Holding a leadership meeting to highlight the space for innovation

The Space Cities Network is a recent initiative between four cities on four continents—Lausanne, Switzerland; Christchurch, New Zealand; Houston, Texas, United States; and Seoul, South Korea—to strengthen universities, research centers, government agencies, Cooperation between industrial sectors and businesses in the field of outer space.

In convening the Leaders Conference, the Space City Network will present case study examples of innovative collaborations in the business events industry – “International collaboration and overcoming business culture differences” and “Vertical Advantage: Driving growth” at the Monday and Tuesday sessions in Organization and Purpose In the ground. “

convene Claire Hector-Taylor, international business development manager at ChristchurchNZ, the sustainable economic development agency, and Gerald Howard, senior business development manager at conference management organization Congress Lausanne-Montreux, were contacted to find out more about the program. They responded via email (of course!).

Please tell us how the idea for the Space City Network first came about.

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is a world-renowned engineering university with a strong space department. The Swiss was one of the founders of ESA (European Space Agency), which was launched on May 31, 1975. Over the past two decades, centralized, government-directed human spaceflight activities have given way to a new model in which public space initiatives increasingly share phases with private priorities.

Claire Hector Taylor

Since the 1990s, we have seen a shift from public national markets to privatized space markets. The move began to have an impact in academia. I (Gerald) worked in the Montreux Congressional Bureau in Lausanne and could experience the burgeoning activity at a range of events. In 2016, we provided consulting meeting management services to a client (now a friend). Exchanges on the conference program resulted in this analysis: The space market is a goldmine for exploration in innovation, technology, engineering, materials and all related fields. The Space Report predicts that the global space economy will reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, and is expected to reach US$2.3 trillion based on improved data acquisition and reduced space access costs.

The space community is the sum of private + public + academic + research + innovation + technology + industry. The space community is a perfect example of globalization and international cooperation. Space projects are international and communities need to travel, meet and share. They need support in doing so.

This is where the idea of ​​the CVB Alliance emerged. Starting in 2016, I (Gerard) investigated spatial communities and which cities had the potential to participate in such a project. Which region has a strong commitment to academics, education and research? Which country supports the space program? The emergence of the new coronavirus epidemic has put the project on standby. Then starting in 2022, I put out feelers to my colleagues from the DMCs and the Conference Bureau. Major players in the events community, such as PCMA and ICCA, helped me a lot with meetings and brainstorming with other cities. Finally, in early 2024, potential conference bureaus and partners met and agreed to launch the alliance: the Space Cities Network was born – and we knew it was the beginning of a great adventure!

Are there other potential cities with space communities that might join you?

At this stage, we have purposefully launched the network with a small set of cities as we focus on initial strategic work, planning and development with a core group of cities and partners. We expect the number of participating cities to increase over time.

What form will public and private sector knowledge sharing take place between your cities?

The various committees building the Space City Network are made up of private and public professionals. They will brainstorm what is needed to enhance communication and identify which areas of space require development and guidance from the scientific community and the public and private sectors. For example, members of our Scientific Committee proactively agreed to meet during the 2024 International Astronautical Congress in Milan (with approximately 12,000 attendees). There have been discussions about space sustainability and it is clearly a key area that could benefit from global cooperation.

Is this some kind of ambassador program, where each local expert encourages the association to which they belong to host conferences in their own city and three other associations to tap into local expertise?

Ambassadors participating in the network will focus on key areas of space where they believe the development of the field can benefit from collaboration through the network. International conferences and events will form part of this effort – ambassadors regularly attend such events and they will be able to judge which conferences suit a city’s strengths and therefore be valuable for the association to consider these cities.

Can you give us an example of how this collaboration might work during the site selection process for a specific space organization?

Gerald Howard

If a city is bidding to host a space-related conference, the local convention bureau will support decision-makers with site visits. With the support of committee members, local space-related experts will participate in field visits, allowing for deeper contacts between future host cities, regional and/or national space-related offices, and associations.

