According to a recent article in Successful Meetings magazine, "US companies are spending more on meetings and incentives in Europe than at any other time since the onset of the Great Recession." Along with the global economic crisis comes opportunity, the article reports. The good news for hotels and conference venues in Europe and other countries is that American businesses are "flush with cash and looking to exploit business opportunities in Europe". The great news for U.S.-based meeting planners is that no matter where they wish to hold an event, PSAV® Presentation Services will be there to help.
PSAV is a global supplier of audiovisual services and event technologies to decision makers responsible for organising meetings, conferences, and events worldwide. The company’s sales management teams and international project managers span the globe – from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to Asia, South America and Australia – delivering the best in video and projection, lighting, set design and construction, sound, staging, event IT support, rigging, high-definition event videoconferencing and now, power testing.
Three main reasons
"There are three key reasons why a US-based event planner should continue to work with PSAV when booking and executing meetings in Europe: familiarity, consistency and simplicity," said Laurie Knapp, PSAV vice president of global sales. "With a single point of contact, our Global Sales organisation ensures that meeting planners’ needs are well understood and their messages are well delivered, all in a timely, cost-efficient and professional manner.
"PSAV has a solid track record of working together with our European operations staff to execute meetings both large and small, on a daily basis, on either side of the pond," she said. "With one call to our dedicated global sales team, we can offer peace of mind for planners of events worldwide."
Worldwide operations
According to statistics released by PSAV headquarters in Long Beach, California, 44 of its large US-based clients held 193 events outside of the US in 2011, representing more than $2.8m in AV revenue.
In ‘A View From Across the Pond’, following on from the previously mentioned article, John F Burke – director of Venues World, a Dublin-based company that sources venues and provides destination management services across the globe – said that Europe continues to have the potential for significant event growth over the next two years.
"Destinations such as Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Hungary are leading the way in terms of both presenting and adding value when it comes to pricing and inclusions for the corporate meeting and conference business," Burke said. "Interestingly, Germany, through its secondary city locations, and Italy are showing strong signs of bringing new value to the sector. Given that these two markets present great opportunities for larger events, this is a significant move away from the higher cost-driven events of the past.
"With the global expansion of Western business, Europe is becoming the natural destination for those businesses wishing to bring both client and employee events together," he added. "[They] are looking at moving what [once] were regional events to a one-event global solution and thus benefitting from economies of scale, integrating networking opportunities and locations that can equally service both East and West."
Global expertise
With Europe becoming a much sought-after destination for events, PSAV is well positioned to serve with the latest audiovisual technologies and event production expertise. In 2011, PSAV Europe produced 28,166 events serving 2.1 million attendees. Of that total, 10,729 events were produced in Germany (456,591 attendees) followed by the UK, with 8,758 shows (275,713 attendees) and 3,200 events in France (173,588 attendees).
"When it comes to meetings and events, it’s vital that meeting planners and facility operators partner with a company that understands the event objectives as well as those producing the event do," said Robert Reed, PSAV global sales manager. "For more than 40 years, the PSAV Global Sales organisation has built a reputation for supplying the very best in event technology and up-to-the-minute resources, supporting client meetings, corporate conferences and events not only across Europe, but worldwide.
"Whether needing to deliver a simple PowerPoint presentation to a few colleagues at an existing PSAV hotel in Paris, London, Amsterdam or Monaco; or a multi-screen, multi-media large-scale conference at an external PSAV venue in Miami, Capetown or Dubai, everything is possible with PSAV," Reed said. "By using our existing client sites, as well as our global network of resources, including technicians and equipment, we will make any event more engaging, more memorable, and ultimately, more meaningful."