PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD Welcome to European Cities Marketing! ECM is a network of people who are driven by a desire to improve the level of tourism to our cities and who are open to sharing those experiences. It is about the friends that we have made and those working in city tourism that we have not met yet. After focusing on keeping all existing projects on track in 2007, it was time in 2008 to chart a course for the future. It was necessary for us to look and determine who we are and what we do and develop strong communication tools. I invite you to read the following report and discover in more detail the activities of European Cities Marketing. An organisation like ours will only get stronger with the support of all our members! Your support is the motivating factor that gives European Cities Marketing a unique culture that has driven success. Best regards, Frank Magee, President European Cities Marketing ECM MEMBERS IN 2008 Tourism and Conventions organisations from the cities and regions of: Aachen, Aarhus, Aberdeen, Aix en Provence, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Athens, Avignon, Barcelona, Basel, Belfast, Belgrade, Bergen, Berlin, Bern, Biarritz, Bilbao, Bologna, Bolzano, Bratislava, Bruges, Brussels, Budapest, Catalunya Tourism, Copenhagen, Cordoba, Coruna, Cracow, Cyprus, Dijon, Dresden, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Edinburgh, Espoo, Finland Convention Bureau, Florence, France Congrès, Friuli Venezia, Geneva, Genova, Ghent, Gijon, Girona, Gothenburg, Graz, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Helsinki, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Jyvaskylä, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lausanne, Liege, Linz, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Lucerne, Lyon, Madeira, Madrid, Malmö, Malta, Manchester, Maribor, Metz, Montreux, Munich, Namur, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Nottingham, Novi Sad, Nuremberg, Olomouc, Oostende, Opatija, Oslo, Oulu, Palma de Mallorca, Pardubice, Paris, Poznan, Prague, Reims, Reykjavik, Rijeka, Rimini, Rotterdam, Saint Martin, Salzburg, San Sebastian, Santiago de Compostela, Sibenik, Skopje, Sofia, Split, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Switzerland Tourism, Tallinn, Tampere, Tarragona, Tenerife, The Hague, Thessaloniki, Torino, Toulouse, Trondheim, Turku, Uppsala, Valencia, Varna, Vicenza, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw, West Sweden, York, Zagreb, Zaragoza, Zurich. Affiliate members: Applied Card Technologies Ltd., The Leisure Pass Group, NetHotels, Visit Technology. Technical advisor: Modul University Partners: City Break Sponsors: IMEX, EIBTM NEW ECM MEMBERS Among the 134 members, ECM has welcomed 8 new members: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Promotion, Spain NetHotels, Austria (affiliate member) Comune di Rimini, Italy Sibenik Tourist Board, Croatia Office de Tourisme de St Martin, French Carribean City of Skopje Tourist Information Centre, Macedonia Sofia Convention Bureau, Bulgaria IN 2008, ECM COMPRISED OF: • 26 CONVENTIONS FORUM MEMBERS • 47 TOURISM FORUM MEMBERS • 57 MEMBERS OF BOTH FORUMS • 4 AFFILIATE MEMBERS TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS = 134 BOARD ELECTED AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN BELGRADE According to the statutes approved in Athens, one third of the Board is renewed every year. Elections took place during the General Assembly in Belgrade on June 13. Stefan Diender and Anne Wallin-Rodven were re-elected as Board members and the General Assembly voted for Olivier Lépine as Vice-President of the Conventions Forum. The Board meets three times a year, at every European Cities Marketing meeting. In addition to Board meetings, the Executive Committee (consisting of the President, the two Vice-Presidents and the Treasurer) holds regular telephone conference meetings. The Board is at the service of the members and are happy to discuss members needs and views. 2008: A NEW STRATEGY FOR ECM Since the association was created in 2007, the procedure of formulating a new strategy for ECM has begun. The Board started the process of reviewing ECM’s strategy in 2007. A draft version of the board’s outline was presented during the meeting in Ghent and all members present gave their opinions, those absent were given the chance to express their views in writing. This strategy was then presented to the General Assembly who adopted it on June 13, 2008. HEAD OFFICE • The ECM Service Centre has changed its title to ECM Head Office. • We welcomed new staff members: Marie Kuklova - Communication & PR Anna Dyubkina – maternity leave cover for Katy Schmitt Karla Martinez – assistant Conventions Forum from January till March From the left: Jean-Michel Lafond (CEO), Anna Dyubkina (Assistant Conventions Forum), Flavie Baudot (Office Manager), Katy Schmitt (Project Administrator), Grit Becker (Project Administrator), Marie Kuklova (Communication & PR) COMMUNICATION ECM WEBSITE