Crossing a major threshold, the Global Industry Development Network (GIDN), a business development and bid consulting firm, announced it has recently completed its 200th meetings industry project.
Stated Nov. 29, the New York-based conglomerate said it has completed market intelligence studies involving a wide range of projects from analyzing over 10,000 U.S. associations to mapping the corporate meeting sector across Asia to exploring the source markets of meetings coming into Russia.
GIDN, a member of the International Convention and Congress Association (ICCA), works with convention bureaus, professional conference organizers and convention centers, and provides support to ICCA members.
Scott Campbell, executive director, GIDN, said the firm’s market research projects are the ones which provide the most interest.
“The market research projects are a hit with the team, in particular as they started during the global financial crisis of 2009 and so this created some amazing patterns in regards to how the meetings industry adapted to the European and U.S. financial troubles, and how others started to capitalize on the growth of Asia, these are interesting projects to work on,” said Campbell.
In particular and of interest, added Campbell, was the firm’s “Friends of Canada Campaign,” which spent 12 months developing links between international and Canadian associations.
A highlight of the campaign included a synchronized lunch in Canada and dinner in London for international association executives, with both events connected via live streaming. Invitations were delivered by Canadian mounties on the UK side while Canadian executives were greeted by impersonators of the royal family.
The campaign, according to Campbell, generated seven conference wins and over $25 million in direct delegate expenditure.
