The findings and conclusions made by guests at this year’s IMEX Politicians’ Forum are made public in a report published today – “Understanding the value of meetings at local level.”

The Forum, which is now in its fourth year, welcomed 24 local, regional and national politicians from all over Europe and also from Argentina, Georgia and Indonesia to Frankfurt in May this year. The specially-invited Group met with leaders of the meetings industry under the auspices of the Joint Meetings Industry Council.

After a full and productive day, Forum moderator, Michael Hirst, OBE, Chairman of the UK Business Tourism Partnership told guests, “You have now heard and seen why destinations that engender good working relations with their local politicians and develop a framework of support and promotion within an integrated municipal plan are those that are most successful.”

The IMEX Report details the discussions that took place during the day and also highlights some of the key points of agreement, as well as those areas where more progress is yet to be made.

Some perennial subjects such as how to protect local economies in the event of a natural disaster and how to uniformly measure the economic impact of the meetings industry were discussed.

There was also evidence of fresh thinking and new challenges. Rod Cameron, President of Criterion Communications (Vancouver) reminded guests that the world, and market conditions, can both change extremely quickly and that this affects what the industry should be saying to governments.

John Greenway MP gave the example of the ‘London model’. He pointed out that the decision to devolve responsibility for tourism and business tourism to the Mayor and the Greater London Authority had led to a much greater focus on promoting the city to various business markets.  He said, “This is a stunning testimony to the Forum’s theme of how political involvement can benefit the meetings industry.” He also made the point that 20 per cent of meetings held in the UK are government-related, which means that politicians themselves are both drivers and consumers of the meetings industry.

The Report also shows that further delegate discussion centred around the subject of ‘green’ meetings and how destinations can modify their offerings in line with current ‘green’ thinking. One suggestion, from John Stewart of Aberdeen City Council in Scotland, was for destinations to publish ‘carbon emissions ratings.’

Reflecting the wider changes in the industry, there was also debate about the future impact of modern new Asian conference centres and the potential growth and effect of the Chinese meetings and venue market.

Copies of the Report can be downloaded from http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/politforum.html