the alliance to deliver successful long-term
results. “Knowledge from experience in one
destination has helped BestCities better their
offering in the next, really listening to their
clients, and offering a second-to-none destination service experience, which has a long
lasting impact in their host city,” said Bollinger.
At PCMA Convening Leaders 2016 in
January, one of BestCities’ client advisory
board members, Nisan Bartov, COO of CongressMed, spoke about his experience working with BestCities. In 2015, CongressMed,
which specializes in the development and
enhancement of medical education through
events, coordinated the World Congress on
Controversies in Breast Cancer in Melbourne.
Through a close working relationship with
the Melbourne Convention Bureau and other
key stakeholders in Melbourne, Bartov and
CongressMed were able to surpass their
attendance goal by 40 percent.
Since then, Bartov has worked with a
number of other BestCities destinations,
including Berlin, which will host the 25th
World Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility in 2017. The
event will be the sixth congress within five
years that CongressMed has brought to a
BestCities destination. Bartov also sees the
relationship as a way of bringing research
centers in Best Cities destinations together for
better knowledge-sharing within his industry,
in turn creating a platform for events and
their host cities to create more meaningful,
lasting impact.
Similarly, BestCities assisted Rehabilitation International (RI) with coordinating its
2016 World Congress in Edinburgh. RI Sec-
retary General Venus llagan’s decision to
host the event in Edinburgh was the result
of solid attendance at a BestCities workshop
in Houston in 2013, where the alliance offered
support by connecting RI with local stake-
holders. “We chose Edinburgh over other cit-
ies because of assurances and commitment,
These examples mirror a growing trend.
Many meeting professionals want their
event to achieve more than simply ticking
off a few boxes; they want to make an impact
on the bigger picture of their industry. From
influencing public policy, to securing funding
for new medical research, to tackling climate
issues, meetings represent an opportunity
to change the world. And alliances such as
BestCities offer a ready-made, supportive
platform to make those changes globally.
For more information: BestCities Global
Alliance — Jane Cunningham, Business
Development, Associations;
jane.cunningham@bestcities.net;
bestcities.net
Bigger picture ‘We are seeing a growing trend in leading associations measuring the
success of meetings and conferences not only by delegate numbers, new sponsors,
great keynotes, or smooth operations,’ said Karen Bolinger, CEO of the Melbourne
Convention Bureau and BestCities’ board chair. ‘Real success is seen as something
more enduring, something that will make a long-term difference.’
