How B-Leisure Is Changing the Way We Travel for Business
In the third episode of our Backstage Leadership Conversations podcast series, we dive into the b-leisure economy and look at how it's transforming.
In the third episode of our Backstage Leadership Conversations podcast series, we dive into the b-leisure economy and look at how it's transforming.
In our Backstage Leadership Conversations podcast series, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi's Culture and Tourism Department, we explore the post-pandemic trends in business travel, focusing on key areas such as technology, impact, sustainability and recovery. Learn how Abu Dhabi is helping the MICE sector to thrive.
For this series, we went backstage at Abu Dhabi Business Events Week and had engaging discussions with a range of interesting leaders from across the sector to understand more about the shifts and trends they have witnessed in their work. We heard a range of different perspectives and talked about how everybody can collectively come together to reinforce Abu Dhabi's very competitive positioning and continue to help the MICE sector thrive as a more competitive, exciting and innovative industry as we come out of the pandemic.
In the third episode, we dive into the b-leisure economy and look at how it's transforming. We look at some of the trends that can be observed together with James Rees, President of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and Ajay Bhojwani, Managing Director at MCI Middle East.
The ICCA is the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry and represents the main specialists in organising, transporting and accommodating international meetings and events. They offer unrivalled data, exposure and business opportunities for their extensive network of members. James has 25 years of experience in event organisation and large-scale venue management. He is now responsible for sales and marketing strategy for the conference and events division of Excel London, globally recognised in the congress and convention industry.
MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency with more than 30 years of experience. They help their clients to engage their audiences by creating unforgettable experiences, designing strategies and applying creativity to support organisational growth. MCI Group globally has more than 60 offices in 32 countries, with over 2000 people. Ajay currently works with the MCI group as the regional managing director for the Middle East and North Africa. He runs an operation in the region that spans more than 20 countries, running more than 200 events annually.
Both James and Ajay play very different roles in the industry, despite being deeply rooted in the same sector. I invited James to reflect on the trends and developments of the industry in recent times and asked him for his opinion about the recovery of the sector.
I've been ICCA president now for four years, much of which has been marred by the Covid pandemic, bringing real change in organisational behaviours and the needs of associations.
The demands now for what they're looking for in their events are trends that we were starting to see even before Covid, but seem to have been fast forwarded during Covid. Those three trends I would say are around the need for sustainability, for legacy and also for access to markets to serve the mission of those associations. There's a higher demand from organisations when they're coming to venues or PCOS to really serve their mission.
Looking at trends within the industry, we can see that knowledge and education have turned into big incentives to attract in-person events, which is causing demand for these types of events to grow. I wanted to see with Ajay where he's observed the biggest challenges in what consumers are currently demanding from the event experience and how it has pivoted much more around education and learning.
I think it goes both ways. Like James mentioned, the associations are wanting to serve the mission and they're wanting to go into emerging markets; the untapped economies where they feel there is a demand for the products. These markets are developing and the need for professional development is getting even more urgent in this new pandemic era. They are moving destinations and moving jobs, which pushes them to further enhance their skills, whether it's through certifications or training and education programmes. This is where the real push from an association perspective comes and this is what they do. So it's addressing that demand.
Going back to James, I wanted to talk about the opportunities around leisure tourism and the opportunities to connect this with business travel through concepts such as nomadic working or so-called 'workcations', which have grown a lot since the pandemic. It is important to understand how this is causing a shift in the way business is done. So I invited James to reflect a little on this and to perhaps share his view on how this in itself is impacting the MICE sector.
We've seen during Covid that everyone talks about pivoting. Many MICE organisers have pivoted to a virtual or hybrid option. In my experience, I believe that whilst I have an interest in face-to-face meetings coming back strongly, all the trends show it is coming back strongly. Whilst we are talking to clients who are saying how successful their virtual events were, when you really drill down to the legacy, knowledge transfer and networking that was created during 2020 and 2021, they admit the outcomes have not been the same. The value of face-to-face is undoubtedly being seen as something back to the future in some ways.
