Tips and best practices for successful new business in the German-speaking buyer markets

We are currently witnessing an AI-driven evolution of the internet. Suppliers must respond to this by creating a wealth of specific and individualized content tailored to their targeted audience, including language and tone. Those who succeed in communicating the diverse aspects of their brand, products, services, and offerings in a targeted and varied manner online will reap the most benefits.

Why? Because buyers prefer to engage with sellers personally only at the end of their decision-making process; prior to this, the internet provides the necessary information and significantly influences which product or service is chosen.

This presents a particular challenge for suppliers in the MICE sales sector, such as hotels and convention bureaus, as their focus still heavily relies on maximizing personal sales interactions, which increasingly frustrates event planners.

The MICE sales industry compels event organizers to arrange numerous personal meetings for exhibitors, favouring quantity over quality with a constant influx of new contacts to fill their sales databases. To achieve this, organizers must attract participants through lavish hosted buyer programmes, offering enticing locations and a plethora of complimentary perks. For attendees, these programmes often resemble an exclusive, free mini-luxury holiday lasting two or three days. It should be evident to all that this approach is unsustainable and cannot be genuinely maintained in the long term.

MICE sales events lack sustainability primarily because the industry clings desperately to its traditional sales methods, notably the personal sales pitch in a speed-dating format. This persistence directly undermines environmental and climate protection efforts. Furthermore, it has been well-documented that sales events yield little to no business for the participating suppliers. Currently, a significant decline in attendance is observed across all sales events, with some experiencing up to a 50% drop. This decrease is due to a reduction in the number of event planners and a clear lack of interest from the true professionals, who neither have the time nor the inclination to waste their valuable time on sales events. A glance at photos from these events often reveals the usual freeloaders, making it increasingly embarrassing to be seen in such images. Event professionals are increasingly avoiding such appearances.

Fundamentally, personal conversations are not inherently negative; however, event planners prefer these interactions at the final stage of their decision-making process, rather than being forced into them prematurely. Numerous studies support this preference, and it is to be hoped that the MICE sales industry will eventually recognize this.

To maximize the benefits of such sales events, it is advisable for suppliers to use them as a pretext for extensive communication about their participation beforehand. This approach leverages the event as an opportunity for detailed engagement, thereby increasing visibility, generating interest, and potentially leading to inquiries. This principle is akin to sending Christmas cards to clients, where the occasion of Christmas serves as a reason to communicate with them. Similarly, the occasion of a sales event should be utilized in the same manner. Unfortunately, this happens in only 1% of cases, which is a critical oversight. Such communication could significantly open the door to new business opportunities, far exceeding what can be achieved solely through interactions at the event itself.

Why suppliers fail to adopt this strategy remains puzzling. They rely on the hope of serendipitous success at the sales event, fully aware that the odds are akin to winning the lottery. Yet, they justify their participation with the argument, "someone wins the lottery every week." While this approach is permissible, it is undeniably unwise.

We have compiled an e-magazine detailing how to execute content marketing effectively and highlighting the paramount importance of online communication for the MICE sales sector. Within its pages, you will find numerous solutions and tips on how international suppliers can successfully generate new business in German-speaking buyer markets through content marketing, social selling, and social media strategies. Click below!

How MICEboard Media helps international suppliers to gain new business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Since its establishment in 2012, MICEboard has become the leading online medium for international suppliers seeking to successfully engage with event planners from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. With up to 10,000 users monthly on its community website, MICEboard offers extensive reach and stands as the number one research source for German-speaking event planners in the DACH region.

MICEboard's specific target audience comprises German-speaking event planners who regularly organize international events. Through targeted SEO and AI-optimised advertorials, suppliers gain maximum visibility. Furthermore, MICEboard benefits from the largest German-speaking MICE network on social media.

With multimedia content precisely tailored to the target audience and interactively disseminated online, MICEboard provides the perfect platform for international suppliers to effectively and sustainably position themselves in the German-speaking market and establish new business relationships.

• To utilize the MICEboard media, a listing in the MICEboard supplier directory is required at a cost of just €40 per month, with a minimum term of one year.
• Following this, you have 12 months to book one or more advertorials. From the second advertorial onwards, your listing in the supplier directory will be extended for an additional 12 months at no extra cost!
• Regularly booking advertorials or other MICEboard services, such as Stream TV offerings, ensures that your listing in the supplier directory remains continuously online.
• If no advertorials (or other services) are booked within 12 months, the contact field in your listing will initially be obscured, and the message "Contact information is currently being updated by the supplier" will be displayed. This is highly unsatisfactory for users and makes it difficult for event planners to directly contact the supplier for business inquiries.

Enhancing Online Visibility for MICE Suppliers: A Strategic Approach with MICEboard

In today's digital landscape, maintaining a strong online presence is crucial for MICE suppliers aiming to capture the attention of buyers. With each additional article on diverse topics, MICEboard suppliers generate numerous new keywords, significantly enhancing their online awareness. This strategic approach ensures that buyers can locate them more quickly online, as their content pool expands, making them discoverable under a multitude of topics and search terms.

Our dedicated Content Creator Team meticulously crafts published texts for MICEboard clients, tailoring them to specific desires and needs, optimizing them for search engines, and ensuring they are AI-recommendation-ready. This meticulous preparation guarantees that advertorials on MICEboard achieve excellent views and clicks.

Each advertorial publication is aggressively promoted in the weekly MICEboard newsletter, reaching around 2,500 subscribers and an additional 1,000 online readers. Simultaneously, our content team supports each publication with extensive measures on social media platforms. Our goal is to ensure that users do not need to visit the MICEboard Community website to stay informed but can access information on their preferred social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram, Twitch, Threads, and Bluesky.

MICEboard.com offers international suppliers a robust foundation for successful new business ventures in the most critical European buyer markets. By leveraging our platform, MICE suppliers can achieve unparalleled online visibility and engagement, driving new business opportunities and fostering strong relationships with event planners across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

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