The Future Of Official Airlines Status #ICCA12 MONDAY 22/10/2012

51st ICCA Congress

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

Session sponsored by:

The future of “official airline” status

22nd October, 2012

Elif BALCI FISUNOGLU- General ManagerIstanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Destination Selection Criteria;– Accessibility– Cost

• Working with an airline partner for bidding- Associations and planners are asking for financial contribution from the

destinations- CVBs usually do not have a budget to give incentives- Not easy to provide long term support or sponsorships from the other local

bodies and authorities

Destination Marketing: Power of Official Airlines

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Partnership with airlines;

- PR and marketing support to promote the destination as an easily accessible

location- Awareness of the meetings industry and lobbying at national platforms- Bidding power, helping planners to save travel expenses and attract more

delegates- Financial contribution for the destination marketing organizations sponsoring in

kind or cash

• The common goal is to increase the international visitors to a destination

WHO ELSE CAN UNDERSTAND THE BEST!!!

“Partnership”

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Advantages of an “Official Airline”– Delegate benefit; network & special deals– Incentives for the planners

• Advantages of being an “Official Airline”– Promotion advantage for the airline– For the flag carriers a new tool to promote their home destination

CVBs work on long term business and the cooperation is very important for the airline

• How does the CVB benefit: - Close relations and continuing cooperation with the airline- A tool to measure the effectiveness of CVB- Continuous support from the airline and free tickets

“Win- Win”

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Digital technology is crucial,

– Online tools played a key role for the improvement of the “Official Airline” concept during the last 5-10 years time

– Easy to use the online tools– Digital marketing is the most important way to reach the delegates (e-mail blast,

web links, banner, social media)– Online follow up on ticket sales– Online surveys to understand the needs

Digital Tools

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

There is a need to underline the “Official Airline” concept and make it the “one stop shop to book airline tickets” for the delegates

- Still has to be improved- Close contact with international organizers is important, they consider how their

delegates will travel- Communication with the Local organizers and PCOs should be improved as “Official

Airline” is not one of their priorities yet- Congress participants are happy with the special discounts but Frequent Flyer

programs and low cost airline options are the big competitors of an “Official Airline”- However “Special deals” from major airlines are still very important,

Today and the Future

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Turkish Airlines has been a board member of ICVB since 1997 - Turkish Airlines provided free tickets for ICVB staff- ICVB used Turkish Airlines logo on all promotional materials

• Turkish Airlines marketing and corporate communications department was involved.

- No specific interest in the meeting industry- No follow-up and measurements on the effectiveness of ICVB cooperation

• Result- Lack of interest - Lack of cooperation

Case Study: Turkish Airlines and Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau- ICVB

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Turkish Airlines is now an important actor in destination marketing

How it started;- Turkish Airlines became a Star Alliance member in 2008- They formed the Conventions Department- The department started working closely with ICVB- Reported the results to the board - Realized the potential of the meetings industry

- Turkish Airlines is the NUMBER 1 Partner of Istanbul CVB

Turkish Airlines strong partner of Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau- ICVB

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Turkish Airlines has shown a growth of over 25% in the recent years

• As of Oct. 1 2012 Turkish Airlines, which actively flies to 90 countries, is the airline that flies to the most

countries around the world #1The Meetings industry is important for THY;

- The need for new markets with the increased number of destination and routes- The meetings industry has great potential- Frequent fliers and high income, more business and comfort class passengers- Need for active marketing and PR

Meetings Industry for Turkish Airlines

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Istanbul CVB and Turkish Airlines have joint marketing activities, both local and international

- Turkish Airlines has been an active ICCA member since 2010- Exhibits at industry trade shows with ICVB- Sponsoring industry events and partner host for familiarization trips- Launched “Turkish Conventions Package” - Partnering with ICVB for Istanbul Delegate Boosting Program- Bidding support; invitation and support letter, - Annual free ticket allocation for ICVB staff to travel and additional allotments for joint

marketing activities, inspections - Joint sales call visits- Partner of “Istanbul Congress Ambassador Program”

Joint Marketing and Sales Activites

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

• Turkish Airlines offers various products for association and corporate meetings

- Min. 50 Participants- Incentives and special discounts

“Turkish Conventions Package”

• Turkish Airlines Secured over 100 Conventions Plus Turkish Conventions agreements in 2012.

51st ICCA Congress

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA12

Session sponsored by:

Thank you!