I think what we're also seeing is a need to really improve the digitisation of events, which can help extend the lifespan of a three- or four-day congress. Using digital means you can have more of a buildup and more of a legacy with the transfer of knowledge post-event and adapt to the changing behaviours of future generations.
We live in a world of Apple, Netflix and Amazon and want to view television on demand. There's a need for certain organisations to think about on-demand education or on-demand knowledge sharing. There is a changing face to how person-to-person events are going to be managed in the future. Undoubtedly, that sense of camaraderie of belonging to an organisation, particularly if you're looking at associations, when you get everybody into one venue is recognised as something that you simply can't do through a computer screen.
After the pandemic in-person experiences have transitioned into something that could almost be considered as a premium, but which was previously taken for granted. With remote work expanding massively in the last couple of years, meeting in-person has become something unique, special and meaningful for event participants. But what is happening from the organiser's perspective? I asked Ajay for his opinion regarding the changes he's witnessed in how people work and interact when coming together around business events.
From a talent perspective, I think as much as we are on the front side bringing people together, even internally, we feel the same. When people come together, the magic happens and that's when your great ideas are formed. It's not that we've learned through the pandemic that it's not that you can't do it offline and remotely, but it's a whole different process. Things come out, but teamwork is not the same. It's not easy to keep the morale going.
I think people are also getting used to saying, I would like my own space. I would like to do things in my own time. I think every organisation needs to find the right balance that works for their talents as well as what works for them. I think that the easier you can find that balance, that's the best output to get. In this part of the world at least, pre-pandemic we've always had 100% workforce in the office. Since the pandemic, we now have people located in the Philippines, India and Oman. These are talents who are doing the same job after moving back to their home country and are satisfied with the new lifestyle. I think we've found that sweet spot that works for them and works for us. I think in at least for the next few years, this is how it will be. People like to do it at their own time and space.
One of the benefits brought by online events is that it has allowed us to work with the idea of distributed teams, with people from all around the world being able to connect and still create a sense of being together as a team. Nonetheless, physical events provide a really unique opportunity to connect people and even connect people from within the same organisation to get to know each other and to build strong relationships.
With all of the conversation taking place around the connection between leisure and b-leisure and how the MICE sector plays a key role in connecting these different types of visitors. I asked James for his view on the trends that will dominate this new period that we're entering. So, how does he expect demand for this blended experience to develop?
One thing I'm learning as you talk more to clients as we come out of Covid is a realisation I would say almost a flight to quality when you think about events themselves. There's a realisation that someone in London actually doesn't need to fly to New York for a two-hour meeting and fly back again, which is something that business people might have done before Covid. With Microsoft Teams and Zoom, you can have a basic meeting over those different media.
What we are seeing is a real focus on the quality of experiences, both among associations and businesses. As corporates come out of Covid, they want to influence stakeholders and potential customers. Customers won't simply revert to what they were doing before Covid and go to every single trade show or conference. Events have to be relevant for their day-to-day role for their personal experience because Covid hasn't vanished.
People want to be able to go to places where they're not cocooned in an underground hotel meeting room. They want natural daylight and fresh air as well as a programme designed so that they can mix with the other delegates and perhaps take half an hour out and dial back into the office.
Technology needs to be able to allow people to have that interconnectivity at all times during these events. What we're seeing is a need for focused business events, concentrating on both the business side and the experiential side. The destinations that are successful are the ones able to offer that mix of pleasure to really enhance their experience of the event and how they would view corporate brands or associations after the event or congress respectively.
Ajay has extensive experience about Abu Dhabi, having seen how the destination has evolved over the years and massively enriched his experience. With this, I wanted to get his thoughts on where he believes the competitive level of Abu Dhabi sits against other destinations, particularly considering the events and the wider leisure offer.
