and auditoria might not be the right format. You might need smaller spaces, outdoor spaces,‘ or any type of space which allows to facilitate connectivity. Or you can use the big spaces in a very different way, looking at them as black box theatres in which
Above: Sven Bossu
everything is possible with the right amount of creativity( and budget).
Venues like the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne or Hungexpo in Budapest have that flexibility built in: 2,000-person-auditoria can be transformed into flat floor rooms in less than 20 minutes and converted into – for example – an interactive space for doing a hackathon in less than an hour. Other venues have flexible walls allowing to convert rooms and halls in many different configurations very quickly.
In addition, a growing number of convention centres have‘ in-between’ spaces, using underused areas within the venue to create networking areas. This could be as simple as putting a couple of comfortable chairs in a lost corner or as sophisticated as installing a ski-cabin to reflect an element of local culture, as the Montréal convention centre did. An example of a convention centre which pushed the concept quite far is the BMO Calgary Stampede convention centre, which has a 1,400sqm networking space, called The Exchange, and which features a three-storey fireplace, networking areas, a bar and nine independent breakout rooms.
Outdoor spaces are another feature which can be great for networking. La Serre at VIParis is such a place, combining a rooftop terrace with a view on Paris and a city farming area. Finally, there are venues like the HALO event centre in Bucharest which has covered its walls with LED-screens, allowing for any environment an organiser wants to be created – from garden parties to travelling through space – resulting in wow moments as the audience enters.
As a result of these efforts – and investments – the toolkit offered to organisers goes way beyond the ballrooms and the exhibition hall, supporting the key objective of organisers: creating a true sense of community by sharing unique experiences. n
ISSUE 145 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 11