HelmsBriscoe expands in Europe

A Helmsbriscoe product story

Edited by the Marketingweek Marketplace editorial team Jun 19, 2008

The American meetings and incentives firm has appointed European vice presidents to spearhead its European growth.

HelmsBriscoe is the global leader of independent site selection and RFP services for over 8,000 corporate, association and government clients that plan off-site meetings and conferences.

HelmsBriscoe associates accelerate the decision making process for meeting planners by researching hotels and other meeting venues that match their clients' criteria, negotiating rates and concessions by leveraging its volume purchasing power, and facilitating the contracting process.

Founded in 1992, HelmsBriscoe offers the industry's most respected network of procurement specialists, with over 950 Associates spanning 38 countries.

HelmsBriscoe combines its highly experienced global distribution with proprietary knowledge databases of 36,000 hotels containing more than five years of rate histories, the documented experiences and insights from its associates and clients, and a proprietary electronic RFP tool.

HelmsBriscoe's international division has recently appointed new European regional vice presidents to manage its expansion in Europe.

Sylvie Marques and Hartwig Pohlmann have been appointed the first HelmsBriscoe Regional Vice Presidents outside of North America.

Sylvie Marques, based in Paris, France, will be responsible for Southern Europe, which includes Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Turkey.

Hartwig Pohlmann, based in Dusseldorf, Germany, will be responsible for Northern Europe which includes Austria, Germany, Holland, Republic of Ireland, Scandinavia, Switzerland and the UK.

"Our dramatic growth within Europe has provided this opportunity to strategically expand our associate base with expert local guidance" said Ian Quartermaine, HelmsBriscoe's Managing Director - International.

The announcement comes on the heels of the company's most successful year in its 16-year history, booking $620 million in room revenue in 2007, which represents total meeting spend in excess of $1 billion.

For the first quarter of 2008, the momentum has continued, with a growth of 25 per cent in revenues, firmly cementing the company's position as the industry leader in meeting procurement.