April 2008 Best Practices: Association launches conference in Dubai IAAPA tests international waters by launching a niche conference By Heather Kirkwood
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) looked to the Middle East and saw a land of opportunity. Tourism development projects under way or planned in the region during the next 10 years total $234 billion, and every major amusement park and attraction company has announced a project of its own. Some are on the verge of opening, while others are under construction. But while the region had IAAPA’s interest, the association wasn’t ready to dive in and launch a major trade show. The solution? Test the waters, lay the groundwork and launch a niche conference.
IAAPA began to reach out to local members who provided advice on logistics, scheduling, topics of interest for programming and food-and-beverage issues. The association developed three goals for the conference: 1. To begin to establish brand recognition in the region for the association. 2. To elevate safety awareness in the region. 3. To promote the creation of a national association among operators that would serve as IAAPA’s local partner for future projects.
Because safety for the industry was of so much concern, IAAPA used that as its niche and launched the IAAPA Middle East Safety Conference. “We had a goal of getting 50 people to attend, but we had 92,” says Ana Elisa Benavent, Vice President, Membership and Marketing Services for IAAPA. The conference was held February 27-28, 2008 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Dubai was selected because the destination offers plenty of meeting space, and is particularly Western-friendly. Benavent strongly suggests making several trips to the region before taking on an event, even a small conference. “We had been involved in small ways so we knew what we were getting into,” says Benavent.
The association organized the event on its own, but consulted with members living in the region to fine-tune cultural concerns and conference content. Dubai is becoming a major conference and trade show destination in the Middle East and there are also a number of companies organizers can work with. Many professionals in Dubai are Westerners brought in to work on contracts, which can make communication even easier.
The event was held at the LeMeridien Hotel. Benavent says that while the hotel was nice, it wasn’t ideal for locals since it was near the airport. Traffic in Dubai has a reputation for being especially bad, says Benavent. Ideal spots tend to be around the World Trade Center or the Emirates Tower area. “Because we started planning too late, we couldn’t get space there,” explains Benavent. IAAPA also decided against reserving a room block for the conference. “Because it was the first one we’d ever organized in the region, we didn’t know what to expect in attendance and the attrition fees were very high,” she says.
Benavent says she found the room rates expensive; however, food-and-beverage prices were very reasonable.
“The event was so successful that we’re already planning an expanded event in 2009,” says Benavent. “It will be a two-day safety and operations conference with more networking opportunities and tabletop exhibits.”
She says IAAPA has been approached by several companies looking to partner to produce shows in the region, but at this point IAAPA hasn’t struck a deal with anyone. While the conference was a success, it also provided additional insight into the industry in the region, and currently IAAPA feels the region’s industry is not yet mature enough to support the sort of show it would want to produce.
Heather Kirkwood is Senior Editor of EXPO. She can be reached at 913-344-1376, or e-mail: hkirkwood@red7media.com. IAAPA’S Strategy Goal: Increase association brand in the region and test the market as part of a long-term strategy.
Objective: Hold a modest conference first to enter the market rather than dive in with a major show.
Strategy: Pick a niche topic that was particularly hot in this region — safety.
Tactics: Bring in experts from around the world and make them available at a reasonable cost.
Results: Conference attendance was twice what was expected. The association also gained insight it needed to make a decision to hold off on launching a large trade show at this time.
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