WORLD – A new smartphone app, GNR8, designed to help convention bureaus and conference centres target the international association conference market, has been launched by the Global Industry Development Network (GIDN).
The app can be used to match an association’s ‘call for bids’ with potential local hosts from within the user’s city.
Having been trialled in the US and Canada for 12 months, the app is now ready for download free of charge through the iPhone App Store and on Android at Google Play.
To receive qualified and exclusive leads there is a subscription version, which can be accessed through the app or by visiting globalidn.com.
One organisation involved in the testing phase, Tourism Saskatoon in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, found that over 12 months 22 new leads entered their sales pipeline. These leads have resulted in four bid wins, representing almost 5,000 delegates and US$4.7m in direct delegate expenditure, the bureau notes.
Another user involved in the trial, the World Trade and Convention Centre Halifax, also from Canada, in just eight months was able to generate another 42 new conference leads into their sales pipeline with three wins so far. These conferences will start to materialise as they open a new convention centre in 2016.
“How GNR8 works is simple,” says Scott Campbell, Executive Director of the Global Industry Development Network. “A user subscribes to GNR8 and then receives up to five qualified leads per month which are matched to potential local hosts from within the user’s city and which have been aligned to their industries or sectors of excellence, such as science or agriculture.
“While you can just accept the lead and work it yourself, GNR8’s unique feature is that it allows you to not just stop at receiving the lead but rather use the app to develop it all the way through to bid win, it gives you a complete roadmap from prospect to win.”
When a lead has been selected a user can request more information such as introductions to conference decision-makers, can seek interviews from past conference organisers, and obtain lists of potential and past sponsors.
Support is available through the complete sales lifecycle from prospect to lead, to opportunity, bid stage and bid win. At each stage the user can access support services from GIDN’s team members in 16 countries.
GNR8 has been launched in partnership with the not-for-profit society, the STEM States Incorporated, as part of their announcement that the 2014 International Festival of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEMfest) will be held in Adelaide, Australia in partnership with the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
GNR8 was trialled at STEMfest 2013 and will again be the official app used by STEMfest partner associations in identifying grants and sponsors, and for exhibitors being matched to new business leads.
Thirty-eight destination marketing organisations and venues have started to use the app for business development.
Do you have news for CMW? Email sarah@mashmedia.net
