How To Launch Your Event Internationally

Run a successful event in the UK? Want to replicate it overseas? Launching your event internationally can open up new markets, enabling you to grow your brand and your profits.

We asked Liz Ackland, Director of global venue sourcing company Right Venues, the key points for event owners to consider when expanding into a new territory.

Is the time right?

“Before considering launching internationally, you need to have sufficient credibility. It’s important to have testimonials to put forward that give reason for people outside of the UK to attend. Until they’ve seen something that’s run well, what is the interest for them?

“Even if the event is new, it’s important you can give experience of past, related events in the UK that will give you that credibility.”

Is it the right destination?

“When we work with clients that have already selected a particular destination, we ask them why, so we can get some background on it. Then we look at what happens in that particular destination throughout the year.

“A lot of the major European cities and North America have their holidays at different times of the year to the UK, so it’s important to make sure the event won’t clash.

“An event we were recently asked to work on in New York clashed with a big Jewish holiday. The client was targeting delegates in New York and the surrounding area so this really had an impact. They had to go back to the drawing board.”

What is the competition?

“We also look at other events being held in that destination. There are always massive congresses in various cities that happen every year and it’s possible that the people they’re trying to target may be attending. Even if they’re not, the venue and accommodation rates will be at the high end.

“During certain peak periods of the year in various destinations the rates reflect this as the demand is high. We look at the best time to hold the event and show comparable quotes for high and low calendar periods.”

What are the terms of business?

“Each destination has their own terms and they can work very differently to the UK. New York, to give an example, is a very challenging city because they have so much volume, there is always limited space and availability due to the demand.

“If the event is just a conference or a congress and there are no guest rooms attached, it can limit as to where will accept it. Having that experience and being able to feed that back to the client in advance means you can consider amending the brief.”

What’s access like?

“Depending if it’s an internal or external event, and from where the client is trying to attract delegates, we try to give information on the accessibility of the destination, the frequency of scheduled flights, the transfer from the airport to where they’re going in the destination – all these factors build into their overall budget and feasibility of the event.

“If visas are a requirement, it’s really important to consider the timespan required and how delegates go about getting them – whether it’s left to the individuals or if we will be assisting.”

What impact will the exchange rate have?

“With the different exchange rates – which we know with the current economy are constantly up and down – this can be a major influencing factor on your choice of destination.

“It’s important to know that the exchange rate at the point you sign your contracts will be locked in. If it’s low at the time of booking and subsequently improves before you come to pay, you will still have to pay at the low rate.”

What are the added taxes?

“In North America and Asia they have so many taxes that are added on after, that often when you get a quote it’s not actually accurate. In the UK it’s pretty much just the VAT, or you may have a service charge discrepancy on there, but that’s it.

“However elsewhere you’ve got city tax, room tax, bedroom tax, occupancy tax, and services charges on everything and that really does affect the overall cost of the event. The percentage of taxes varies from state to state as well.”

Is there a minimum spend?

“A lot of the time venues work on a minimum spend basis overseas rather than a per head package as we do in the UK and Europe and it can be really difficult to understand what that minimum spend is.

“It could be $50,000 and the client expects that to cover all their catering and room rental but often the intonation is quite vague. For example, it might say a coffee break starts from $20, but they could have ten different options for this and you’re not sure what you’re actually getting and how much it costs.

“As clients are moving along, they say, “Let’s add that on, and let’s do that because it seems a good idea,” and before you know it they’ve gone 25% over the original cost or more. That’s why we request the venue to do a full cost sheet at the beginning so it’s very clear.”

Can you afford to take the risk?

“A lot of the time it’s a catch-22 situation for clients looking to launch events internationally because they need to secure a venue in order to market the event. Then they’re locked in but they might not necessarily attract enough delegates to justify it happening. However, they can’t necessarily get the delegates to attend without having something secure.

“In a lot of big cities, especially in North America, they’re very aggressive; their terms are strict. The client has to sign in at a very short period, so that’s the challenge.”

Do you need a representative in the destination?

“It’s well worth working with someone who understands the destination you’re looking to launch in. Even though the Americans, for example, speak English, there is a lot lost in translation. You really have to highlight in black and white exactly what your requirements are.

“What’s more, because of the different timezones it can be very difficult, because when we’re waking up, they’re finishing the day. The timezone is the other way around. A PA or event manager could be working at 8pm in the evening just to be able to have a discussion with them. An agent or someone who has that experience can take that stress away.”

Conclusion

Making the decision to launch your event internationally is a big one and requires a lot of forethought and pre-planning. According to Liz, however, the rewards can be well worth it, especially if you hope to build an international audience for your events, with delegates coming from different countries to attend.

“Choosing an attractive, easily accessible, central destination will aid pan-European attendance,” she says. “Your destination can also act as an incentive if it’s somewhere desirable that a lot of delegates maybe have not had the opportunity to go, like Monaco or Las Vegas.

“These types of destinations are not always as expensive as you might expect, so it’s worth discussing options with a company such as ourselves that has that experience.”

Find out more about Right Venues’ free venue finding service at www.rightvenues.com