Monaco for you

Inside the ‘Monaco for You’ Travel Industry Soiree

VenuIQ was appointed the app/registration/check-in partner for Visit Monaco‘s agency, Development Counsellors International (DCI) for their VIP in-person industry event to promote Monaco tourism. On 28 April 2022, more than 50 travel professionals gathered for the event at The Standard, High Line in New York City.

Visit Monaco wanted to have more metrics and reporting than they had available to them in previous events. They also required an all-in-one central hub for their events to encourage travel advisors to recommend Monaco as a destination.

DCI and Visit Monaco were delighted with the results; a 50% engagement rate with all partners receiving requests for more information.

“I’d like to thank you for the diligence and consistent work you put in in the last month to bring to life our Visit Monaco app. Head office was thrilled with the app and its functionality, as well as our hotel partners and guest. We look forward to continuing working with you, and that this is the first of many collaborations.”

Vanessa Gonzales-Hernandez, Travel Marketing Manager, DCI

The event started with check-in powered by VenuIQ, leading to a pre-panel glass of champagne and light networking in the High Line Room, which set the mood for guests to learn about the trends currently shaping the present and future of the luxury segment. “The Revenge Travel Among the Luxury Segment” panel was moderated by Amalia Meliti (Development Counsellors International – Travel Trade Marketing Managing Director), and featured Albert Herrera (Internova Group – EVP, Partner Relations), Matt Stevens (Travala/Concierge.io – CFO), Darren Scott (United Airlines – Director Atlantic/Hawaii Network Planning), and Laura Dannen Redman (AFAR – Digital Content Director). These thought leaders of the tourism industry shared their points of view and key insights about new air route developments, the future of luxury tourism, how to tap into the luxury market and the mysticism behind cryptocurrency and NFTs in the tourism space. Q&A was handled both via crowd microphones and through VenuIQ’s Visit Monaco mobile app.

The event continued with a rooftop reception at the Top of the Standard, a glamorous evening of cocktails and conversation with Visit Monaco’s delegation, composed by Guy Antognelli (Director of Tourism), Sandrine Camia (Deputy Director) and Laurence Aquilina (Head of Leisure Tourism), who were joined by the General Managers and Sales Directors of the leading hotels of the Principality. During the event, trade professionals learned how Monaco positioned their destination as a premier experience destination and enjoyed culinary tastings and a live jazz band (Acute Inflections) performance.  

To end the evening, there was an exclusive prize giveaway thanks to our generous partners from United Airlines, MonacAir, Hotel De Paris, Métropole Monte-Carlo, Fairmont Monte-Carlo, Le Meridien Beach Plaza, and Columbus Monte-Carlo. 

After the in-person portion, the event continued on VenuIQ’s Visit Monaco mobile app, where the email and push notification features let attendees know they could access the post-event writeup, photo, and video content and continue networking with each other and the partners.

Development Counsellors International spearheads all North American trade, MICE, and public relations initiatives on behalf of Visit Monaco. The agency was responsible for the planning and execution of this event.

Key takeaways from this event:

• Select a venue best suited for the goals of the client. The Standard, High Line in NYC was selected because it was best suited for a VIP gathering beginning on the third floor and culminating on the rooftop. The rooftop was the perfect location given its curved design, so attendees could easily access what they needed without a logjam, with plenty of space for activations and lounge areas.
• Consider a strategy to bring your attendees together utilizing the best of in-person event design and event technology. DCI leveraged VenuIQ’s check-in, white label mobile app, and in-person event support to create a central hub for the agenda, brand exposure, networking, and to increase the ROI for their partners.
• Remember to have a Plan B for anything AV-related. Make a checklist of all the items you need and have a contingency plan always. For example, have USB drives with your content ready during load-in for the AV team to upload, and triple-check any mics to be used.
• Event technology providers need to be true partners. Instead of purchasing a login for a platform or app and moving on, consider an event technology provider like VenuIQ with years of events expertise to help in all areas as a full-fledged events partner.
• It’s 2022. Extend the lifecycle of the event. Make sure to have top-tier photography and videography for your post-event follow-ups, set up an area at the event for post-event content and/or podcast recordings, and leverage your mobile app provider to extend the lifecycle of your event for weeks or months after the event ends.