Ramy James Salameh discovers M&I’s blueprint for the future of their events, within the seductive charms of Marrakesh in Morocco:
In centuries past ancient ‘caravans’ regularly traversed through Marrakesh, bringing products to trade, while sharing knowledge and cultures within the ‘caravanserai’ or fondouks (road-side Inns), which offered overnight respite to commercial travellers. The caravanserai became centres for exchange of goods, cultures and ideas, which passed along the great Silk Road trade route.
Why should I be making this historical comparison with ‘m&i Fest Marrakesh Forum 24’? Well, it is quite simple, their new flagship event, the largest in m&i Forum’s event history, brought its very own ‘caravan’ of top buyers and suppliers into the Moroccan city to encourage trade – 7,473 prescheduled meetings took place over three days; share insights – through workshops on generative AI; share cultures – delegates travelled from 30 countries; and to dive deep into the mystical milieu of Morocco’s touristic jewel in the crown.
The challenge for m&i was to replicate their small group formula, by fully immersing both sides of the ‘buyer and supplier’ desk, with intimate 1-2-1 meetings, in-destination explorations, personalised activities and social networking, but on a much grander scale; while adding into the mix, an exhibition-style concept within the opulent spaces of a congress centre.
New event-era for m&i Forums
It was evident from the beginning of m&i Fest that, while this would be a series of ‘firsts’ for many, including the organisers, partners and delegates, any nervousness associated with this new super-sized event format was dispelled on the first evening’s VIP social gathering.
Elsa Harbourne, COO of m&i Forums, spoke of: “bringing our select group of m&i ambassadors, sponsors and MICE industry leaders together to network”. And here the ‘Fest’ ball got rolling at the opening of the rooftop ‘Privilege Bar’ at the boutique Pestana CR7 hotel. “Suppliers were also able to promote their brand in a more impactful way,” Harbourne added.
Natalie Healey, senior director at HelmsBriscoe said it was her first time in Africa. “My first time staying at a Pestana CR7 hotel and I am excited to be at the inaugural m&i Fest Marrakesh, alongside many HelmsBriscoe colleagues; I’m already seeing value to attending”.
Other firsts for delegates included a chance to inspect the new Grand HyattMarrakesh, set to open in May 2024, and Barcelo Palmeries’ brand-new desert camp, a group incentive, unveiled to m&i guests for the first time against a soundtrack of traditional Gnawa & Chaabi music.
Palais des Congrès morphs into m&i Fest
The main event, however, took place at the palatial Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi & Palais des Congrès, a beautifully designed ‘caravanserai’ for the 21st century and an ideal base from which to form ‘the meetings hub’ from which the spokes of ‘Pathway experiences’ for the event branched across Marrakesh.
The Royal Ballroom’s whitewashed walls and arabesque touches, easily accommodated a sea of meetings desks, leading onto the Global Terrace; Partners Riad; branded supplier Pavilions and the Global Village, all new additions for the 2024 m&i Fest.
The delegate journey was interspersed with barista stations, a massage lounge and clusters of vibrantly coloured souk style furniture, ideal for ad-hoc meetings and conversations.
While the overall ‘hubbub’ of meetings and energetic vibe ran like a ribbon throughout the open spaces, the Buyer Lounge was a platform for an educational workshop on the revolutionary changes powered by Generative AI in the MICE Industry; presented by Michael Cohen and Vincent Somsen.
Cohen, managing partner of Growth Advisors International Network -GAIN said: “I’m not a futurist, I am a reality-focused person. The train has left the station on Generative AI, the future is now and the industry can decide to board as a 1st class, 2nd class passenger or be left on the tracks of progress”.
What seemed to be a consensus among the savvy and seasoned MICE buyers, very used to being indulged, alongside experienced suppliers, was that the larger ‘festival’ concept retained the personalisation and intimacy of traditional m&i Forums even though the footprint had drastically expanded.
Helena Kurkina, account director of The Westin Paris Vendome, was located within the Global Terrace, which she said offered “a sense of spaciousness, good acoustics so you can hear each other speak, but most importantly, a good flow of quality buyers” m&i is buyer-led, meaning that organisers have an intuitive ‘ear-to-the ground’ and the set up was prescheduled morning meetings followed by afternoon ‘Pathways’ experiences, across two of the four-day event. This injected a freshness and appetite to make all meetings as creative and productive as possible, with the Pathways a good conversation opener to finding common ground.
Experiencing Marrakesh through m&i’s Pathways
The curated Pathways experiences provided the frisson of excitement post meetings; coaches waited beside the hotel to take groups on their journeys of discovery. The labyrinthine alleyways of the medina brought into focus the ‘red city’s’ architecture, heritage and tradition, craftsmanship, cuisine and landmarks, while others selected active adventure from jet-skiing to desert buggies and golf lessons at the soon to be opened Grand Hyatt Marrakesh.
The ‘Pathways’, provided the big opportunity for m&i to go back to its ‘Forum’ roots, and let the social roulette-wheel bring buyers and suppliers randomly together and let friendships and new business connections develop organically, within Marrakesh’s breathtakingly cultural surroundings.
The Pathway experiences, offer that element of surprise and serendipity of meeting someone while jet-skiing, dancing in a desert or other scenarios curated for delegates, and it is something m&i have honed over their two-decades of bringing the MICE community together.
“The event had barely started before I met with a fellow delegate, whose path I would never usually cross, and sure enough there was business synergy which made attending the m&i Fest worthwhile,” commented Nicholas Macgowan von Holstein, MD of Match IQ.
Making experience count
The closing party delivered by Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakesh, alongside Fairmont colleagues from properties across Morocco, showcased the clout and network of partners m&i can leverage. As CEO Richard Barnes put it: “We focus on quality over quantity, creating connected communities, authentically crafted experiences and social events, to personalise individual and collective stories and ultimately deliver greater ROI”.
Akin to an Oscars after-party, the landscaped gardens and pools of the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakesh, were illuminated by candles, while the sky was lit up by fireworks. Each Moroccan Fairmont added a little regional flavour through an army of chefs, food and drink stations and supported by audiovisual presentations, which further reflected Morocco as a burgeoning and trendy events destination.
Habib Amir, m&i ambassador and global MD – Prestigious Venues, said: “m&i Fest Marrakesh retains its buyer/supplier personalisation and destination led experiences in this larger format event, which shows us that m&i is developing for the future, not resting on laurels, which is good for the whole industry”.
“You can create unique programmes in Morocco, through unique group experiences, so we will have our next group here in Marrakesh in June,” added Femmy Oldenbeuving, Owner, Style2Events.
It seems that the m&i Fest ‘caravan’ looks set to return to its Caravanserai for years to come on the silky road to more and better meetings
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