I think Abu Dhabi has come a long way. We've been running this business here for 15 years. I have lived in the region for 25 years and we've seen Abu Dhabi come really a long way. It started its positioning being the cultural hub for the region. It's not that this focus has gone away; there is still a big priority where culture is concerned which is why you see all these museums being built here, and that's kind of the future they would envision. However, while they're doing that on one side, there is a whole focus that they have built through Yas Island and the theme parks, which is focused on family holidays and is completely on the leisure side.
I think if you look at those two components separately, they are so weighed apart. At the same time, when you bring them together and put the whole package as a MICE product, I think that's exactly what is giving you the full experience; whether it's business and leisure combined or a convention combined with leisure at the end with your family. There are a lot of ways now you could combine the product and the whole way it's sold. I think that's really what makes it quite unique at the moment.
Turning to James, as a visitor to Abu Dhabi, I wanted to know more about the outcomes he's witnessed from attending the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week, emphasising the impact that it's had in helping him to establish crucial partnerships and facilitating those critical conversations that can only happen in person.
I'm from London, but importantly Excel London is part of the ADNEC Group of companies so our owners are based here in Abu Dhabi. We have a strong affinity to this part of the world and a natural connection through that ownership. I've been fortunate to have visited Abu Dhabi a number of times in the past. I haven't been since before Covid, and you can see the investment that has been put in place here during that time. I think the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week is a great opportunity for all of the stakeholders in Abu Dhabi that are seeking to gain more MICE to be in a fantastic position now to really share knowledge and develop partnerships that will then mean they're more successful with the bidding. There's been some amazing winning bids in recent times for future years.
One of the things that I think can be underestimated is the importance of Abu Dhabi as the centre of government for the UAE. For many organisations this proximity to the government - particularly corporates, but also for medical associations where they're wanting to really drive their mission in this region - access to government is an underestimated asset. I think Abu Dhabi with the work that's going on here during Abu Dhabi Business events week and the increasing awareness across government departments of the importance of business events can only really steer us to one conclusion, which is a very bright future for Abu Dhabi in this market.
To round off this insightful conversation with James and Ajay, I asked Ajay to share some thoughts on what the future of Abu Dhabi may look like based on its unique proposition and the characteristics that make it more competitive than any other destination.
I think if I just focus on the MICE component and as a product for that, I think like James mentioned there is a huge investment that the government is putting in. You see a lot of infrastructure - we've got a new airport being developed and more hotels opening - so there's a big priority on the core infrastructure. In addition to that are add-ons that you can do in the city, from restaurants to more added activities.
The last component is programmes like the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week. I think that's just pushing all the stakeholders not only to up their game, but also to come together as Team Abu Dhabi and work together and make sure we are pushing more bids out as a team together. There are more events coming, not just international events.
There is also a focus on homegrown events and exhibitions. The government is pushing for that as well. Overall, I think there is a lot of focus in multiple directions leading to one bigger objective, which is making sure Abu Dhabi is being seen and hosting some of these big events and exhibitions.
From listening to James and Ajay, I was able to get a better understanding of how the b-leisure market has been transforming and how it has been transforming the landscape of both business travel and leisure. I also got a much better understanding of the current trends that we are seeing throughout the industry and how Abu Dhabi is maximising its investment to take advantage of those trends, which helped us to identify some of the clear reasons that Abu Dhabi is positioned as one of the most competitive destinations in the MICE sector globally.
Coming off the back of 3 years of disruption, it's now key for organisations to take the right steps regarding their approach to business travel. With video conferencing becoming essential during COVID, there is a realisation that some meetings can be held online. Additionally, digitalisation can help events create a bigger legacy by using on-demand content for post-event knowledge transfer.
However, the value of in-person events cannot be ignored. The camaraderie of attending large events cannot be replicated virtually and networking and knowledge exchange are not as effective when done online, showing that interactions between individuals remain a core aspect of the MICE sector.
