Keeping them in

Prague, 22.02.2010
Tens of millions of dollars—this can be the benefit of a single large congress for the hosting municipality. Yet with the crisis hitting the Czech economy at full speed, Prague has been losing ground as a convention destination.


Now, the country is battling to raise the awareness of its other destinations too, in an effort to improve investments into regional tourism and bring over more events, both from international and local organizers.
When she first started to consider organizing an international conference in Prague, Pavla Přikrylová, a partner with the Czech law firm Peterka & Partners (P&P) didn’t know what to expect. P&P is one of the many Prague-based domestic legal boutiques that is aiming to increase their international visibility. Part of two legal networks, TerraLex and the International Lawyers Network, the firm decided to organize conventions for their fellow members in Prague. The first gathering, the TerraLex 16th annual general meeting, took place in September 2006.
“We decided to organize it on our own,” Přikrylová said. The biggest challenge at that time was to pick the right venue. “It depends a lot on the number of attendees. As soon as you have more than 100 guests, things get quite complicated, mainly if you want the convention to take place somewhere near the Prague center,” Přikrylová noted. Another thing was the timing. “If you want to organize the conference in spring or early autumn, which are the most frequented periods, get ready for competition, because booking the venue one year in advance isn’t enough,” she said. “Two years and more is a much better choice.”
After solving the problem of the venue, the next challenge was the social and entertainment program. Selecting the dinner venues and caterers was also a matter of advance planning. Then, there was the price. “Many of our participants thought that Prague was still an Eastern European destination, so quite a cheap one. But they were surprised, as Prague was rather more expensive than their expectations,” Přikrylová said. However, delegates left Prague with a positive feeling. “Many of those who were here for the first time said that it’s a place entirely comparable with other Western cities, particularly when it comes to infrastructure. Even those who returned here after a few years abroad were impressed by the positive changes Prague had experienced,” she said. “We had only positive reactions.”
Two years later, P&P engaged in a similar endeavor, a yearly meeting for the International Lawyers Network in May 2008. But this time, it learned the lesson. “The most important thing is to closely cooperate with a professional meeting organizer,” Přikrylová said. Such organizers have significant experience and close relations with conference venues and service providers. That’s why they can also get better prices. “You use them, you pay, but overall you get better conditions than those that could be negotiated individually. There are different policies if negotiated by conference organizers and by individuals from the private sector,” she said.
Another recommendation that Přikrylová has for event managers is to carefully pick the meeting organizer. “Our tax advisers looked at a matter that would have never come to my mind unless you get confronted with it,” she said, noting that it’s important to think about who will charge and pay the value-added tax (VAT) and where. “We concluded it was better to have a local player involved in the meeting organization. If it’s an international player, the VAT rules might differ from state to state and then we might get into confusions about charging VAT to attendees,” she said.
For the moment, P&P isn’t planning any major international event. However, if the opportunity comes, the firm is ready for it. “Now we know how to do it,” Přikrylová noted.


Source: http://www.cbw.cz/article/keeping-them-in.aspx

Back