Prague Congress Centre needs a new exhibition hall. But who cares?

In 2023, Prague Congress Centre (PCC) faced a key challenge – to win support for the construction of a new multifunctional hall. The project was halted by the COVID lockdown, and the shareholders did not have the will and interest to continue, because the new hall was a peripheral issue for them. Neither the media nor the public considered the topic of a new hall relevant or interesting. Our mission was to raise the profile of the new hall project and put it in the spotlight, so that shareholders would start paying attention to it. We decided to present the hall in a broader context and create a society-wide topic relevant to the media and politicians: The contribution of congress tourism to the capital, its future development, public budgets and employment.

 

Key facts:

 

Congress participants spend 3 times more money in Prague than ordinary tourists, they are interested in the history of the city and Czech culture. Congress tourists like to return to Prague after a successful conference in the role of a cultured, well-off ordinary tourist. This brings profits, spreads Prague’s good name, enhances its reputation and cultivates incoming tourism in the capital.

 

To return to Prague, a congress tourist needs to spend a pleasant time as a congress delegate. Ideally as an attendee at the most prestigious conferences and events. However, Prague lacks the capacity for congresses and conferences with more than 10,000 visitors. Prague Congress Centre (CCP) has a solution – a new exhibition hall that would increase the capacity and allow Prague to bid for the internationally most important congress events for 10,000+ attendees. The new hall can only be built if Prague Congress Centre’s shareholders, the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic and the City of Prague, support its construction.

 

Solution:

 

Three strategic pillars of success

 

• Attractive moment – We identified the perfect time to update the topic and present it.

 

• Emphasis on public benefits – We showed that congress tourism is about economic benefits, as well as the city’s prestige and cultivation.

 

• Suitable credible partners – We worked with key institutions that provided authority and compelling data.

 

Event: Round table with a clear message

In just one week, in cooperation with the Prague Convention Bureau, we created a platform that brought together the PCC CEO, representatives of Prague City, Prague Convention Bureau, Prague City Tourism and the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic. The mix of expertise and prestige supported the case for building the new hall. Clear conclusions were expressed at the event:

 

“The congress industry promotes and develops tourism, bringing in cultured and wealthy tourists.” (Prague City Tourism)

 

“Congresses bring leading global figures in science and research to Prague and the Czech Republic. It brings prestige and a good business image to Prague.” (Prague Convention Bureau)

 

“A congress tourist eats in restaurants and sleeps in hotels with an average price of € 98.35. Unlike backpackers...” (Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic)

 

“Congress tourism is a benefit, it needs to be developed. PCC is a well-established company with record profits.” (Prague City)

 

We highlighted the importance of congress tourism for Prague’s economy, public budgets and building international prestige with the help of individual partner organizations and their precision data. This included information on how much international congresses and conferences bring to the city’s budgets, how much tourists spend here, how they use the services of hotels and restaurants, etc.

 

We supported the event’s significance for the media by announcing important news, that Prague has become the 5th most attractive congress destination in the world according to rankings of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

 

Results:

 

Publicity that made the topic visible Thanks to the correct definition of the need and steps to meet it, as well as the excellent cooperation with the Prague Convention Bureau, we organized an event that attracted the attention of leading Czech media, including Czech Television, Forbes magazine and Hospodářské noviny. We achieved a GRP of 108.17 and ensured that the topic remained relevant for several months after the event.

 

Key outcome for the client? The shareholders began to act and take steps that should ultimately lead to a decision to build a new hall at Prague Congress Centre.

 

Impact:

 

Professional PR that changes reality The AMI Communications team turned a seemingly fringe issue into a public interest. Thanks to the strategy and effective execution, we helped Prague Congress Centre to strengthen the importance of the congress industry in Prague and to raise the hall’s profile as a key factor in its further development.