Here are some additional takeaways:
The b-leisure economy is transforming the way people work and travel. The MICE industry needs to adapt to meet the needs of this new market by offering more experiential events that combine business with leisure. By doing so, the industry can continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.
In our Backstage Leadership Conversations podcast series, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi's Culture and Tourism Department, we explore the post-pandemic trends in business travel, focusing on key areas such as technology, impact, sustainability and recovery. Learn how Abu Dhabi is helping the MICE sector to thrive.
For this series, we went backstage at Abu Dhabi Business Events Week and had engaging discussions with a range of interesting leaders from across the sector to understand more about the shifts and trends they have witnessed in their work. We heard a range of different perspectives and talked about how everybody can collectively come together to reinforce Abu Dhabi's very competitive positioning and continue to help the MICE sector thrive as a more competitive, exciting and innovative industry as we come out of the pandemic.
In the third episode, we dive into the b-leisure economy and look at how it's transforming. We look at some of the trends that can be observed together with James Rees, President of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and Ajay Bhojwani, Managing Director at MCI Middle East.
The ICCA is the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry and represents the main specialists in organising, transporting and accommodating international meetings and events. They offer unrivalled data, exposure and business opportunities for their extensive network of members. James has 25 years of experience in event organisation and large-scale venue management. He is now responsible for sales and marketing strategy for the conference and events division of Excel London, globally recognised in the congress and convention industry.
MCI is a global engagement and marketing agency with more than 30 years of experience. They help their clients to engage their audiences by creating unforgettable experiences, designing strategies and applying creativity to support organisational growth. MCI Group globally has more than 60 offices in 32 countries, with over 2000 people. Ajay currently works with the MCI group as the regional managing director for the Middle East and North Africa. He runs an operation in the region that spans more than 20 countries, running more than 200 events annually.
Both James and Ajay play very different roles in the industry, despite being deeply rooted in the same sector. I invited James to reflect on the trends and developments of the industry in recent times and asked him for his opinion about the recovery of the sector.
I've been ICCA president now for four years, much of which has been marred by the Covid pandemic, bringing real change in organisational behaviours and the needs of associations.
The demands now for what they're looking for in their events are trends that we were starting to see even before Covid, but seem to have been fast forwarded during Covid. Those three trends I would say are around the need for sustainability, for legacy and also for access to markets to serve the mission of those associations. There's a higher demand from organisations when they're coming to venues or PCOS to really serve their mission.
Looking at trends within the industry, we can see that knowledge and education have turned into big incentives to attract in-person events, which is causing demand for these types of events to grow. I wanted to see with Ajay where he's observed the biggest challenges in what consumers are currently demanding from the event experience and how it has pivoted much more around education and learning.
I think it goes both ways. Like James mentioned, the associations are wanting to serve the mission and they're wanting to go into emerging markets; the untapped economies where they feel there is a demand for the products. These markets are developing and the need for professional development is getting even more urgent in this new pandemic era. They are moving destinations and moving jobs, which pushes them to further enhance their skills, whether it's through certifications or training and education programmes. This is where the real push from an association perspective comes and this is what they do. So it's addressing that demand.
Going back to James, I wanted to talk about the opportunities around leisure tourism and the opportunities to connect this with business travel through concepts such as nomadic working or so-called 'workcations', which have grown a lot since the pandemic. It is important to understand how this is causing a shift in the way business is done. So I invited James to reflect a little on this and to perhaps share his view on how this in itself is impacting the MICE sector.
We've seen during Covid that everyone talks about pivoting. Many MICE organisers have pivoted to a virtual or hybrid option. In my experience, I believe that whilst I have an interest in face-to-face meetings coming back strongly, all the trends show it is coming back strongly. Whilst we are talking to clients who are saying how successful their virtual events were, when you really drill down to the legacy, knowledge transfer and networking that was created during 2020 and 2021, they admit the outcomes have not been the same. The value of face-to-face is undoubtedly being seen as something back to the future in some ways.
