At the 2024 ICCA BI Coopetition, Sarah Fleming, Managing Director of SFA-Connect, showcased an innovative approach to utilise the ICCA Business Intelligence platform to drive strategic success in conference bidding.
Her winning project, “Leveraging Sector-First Strategies and ICCA BI for Successful Conference Bids: The SFA-C Approach,” highlights how aligning destination knowledge hubs with ICCA’s BI tools can transform opportunities into significant wins.
In this interview, Sarah discusses how SFA-Connect uses ICCA BI to support clients, shares insights into the features they rely on most, and explains how the database has helped redefine business development strategies. From fostering alignment with local expertise to developing data-driven bids, her perspective offers valuable lessons for ICCA members looking to maximise the power of ICCA BI.
Continue reading to learn how SFA-Connect drives success and why Sarah believes the ICCA BI platform is a game-changer for destinations aiming to stand out in the competitive meetings industry.
What features of the ICCA BI database were most useful in your project “Leveraging sector-first strategies and ICCA BI for successful conference bids: The SFA-C Approach”?
We use a number of research techniques and sources – including ICCA’s Business Intelligence database - so that we can support our clients to be strategic in their new business development. Harvesting, manipulating and analysing data is in our DNA. But everything we do is driven by our Sector First Approach – which means we hunt out conferences for our clients that are in their Knowledge Hubs.
This means that the ‘Meeting Keywords’ and the ‘Organization Keyword’ section of ICCA’s Business Intelligence database is particularly useful for us. Once we have researched and understood the Knowledge Hubs in our client’s city, we develop a list of keywords and use these to find a short list of related conferences using these field of the BI.
Can you share examples of how you’ve leveraged ICCA BI to secure key wins and drive growth?
One good example of this is a lead that we generated for one of our Canadian clients with whom we have worked since 2020, Explore Edmonton. The destination has great assets and expertise in various sectors, one of which is Biological Sciences. Once we knew this, we delved deeper into the topic and developed a list of relevant keywords (using a number of research techniques including AI). Once we had this list, we then used these keywords in tailored searches on the ICCA BI, for example one keyword was Mathematical biology, so we used the following search boxes:
In this case we only found one opportunity around Mathematical Biology so we looked at it, checked past destinations, the evolution of the delegates size, use the bidding guidelines flagged on the ICCA BI.
We then worked our SFA magic and after a few months (and a really great bid from the city of Edmonton) what was an opportunity that turned into a bid win for the city. Just one of many for them as well as all our other clients, for whom we apply the same principle.
What aspects of ICCA BI do you use most frequently? How have these tools helped to boost productivity and generate insights?
The ICCA Business Intelligence Tool enables users to filter data effectively through an intuitive interface that offers robust customisation options. This functionality is designed to help users identify and focus on specific markets based on their unique business needs. Users can filter data by region, industry sector, or meeting type to focus on specific markets. As mentioned before, we probably use the ‘Meeting Keyword’ option the most but it all depends on what we are looking for – sometimes we are focusing on a particular sector, sometimes that needs to be fine-tuned to zoom in on a particular size of meeting, or rotation. On the other hand, we might be using the feature that allows you to search for meetings around a topic particular to that city. For example, we were once looking for opportunities for one of our clients, Montreux in Switzerland, famous for the Montreux Jazz Festival. In that case, we searched for Music in the keywords and then searched for other conferences that that had taken place in the past in other world Jazz capitals such as New Orleans, New York, Paris, Tokyo etc. We then added other similar cities such as Monaco or Lake Como to get our shortlist to work from.
We also keep a close eye on the weekly Call for bids announcements which we also find really helpful.
Tell us about your experience participating in the BI Coopetition. What motivated you to submit an entry?
We saw the competition as a way to showcase our sector-led approach, celebrate some of our clients’ successes and encourage other members to follow the same approach.
As a consultancy, SFA Connect serves as an extension of our clients’ business development teams, driving lead generation through every stage—from identifying relevant opportunities to engaging with associations and local experts, and supporting bid proposals. Since our inception, we have pioneered the sector-first approach to attracting conferences, redefining how destinations leverage their unique strengths. At SFA Connect, we are deeply committed to creating meaningful impact and lasting legacies, which we believe can only be achieved through strong alignment with a destination’s knowledge hubs. The ICCA BI database is a vital resource for our team of 20 researchers, who use it daily as a collaborative and strategic tool to foster this alignment. Joining the Coopetition initiative was therefore an obvious choice for us.
We understand you strategically applied ICCA BI to gain a competitive edge and achieve business wins; could you elaborate?
I have always firmly believed that reliable data should drive strategic decision-making in any organization. For destinations and venues aiming to attract more international business, having robust, well-organized, and up-to-date data is critical to their success.
As long-standing members of ICCA, we leverage the ICCA Business Intelligence tool in various impactful ways. It plays a central role in our researchers’ work, enabling them to quickly identify relevant opportunities aligned with our clients’ key sectors and carefully select those best suited to their goals. Additionally, the database is invaluable for refining or redefining destination strategies, conducting benchmarking, and supporting market prospecting efforts.
This high level of customization allows users to focus on the markets most relevant to their business objectives, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in strategic planning. Ultimately, it strengthens their competitive edge in an increasingly dynamic marketplace.
What is your key message to ICCA members who are currently using (and not using) the ICCA BI tool?
In my opinion, using the ICCA Business Intelligence tool is the biggest benefit to ICCA membership. There are three key areas where members will benefit:
- Increased Bid Success: The tool helps members prepare competitive and data-driven bids.
- Improved Market Positioning: By leveraging historical and predictive analytics, members can align their strategies to emerging trends.
- Networking and Collaboration: Offers insights into organizations and destinations with complementary goals or markets.
In other words, the ICCA Business Intelligence tool can help members strategically grow their business in the international meetings and events industry. It is designed to provide data-driven insights and analytics to identify opportunities, understand market trends, and gain a competitive edge in the meetings industry. It is an invaluable resource for convention bureaus, destinations, venues, and service providers looking to enhance their footprint in the global meetings and events market.
In short, if you make a conscious effort to know your key sectors, use specific keywords to search on the ICCA Business Intelligence tool, be strategic you will get great success! And one final word, the database is a collaborative tool – if you see something that needs updating, or you get a bid win – share it with other members! The more we share, the better the data is for everyone!