FCM Targets Global Growth for Meetings & Events Business

Australia-based FCM Meetings & Events is leaning into global ambitions, relaunching its meetings and events business with major growth plans for Asia, Europe and North America. The company will look to leverage its position as a subsidiary of FCM Travel to reach business customers who need to harness their travel and meetings volume for global scale. But, the company said, FCM M&E will continue to pursue a strategy of regional customization.

“Globalizing the FCM M&E business will allow us to add consistency and scale for customers looking for a global meetings and events provider," said FCM M&E global general manager Simone Seiler in a statement. The company will operate from hub cities in Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East and North and South America, with a drive toward global consistency "but with local nuance to understand specific client needs,” said Seiler.

The move comes as FCM market survey of 562 customers showed that meetings and events spending represented more than 50 percent of business travel spend for more than a quarter of those businesses. It also comes as global meetings and events services may soon shrink to include fewer providers, thanks to the proposed acquisition of CWT by American Express Global Business Travel, which would include CWT's meetings and events division. That acquisition is subject to escalated regulatory scrutiny in the U.K.

As part of the global relaunch, FCM M&E has named 10-year company veteran Gabriella Antoniotti as the business leader for the Americas, where she will oversee the entire meetings and events division across the United States and Canada. Antoniotti most recently served as FCM M&E's head of operations, responsible for leading operations, managing the company’s Event Travel, Sourcing & Managed Meetings and Event Management departments.

FCM M&E has also named Joanne Shaw global director of enterprise sales.