I think what we're also seeing is a need to really improve the digitisation of events, which can help extend the lifespan of a three- or four-day congress. Using digital means you can have more of a buildup and more of a legacy with the transfer of knowledge post-event and adapt to the changing behaviours of future generations.
We live in a world of Apple, Netflix and Amazon and want to view television on demand. There's a need for certain organisations to think about on-demand education or on-demand knowledge sharing. There is a changing face to how person-to-person events are going to be managed in the future. Undoubtedly, that sense of camaraderie of belonging to an organisation, particularly if you're looking at associations, when you get everybody into one venue is recognised as something that you simply can't do through a computer screen.
After the pandemic in-person experiences have transitioned into something that could almost be considered as a premium, but which was previously taken for granted. With remote work expanding massively in the last couple of years, meeting in-person has become something unique, special and meaningful for event participants. But what is happening from the organiser's perspective? I asked Ajay for his opinion regarding the changes he's witnessed in how people work and interact when coming together around business events.
From a talent perspective, I think as much as we are on the front side bringing people together, even internally, we feel the same. When people come together, the magic happens and that's when your great ideas are formed. It's not that we've learned through the pandemic that it's not that you can't do it offline and remotely, but it's a whole different process. Things come out, but teamwork is not the same. It's not easy to keep the morale going.
I think people are also getting used to saying, I would like my own space. I would like to do things in my own time. I think every organisation needs to find the right balance that works for their talents as well as what works for them. I think that the easier you can find that balance, that's the best output to get. In this part of the world at least, pre-pandemic we've always had 100% workforce in the office. Since the pandemic, we now have people located in the Philippines, India and Oman. These are talents who are doing the same job after moving back to their home country and are satisfied with the new lifestyle. I think we've found that sweet spot that works for them and works for us. I think in at least for the next few years, this is how it will be. People like to do it at their own time and space.
One of the benefits brought by online events is that it has allowed us to work with the idea of distributed teams, with people from all around the world being able to connect and still create a sense of being together as a team. Nonetheless, physical events provide a really unique opportunity to connect people and even connect people from within the same organisation to get to know each other and to build strong relationships.
With all of the conversation taking place around the connection between leisure and b-leisure and how the MICE sector plays a key role in connecting these different types of visitors. I asked James for his view on the trends that will dominate this new period that we're entering. So, how does he expect demand for this blended experience to develop?
One thing I'm learning as you talk more to clients as we come out of Covid is a realisation I would say almost a flight to quality when you think about events themselves. There's a realisation that someone in London actually doesn't need to fly to New York for a two-hour meeting and fly back again, which is something that business people might have done before Covid. With Microsoft Teams and Zoom, you can have a basic meeting over those different media.
What we are seeing is a real focus on the quality of experiences, both among associations and businesses. As corporates come out of Covid, they want to influence stakeholders and potential customers. Customers won't simply revert to what they were doing before Covid and go to every single trade show or conference. Events have to be relevant for their day-to-day role for their personal experience because Covid hasn't vanished.
People want to be able to go to places where they're not cocooned in an underground hotel meeting room. They want natural daylight and fresh air as well as a programme designed so that they can mix with the other delegates and perhaps take half an hour out and dial back into the office.
Technology needs to be able to allow people to have that interconnectivity at all times during these events. What we're seeing is a need for focused business events, concentrating on both the business side and the experiential side. The destinations that are successful are the ones able to offer that mix of pleasure to really enhance their experience of the event and how they would view corporate brands or associations after the event or congress respectively.
Ajay has extensive experience about Abu Dhabi, having seen how the destination has evolved over the years and massively enriched his experience. With this, I wanted to get his thoughts on where he believes the competitive level of Abu Dhabi sits against other destinations, particularly considering the events and the wider leisure offer.
