Bestcities global alliance announce financial benefits for associations

BestCities Global Alliance, the network of 12 premier international convention bureaus, is launching a range of client financial benefits, thanks to an innovative new partnership with payment solution company, Meeting Escrow.

A world first for a multi-destination alliance, the three-year strategic collaboration will offer BestCities’ clients a new portfolio of secure payment, foreign currency budget protection and VAT reclaim services for business event clients globally. BestCities clients will receive preferred pricing on the fees for their services, that are not offered to clients meeting in other destinations.

The Meeting Escrow partnership is the first since announcing a new strategic plan and enhancement of the Alliance’s offering earlier this year, ahead of its 20^th anniversary in 2020. Equipping BestCities with a competitive advantage and market differentiation, the partnership aims to address key challenges faced by clients when planning events globally across currencies. These challenges range from varying exchanges rates, which can have a significant impact on client budgets, to mounting administration costs and time involved in VAT reclaim processes.

The benefits Meetings Escrow has crafted to support BestCities’ clients and partners include:

• Foreign currency budget protection: opening a foreign currency trust account to lock in today’s exchange rate so clients have zero exposure to future rate increases when their event takes place in their selected BestCities destination
• VAT reclaim process: co-ordinating claims, paperwork and compliance on behalf of clients to ensure an effortless process and to maintain a single point of contact for the event planner
• Preferred pricing: BestCities’ clients that sign on with Meeting Escrow will receive a 50% discount on their annual fees for the first 3 years, a savings that is exclusive to the Alliance

Paul Vallee, Managing Director at BestCities Global Alliance, said: “BestCities is always looking for ways to expand our offerings and bring new benefits and solutions to the table for our clients. This important partnership with Meeting Escrow provides tangible benefits to clients by providing solutions to common financial issues that associations face when meeting around the world. Meeting Escrow is a company that we are pleased to partner with as they not only provide practical solutions for the marketplace but ensure they give back to the industry.  For example, they support the Incredible Impacts programme we jointly operate with ICCA that recognizes associations with $7,500 grants for long-term legacies.”

Grant Snider, President and CEO at Meeting Escrow, said: “We are excited to enter into this 3-year strategic partnership with BestCities Global Alliance and their network of 12 international convention bureaus. BestCities’ prestigious international profile and values align perfectly with our global focus on financial security, transparency and risk management for Business Events. We are a proud supporter of the BestCities and ICCA Incredible Impacts programme. This new partnership will deepen our collaborative efforts to bring additional value to clients.”

www.bestcities.net