Specialist business events consultancy GainingEdge has launched a new dedicated Association (Buyer-side) Advisory Practice designed to help destinations and venues strengthen how they engage with, win and support international association business.
The new practice says it aims to translate decades of first-hand international association leadership and decision-making experience into practical advice, support, training and coaching. It hopes to help destinations and venues better understand associations’ priorities, challenges and ambitions – and use those insights to improve their positioning, stakeholder engagement, bidding and client delivery.
The environment in which associations operate is becoming increasingly complex, shaped by tighter budgets, geopolitical pressures and legacy.
The way associations evaluate destinations and venues, select partners and make decisions is also evolving. GainingEdge says its new practice will focus on building relationships that move beyond the traditional supplier–buyer dynamic towards genuine partnership.
“Adding Association (Buyer-Side) Advisory as a dedicated service pillar is an exciting and important development for GainingEdge,” said Steen Jakobsen, CEO of GainingEdge. “It complements our established destination and venue advisory services and strengthens our ability to support clients across the entire association business journey. We are very excited to bring this distinctive buyer-side perspective to the industry and help destinations and venues become more relevant, competitive and valuable partners to associations.”
The practice will be led by Thomas Reiser, partner, association advisory at GainingEdge, who has more than 25 years of experience leading international associations and organising global congresses.
“Having spent more than 25 years leading international associations, I have been closely involved in the internal conversations and decision-making processes that determine whether a destination or venue is selected,” said Reiser. “I have seen first-hand what association staff and boards discuss, what genuinely matters to them and what ultimately makes a bid succeed or fail. This new practice allows us to turn that experience into practical support and a competitive advantage for destinations and venues. It is not based on theory – it is grounded in what I have seen makes a real difference from the buyer’s side of the table.”
The new practice supports destinations and venues across the full association business journey and will offer guidance on areas such as association decision-making, ambassador programmes, client advisory boards, community engagement, legacy and impact, and the development of long-term partnerships with international associations.