I think Abu Dhabi has come a long way. We've been running this business here for 15 years. I have lived in the region for 25 years and we've seen Abu Dhabi come really a long way. It started its positioning being the cultural hub for the region. It's not that this focus has gone away; there is still a big priority where culture is concerned which is why you see all these museums being built here, and that's kind of the future they would envision. However, while they're doing that on one side, there is a whole focus that they have built through Yas Island and the theme parks, which is focused on family holidays and is completely on the leisure side.
I think if you look at those two components separately, they are so weighed apart. At the same time, when you bring them together and put the whole package as a MICE product, I think that's exactly what is giving you the full experience; whether it's business and leisure combined or a convention combined with leisure at the end with your family. There are a lot of ways now you could combine the product and the whole way it's sold. I think that's really what makes it quite unique at the moment.
Turning to James, as a visitor to Abu Dhabi, I wanted to know more about the outcomes he's witnessed from attending the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week, emphasising the impact that it's had in helping him to establish crucial partnerships and facilitating those critical conversations that can only happen in person.
I'm from London, but importantly Excel London is part of the ADNEC Group of companies so our owners are based here in Abu Dhabi. We have a strong affinity to this part of the world and a natural connection through that ownership. I've been fortunate to have visited Abu Dhabi a number of times in the past. I haven't been since before Covid, and you can see the investment that has been put in place here during that time. I think the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week is a great opportunity for all of the stakeholders in Abu Dhabi that are seeking to gain more MICE to be in a fantastic position now to really share knowledge and develop partnerships that will then mean they're more successful with the bidding. There's been some amazing winning bids in recent times for future years.
One of the things that I think can be underestimated is the importance of Abu Dhabi as the centre of government for the UAE. For many organisations this proximity to the government - particularly corporates, but also for medical associations where they're wanting to really drive their mission in this region - access to government is an underestimated asset. I think Abu Dhabi with the work that's going on here during Abu Dhabi Business events week and the increasing awareness across government departments of the importance of business events can only really steer us to one conclusion, which is a very bright future for Abu Dhabi in this market.
To round off this insightful conversation with James and Ajay, I asked Ajay to share some thoughts on what the future of Abu Dhabi may look like based on its unique proposition and the characteristics that make it more competitive than any other destination.
I think if I just focus on the MICE component and as a product for that, I think like James mentioned there is a huge investment that the government is putting in. You see a lot of infrastructure - we've got a new airport being developed and more hotels opening - so there's a big priority on the core infrastructure. In addition to that are add-ons that you can do in the city, from restaurants to more added activities.
The last component is programmes like the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week. I think that's just pushing all the stakeholders not only to up their game, but also to come together as Team Abu Dhabi and work together and make sure we are pushing more bids out as a team together. There are more events coming, not just international events.
There is also a focus on homegrown events and exhibitions. The government is pushing for that as well. Overall, I think there is a lot of focus in multiple directions leading to one bigger objective, which is making sure Abu Dhabi is being seen and hosting some of these big events and exhibitions.
From listening to James and Ajay, I was able to get a better understanding of how the b-leisure market has been transforming and how it has been transforming the landscape of both business travel and leisure. I also got a much better understanding of the current trends that we are seeing throughout the industry and how Abu Dhabi is maximising its investment to take advantage of those trends, which helped us to identify some of the clear reasons that Abu Dhabi is positioned as one of the most competitive destinations in the MICE sector globally.
Coming off the back of 3 years of disruption, it's now key for organisations to take the right steps regarding their approach to business travel. With video conferencing becoming essential during COVID, there is a realisation that some meetings can be held online. Additionally, digitalisation can help events create a bigger legacy by using on-demand content for post-event knowledge transfer.
However, the value of in-person events cannot be ignored. The camaraderie of attending large events cannot be replicated virtually and networking and knowledge exchange are not as effective when done online, showing that interactions between individuals remain a core aspect of the MICE sector.
Here are some additional takeaways:
The b-leisure economy is transforming the way people work and travel. The MICE industry needs to adapt to meet the needs of this new market by offering more experiential events that combine business with leisure. By doing so, the industry can continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.
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