It is not the big that eat the small, it is the fast that eat the slow !
The latest, 2008, Industry Survey by CEI Asia Pacific Magazine* that was once again conducted by the market information provider TNS**, is interesting to study, as this is presently the only independent survey on Asia’s Business Event market available.
In November 2007 TNS collected the views and opinions of CEI Pacific Asia readers across the region and a total of 361 respondents from more than 13 countries took part.
However the fact that 31% of the respondents were Hong Kong based and 21% Singapore based reflects, to some extent, a biased view of the results below:
And although China did not win any “medals” this year, this runner-up is getting closer and closer to the winners platform, with Macau emerging as the next competitive contender to watch.
However the sad point was that in the whole report Taiwan is not featured, nor as up coming destination, nor as having winning product features like a DMC, a hotel and/or an airline.
The fact that only 2% of the respondents came from Taiwan is only a small part of the following effort to explain why, the real explanation is Brand Equity.
Dear readers, most of you know about brands – they are what we say they are, what the consumer believes they are and are only then validated by the experience.
All Business Event destinations began with a vision, typically created around history, natural attractions and/or commerce, they want others to enjoy their uniqueness and location and consequently develop the infrastructure to house, feed, recreate and entertain the participants.
But in Taiwan the Business Event industry is humble and does not enough broadcast their successes, their brand to the world.
Much hard work and a good dose of wisdom have been used by the government but the problem is every year there seems to be a new coach.
In the 5 years that I have been involved in the Business and Leisure Event Marketing of Taiwan there were 5 different organizations in charge : The Tourism Bureau, the Taiwan Convention and Exhibition Association, TAITRA, the MICE Project Office and the China Productivity Center
But having different coaches each year is not good for business and for the team spirit and this often shows when I hear the leaders of Taiwan’s Business Event Industry still talk about all the negatives of the destination and its products, instead of highlighting the positives !
The stronger the coach, the stronger the team, the stronger the destination and hence the marketing, the total delivery and the customer’s satisfaction, the better the results achieved in that all important customer’s perception of the Brand
Three main challenges reflect the intricacies of our Business Event world :
- With terrorism, people seek safety.
- With the price of oil and the stress of air travel, people seek solace and value for money.
- With our quest for talent to serve our visitors and guests, qualified and sufficient labor is crucial.
Markets have changed, not only because of the damage from natural and political causes as well as environmental shifts, ….
