Florence Bindelle, Executive Manager of FERMA, just announced that Maastricht is the host city for roughly 1,500 participants of the FERMA Risk Management Forum in MECC Maastricht, From September 29thto October 2th 2013. This is the result of strenuous efforts and close cooperation with MECC Maastricht, other participants and the Maastricht Convention Bureau. Maastricht competed with Brussels, Istanbul and Monte Carlo.
About FERMA
FERMA is constituted by the national risk management associations of 20 countries with in total more than 4,800 members. Objective of FERMA is to coordinate, promote and support the development and application of in particular financial risk management in Europa. This is done, by for example, by organizing conventions, seminars and forums.
FERMA in Maastricht
FERMA has chosen Maastricht because of the personal approach, the good cooperation of Mecc Maastricht with the Maastricht Convention Bureau, the facilities of Mecc Maastricht and the different possibilities for organizing sponsor evenings. In addition the central location of the city was an important aspect, because of members from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.
The Risk Management Forum
During the Forum there will be two plenary sessions and as many as 15 to 24 workshops and academic sessions. In addition, there will be a fair with about 65 booths manned by over 40 companies. Moreover, there are enough breaks in order to network, which contributes to the previously mentioned objective of FERMA.
How Maastricht won the Forum
‘Years of preparation precede,’ says Sonja Opreij-Speth, Sales Manager Conventions of the Maastricht Convention Bureau. ‘The first acquaintance of the Maastricht Convention Bureau with Florence Bindelle was already in February 2008, during a lunch with the embassy in Brussels, organized by the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC) . Also Charles Beckers of MECC Maastricht was closely involved. He adds: ‘ We were finally able to offer a Bid in February 2010. A Bid is an official presentation of the city of Maastricht, the Congress Centre, locations with party- and diner possibilities, hotels, transport possibilities, benefits for the organizer, and so on. Sonja continues: ‘We then received a RFP (Request for Proposal, red.) for the FERMA Risk Management Forum 2013 a year later. And that offer has now been approved. That’s very good news, not only for MECC Maastricht, but also for the whole city of Maastricht and surroundings!’
Economic interest
Charles Beckers explains: ‘Obviously, Mecc Maastricht benefits from the fact that the Forum will be held here, but that is only a small part of the overall impact of such an event. People don’t always realize that many different parties benefit when a convention or Forum is held in Maastricht. Consider, for example, the hotels that accommodate the participants during the event, but also the transport organizations that bring people to Mecc Maastricht. In addition, there is often a party and/or social program. Average, at least 10 events per evening take place in the city during the Forum, organized bij sponsors (insurance companies, broking firms etc.). Deelnemers zullen tijdens hun verblijf in Maastricht & regio ook restaurants en winkels bezoekenAttendees will also visit restaurants en shops and buy souvenirs. In short; the spin-off of such a Forum is enormous.’
All in all, a participant of a convention or Forum spends € 395,- per day during his stay (source: indexed rate NBTC). For Maastricht & region the Risk Management Forum means:
- Over 1,500 convention participants- and visitors, who whether or not with a partner, will stay in the city;
- They will stay here at least 3 days (people often arrive earlier or stay longer);
- They ensure a minimum of 3,300 hotel stays;
- Together, they spend about € 1.303.500,00- in Maastricht & region.