The new European Cities Marketing website was launched during the General Assembly in Belgrade in June. Its fresh and modern design together with its more structured content is appreciated by all members. ECM NEWSLETTER The first ECM electronic Newsletter was issued in July, to members, potential members and partners informing them of all the latest developments in ECM, such as new ECM members, past/future events, portrait of a city, people/interviews, Working Group news. This newsletter is issued on a quarterly basis. ECM UPDATE In w November w 2008, w ECM w Head w Office w began w sending w out w regular updates on what is going on in the ECM Network. This w brief w internal w document w allows w ECM members to w follow w the w current w projects w and w activities, upcoming events and important deadlines. ECM BROCHURE Since the Strategy was adopted in Belgrade, the Head Office has been working on a new promotional brochure to present to potential members and partners. The brochure contains general information, all the latest ECM events and the brochure can be adapted to suit all needs. PRESS RELATIONS • Press conference (IMEX). Objective: To present the positive evolution of ECM since 1st January 2007 (merge between ECT and EFCT). ECM has not only continued working on the established activities but, at the same time, has been developing new projects focusing on Meet Europe, Summer School, Destination finder and the CEO Dinner that has contributed remarkably to the success of the Politicians Forum. • Press lunch (EIBTM): ECM invited ten journalists to join some of the ECM members for lunch. The aim was simple: maintain relationships with the press and discuss ECM current activities and future projects. Press Lunch at EIBTM, Barcelona 2008 SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE INTRANET Members can always find up to date information on the Intranet: www.europeancitiesmarketing.com The Intranet gives members the opportunity to share ideas and to have online discussions with up to 130 destination managers in Europe. Members can also find advice from the experts list, consult the library or simply check ECM news. EUROPEAN CITIES MARKETING MEETINGS Regular meetings are the corner stones of European Cities Marketing. Annual Conference & General Assembly once a year Board meetings three times a year at every European Cities Marketing meeting Executive Committee monthly telephone meetings Working Groups meetings three times a year at every European Cities Marketing meeting GHENT, MARCH 2008: “MARKETING IN A FLAT WORLD” BELGRADE, JUNE 2008: “KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND TOURISM” NOTTINGHAM, NOVEMBER 2008: “THE VISITOR JOURNEY IN EUROPEAN CITIES - STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN BRAND PROMISE AND THE REALITY OF THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE” REPORT FROM THE STEERING COMMITTEES CONVENTIONS FORUM BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Meet Europe In 2008, Meet Europe took place in Brussels on February 26. 23 member cities participated in the event. Feedback from our members, who had the chance to meet with mainly association leaders, was very positive. Trade shows European Cities Marketing was represented at 3 different trade fairs in 2008: EMIF, IMEX, and EIBTM. The main focus was on the Destination Finder and the Summer School. Trade shows are another opportunity to keep in touch with the members and update them on all activities. Contacts have also been made with potential members. Lead exchange The Lead exchange truly is a business to business session for the Conventions members which was held twice last year, in Ghent and Belgrade. Participants are asked to fill in forms with information about clients or events they have been involved in: - Clients Details: are they looking for something specific when searching for a destination or when is the first open year to bid, etc. - Events details: history of the event, next venue, meeting room requirements, PCO service needed or not, etc. Destination Finder Launched during IMEX 2008. This application has been designed to allow PCOs to choose a destination for their meeting or event by allowing easy access key information about the facilities available in European Cities Marketing member cities. EDUCATION Summer School Another key asset of ECM to the Meetings Industry is the Summer School, held this year in Opatija, August 30 – September 3 for its 22nd edition. The Summer School was expertly run by Elisabeth Hansa. Main sessions tackled the respective roles of Convention Bureaus, Tourist Offices, Congress Centres, Airlines, Hotels, DMCs, PCOs and other industry specialists. Practical and imaginative educational sessions were complemented by hands-on demonstrations and site inspections. The programme also allowed time for the 70 students to do some networking with colleagues from vastly varied cultures, careers and backgrounds. TOURISM FORUM BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES City Break Exhibition After