Article Published 28/07/2021
VisitScotland Business Events is pleased to announce it has reappointed its German marketing agency, Lieb Management, to promote Scotland's events industry to the DACH-region (Austria, Germany and Switzerland).
We caught up with Sarah and Natascha at Lieb Management, to discuss their roles on the account and how they will support the VisitScotland Business Events team in promoting its messaging and goals within their markets.
About Lieb Management
Lieb Management was founded in 2007 by owner Ralf Lieb and is headquartered in the heart of Munich with branch offices in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Zurich, and the Netherlands.
We work in different disciplines to guarantee a 360-degree approach: we are experts in leisure marketing and representation, MICE marketing and representation, public and influencer relations as well as digital and social media, media buying and events.
The Lieb Management team consists of 45 highly skilled marketing, sales and communication experts. Through our work with VisitScotland Business Events over the years, our team has gained an in-depth knowledge of the destination as well as a deep understanding of the Scottish events industry.
We have built great contacts with German-speaking event planners on behalf of the VisitScotland Business Events team and developed relationships with Scottish events suppliers.
What will be the key responsibilities for Lieb Management in relation to VisitScotland Business Events?
Our key responsibility will be to represent VisitScotland Business Events within the German-speaking events market and to be the first point of contact for event planners and stakeholders. We will also conduct research into upcoming events and hope to build strong relationships and networks with new companies and clusters.
We are focussing on organisers which align their events with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We will proactively research, evaluate and contact decision makers from intermediaries and corporates within the DACH-region to promote the Journey to Change campaign to the German-speaking events market. Through this work we will position Scotland as a responsible and sustainable destination with world-class event facilities and ultimately support the team in bringing valuable business events to Scotland.
Sarah Fassoth, MICE Marketing & Sales Manager, Lieb Management
Sarah Fassoth, Lieb Management
What is your favourite Scottish city and why?
I immediately fell in love with Edinburgh and its surroundings. You can feel the rich history of the city come alive as you stroll through the streets, at some points I thought I was walking through a movie set.
Also, the kindness and open-hearted spirit of the Scottish people made me feel at home right away, whether it was in a crowded pub or a tiny corner shop. I am looking forward to exploring more of the country.
What is your role on the account?
Natascha and I will work closely together to ensure a seamless transition to our new roles at VisitScotland. I will be the account manager and will be attending most of the live events across the markets.
This means, I will be responsible for the majority of the operational actions to promote Scotland in the German-speaking market. So, whenever VisitScotland Business Events is present at a trade fair or industry event, we will run a sales mission with our key partners or independently and most likely I will be the person you are talking to.
Natascha Langhein, MICE Marketing & Sales Director, Lieb Management
Natascha Langhein, Lieb Management
What is your role on the account?
Sarah and I will work closely across the account, and I will be involved in all activities that we are rolling out to promote Scotland and the 'Journey to Change' campaign.
I will be responsible for developing the strategic direction for the account as well as the research aligned with the Policy Driven Model. As part of this I will evaluate and develop relationships with companies and decision makers in the market to find the right connections and organisations that align themselves with the goals of the Scottish Government.
Thanks to my extensive knowledge of the country and its events industry, I will also help to educate event planners on Scotland and the process of suggesting the right regions, hotels and venues for upcoming events.
How do you anticipate the German event organisers and buyers to react to the Journey to Change campaign and why?
We are seeing a majority of people within the DACH-region reverting to a more sustainable lifestyle for themselves but also within the planning of their events. We have also noticed that social matters, including equality, are at the forefront of decision making especially amongst the younger generations, who are becoming the key influencers and opinion makers within the industry.
There is a great pressure on governments to fulfil those needs of society. I believe German-speaking event organisers and buyers are keen to hear about these topics and will react very positively to the principles that Journey to Change promotes. It will be an exciting and fresh new way to promote the destination. As Germans are quite 'facts-driven' they will still want to know everything about capacities, accessibility and transfer times. It is a great challenge to combine these facts with the information about Scotland's ambition to match the United Nations Sustainable Development goals to provide a holistic picture of a country which will inspire the event destination choice.
How are you expecting the business events industry to change post pandemic?
I expect the business events and live events sectors will bounce back quickly and on a larger scale as soon as we are able to control the pandemic. However, I think hybrid events will be the 'new normal', as we have all experienced the great possibilities that these formats can bring, especially in attracting a wider audience.
I also believe that live events will need to have a 'purpose' in the future, moving away from having an event or meeting just for the sake of it. That is why the new approach with the Policy Driven Model and Journey to Change promises a great success for bringing events back to Scotland and simultaneously adding value to the organisations.
Find out more about Lieb Management here