This text is part of the special Business Tourism booklet
With the disappearance of health measures, requests to organize events are surging but, unlike pre-pandemic years, organizers no longer wish to wait months before they take place. A nice problem for the Center des congrès de Québec.
Pierre-Michel Bouchard, CEO of the Center des congrès de Québec, had a funny surprise at the end of spring when a cardinal called him to ask him to organize the press room for the Pope’s visit to Quebec at the end of July. “I had to apologize. Almost at the same time, we received 2,000 magicians for the World Championship of Magic. You can’t do miracles. »
It’s that business tourism works like the thunder of God. Since its post-pandemic reopening last March, the Quebec City Convention Center has struggled with an unprecedented influx of last-minute requests. “It is the urgency that drives us at the moment. The organizers ask us if they can hold an event next month. Their members have a thirst to meet. People are ready to see each other anywhere, as long as they see each other. »
Even if she still only reports 170 confirmed events in 2022 compared to 210 in 2019, Ann Cantin, director of communications and marketing, expects a very big year. “We received 106 events from April to September instead of 98 in 2019. But the phone is constantly ringing for events to organize right away. Not in three weeks or in January: now. »
Tools with direct effect
In the circles of event organizers, Quebec City is perceived as an integrated resort, a city resort, to use anglicism. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, jogging on the Plains, the shops of Saint-Jean Street, everything is a 10-minute walk away.
On the strength of this unique positioning on a North American scale, the Québec City Convention Center has adopted an original promotional tool: a free $50 prepaid credit card. Financed by funds from the city’s tourist office and government programs, this card can be used to pay for hotel rooms, meals or souvenirs.
“We started it in 2012 for some special projects, but now we are expanding it. It’s a real novelty that sets us apart, says Pierre-Michel Bouchard. The conference organizers are happy: it exempts them from having to organize a dinner. And the delegates are very happy about it and treat themselves to fine meals, a fine bottle of wine. »
In the same spirit, the Québec City Convention Center has also set up a very popular program, Show your badge, which allows delegates to take advantage of discounts at participating businesses and restaurants simply by showing their delegate name tag. “It materializes our economic impact,” says Ann Cantin. A hundred million dollars in spin-offs does not appeal to everyone. But when merchants see congressmen arriving in shops and restaurants, the effect is direct. »
The advantage of the destination
According to Pierre-Michel Bouchard, promoting a convention center is difficult because basically, they all look alike. “What we sell is the destination. The Québec City Convention Center is also home to extraordinary places such as the Le Diamant performance hall, the armoury, the promotions hall of the Séminaire de Québec, and the fine buildings of the National Capital Commission. We, what we want, what we want, is for our events to come out of the Centre. »
This is the very vocation of Québec Destination Affaires, a business tourism development office managed by the Québec City Convention Center for the benefit of the entire region. “Our hotels have a sales force on the Quebec market, but not on the foreign market. So we convinced the Tourist Office to entrust us with this mandate. »
“Québec Business Destination brings together many hotels, external reception venues, but also audiovisual specialists or convention planners, in short, anyone interested in business tourism,” says Ann Cantin. It propels them to the fore. »
The latest great idea from Québec Destination Affaires is the Rendez-vous d’affaires de la Francophonie, the first edition of which brought together 455 participants from 14 countries last July.
The Quebec Employers Council, the Young Chambers of Commerce, the Manufacturers and Exporters of Quebec, the Ministry of International Relations, all these fine people have been postponing their annual events for two years, says Pierre-Michel Bouchard, who had the idea of offering them a common showcase. “It started in a hurry and it happened in a few weeks,” he said. But our ambition is to make it the Davos of the economic Francophonie. »
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.