Discussions can be held at an early stage around aspects such as theme, programmes, long-term impact and legacy opportunities to provide associations with a clear picture of how they can benefit from their choice of host city. We not only provide services but also consultancy projects that require ROI in all areas of the conference (i.e. science, networking, projects, programmes, exhibitions and professional field trips). When there is the option of a multi-year bidding approach across the network, the Space City Network can provide on-site access management that can cover multiple cities.

The Space Cities Network hopes to provide the association with a long-term plan for the future, such as progress on specific topics, close collaboration over the years, multi-year research projects, etc. We are supporters of associations and events.

In the past, CVBs in the United States have collaborated to provide organizations with the opportunity to rotate events between these cities (i.e., multi-year agreements). Is this part of your initiative?

This is likely to form part of the network’s ambitions. We will be undertaking work to combine international space-related conferences with the strengths and expertise of each city. If multiple cities are suitable for a particular conference, we will look to work together to provide a multi-year hosting approach.

How is your collaboration with space experts?

The network consists of three key groups: a steering committee made up of key personnel from each city’s convention bureau, a scientific and advisory committee made up of space-related experts, and a student and young professionals committee. Each group will meet regularly to advance the goals of the network. There will be multiple groups working together on specific projects related to their areas of expertise. People are passionate about sharing knowledge and ideas and working together to tackle challenges that impact the global industry.

How does this collaboration benefit event organizers?

If multiple cities bid to host a specific conference in future years, event organizers will have a more seamless experience, with each city understanding what it hopes to achieve in all iterations. Central themes can be developed over many years and similar urban experiences developed so that meetings or events remain consistent over time.

Do you think this could be a model for other industries to follow?

There are already some international alliances in play and yes, we think this is a model that can be developed further. From a business activity perspective, this way of working supports the goals of international associations such as the PCMA and ICCA to work more closely together as a global community for the benefit of all.

What excites you most about this initiative?

There are a lot of exciting things about this move, but for me (Claire) I would say the opportunity to be part of a truly global network is the most exciting aspect. Being part of something much bigger than just one city means we can achieve so much more together and is a great example of the wider value of the business events industry – acting as a driver for an important industry around the world.

I (Gerald) think Clare is right. The world of space is a real challenge for everyone. It means the efforts of everyone from all fields to create a future that affects everyone. This is a new period of exploration and inheritance. We need to be part of it and bring our own expertise. Each of us is part of a larger puzzle. Let’s put the pieces of the puzzle together to get the best possible outcome.

Can you tell us what participants can learn from your convening leadership sessions?

We have been brainstorming with PCMA leaders to arrange sessions that not only support the theme of the conference but provide real learning opportunities for all participants about the economy and markets in today’s world. Houston, another member of the Space Cities network, received its official nickname of “Space City” in 1967 because it is home to NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center. PCMA strongly supports the idea that a leaders’ meeting in Houston in 2025 provides an opportunity to share the world of space.

The space market is a true mirror of today’s world. The space market is a global community in the business sector. It is a testament to international cooperation in various fields. This is an example that our community has experienced as well. We develop projects around the world, and our clients travel to connect, collaborate, and do business around the world. But we face obstacles because international business involves multicultural perspectives and understanding of common projects with different goals.

For example, the famous and extraordinary Artemis program aims to explore the moon and prepare for future missions to Mars. It is an international cooperation project involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) (involving 10 countries), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – this is a truly collective and international project. It is a project that connects the dots between academics, education, technology, innovation, politics, management, finance, culture, humanities, society, health and sustainable development.

The speakers are international experts and representatives of the aerospace industry and aerospace industry. Learning from them how to navigate international collaboration while taking into account the many obstacles and standards is definitely a lesson in what the space will be and what it will look like in the future.

Michelle Russell is the author of “ held.