(02/10/23) FCM Meetings & Events (FCM M&E), the
flagship division of
Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), has appointed Simone
Seiler as Global General Manager.
Simone Seiler
The company already has a strong footprint across
several countries in multiple continents, and Simone will now lead the
company’s global growth strategy and bring all its M&E businesses
into one.
Events, event travel and meetings are leading the
business travel bounce back globally with a recent white paper by
FCM M&E revealing that MICE market size, in terms of revenue, is
expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.6 per cent
from 2022 to 2030 to reach US$1563.3 billion by 2030.
“We believe the meetings, events, and event travel
markets are ripe for disruption worldwide. With this investment,
we’re well-positioned to capitalise on the growing demand for
high-quality and personalised event experiences that has seen an
exponential bounce back,” Simone said. “It’s clear the demand for
in-person connection continues to increase, with recent data
showing conferences and events being one of the top two reasons
for travel among both SME owners and decision-makers … What’s particularly exciting is just how big the
MICE industry is globally, and we know we have an incredible
opportunity to both grow and position ourselves as the travel
management company of choice for meetings, events, and event
travel. We’re experiencing and anticipating a
steady annual growth rate of demand at 12 per cent year-on-year
for in-person meetings, which means we have some exciting
opportunities coming our way. We’re thrilled to embark on this new
chapter for FCM M&E, and with an exceptionally talented team
globally, I’m very confident we can achieve our ambitious goals.”
Priorities for growth
include the development of innovative technology solutions and
investing in extra talent with the company planning to focus on
three core areas:
– Meetings: Provide a wide range of meeting
services, including venue sourcing, managed meetings, basic
planning and onsite support.
– Event Travel: Offer group travel, from flights
and hotels, through to transfers and team building.
– Events: Provide full event management services
including planning, strategies, execution, and delivery.
“FCM is a business that is proudly global, with a
footprint in more than 100 countries worldwide, but we stay loyal
to our mantra of our ‘glocal’ approach where we have industry
experts leading their own regional teams to cater for different
cultural requirements,” said Marcus Eklund, FCM Global Managing
Director. “The M&E business has been
firing in the last 18 months and the scope for growth is
outstanding. With our superior technology and decades of industry
experience within our teams, we couldn’t be in a better position
to capitalise on industries that are desperate to be back to
face-to-face. Recent research published by GBTA stated that more
than eight in 10 executives prefer in-person meetings to virtual
contact and that’s certainly something we’ve experienced in recent
times. I’d also like to offer my congratulations to Simone,
who has been part of the very fabric of our M&E business for
many years, her appointment is the perfect example of the
‘Brightness of Future’ we offer our employees at FCTG.”
Latest videos:
Electric Airport Taxis at Almaty Airport (ALA) in Kazakhstan – Exclusive Video Interview with Co-Founder, Auez Tulegenov,
Novotel Living and Ibis Almaty Jetisu Hotels in Kazakhstan –
Interview with GM, Arseniy Tagaev, and
Almaty Marathon 2023 –
Video Interview with CEO, Saltanat Kazybayeva.
