Swift attracts delegates to events despite recession

Leanne Bell , 29 June 2009

Head of events Panos Tzivanidis outlines recession survival plan

Swift is successfully attracting delegates to its live events despite the recession by focusing on communicating to delegates the value that the events bring, says its head of events, Panos Tzivanidis.

Speaking at a session entitled ‘Maximising return on investment and return on objectives' at the Grass Roots Meetings Management Forum on Friday, Tzivanidis said that the financial services company dedicated time to explaining to prospective delegates the value that participation in Swift's events would bring to their brand.

"We spent a lot of time speaking to exhibitors and delegates - we travelled to major clients to alleviate their fears about budgets and return on investment," he said.

"We created special training for participants about how participating in a major event run by Swift can bring value."

Swift also offered early registration rates for delegates and kept its fees at the same level as last year in an effort to attract delegates.

Tzivanidis said that these measures had helped to maintain delegate attendance at the same level as last year, which - during the recession - was more realistic than growth in numbers.