PRESENTS
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The Humanitarian: Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv, Ukraine “11 years ago Lviv hosted the European Football Championships. Today Lviv is a huge humanitarian hub. 5 million internally displaced people [have] passed through Lviv. Today Lviv hosts over 150,000 IDPs and every day we host wounded – civilian wounded, women, children and Ukrainian soldiers. Our municipal…
From AMI: A recent report by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) identified a ‘significant gap’ between what associations think destination marketing organisations should be focusing on and what the destinations think themselves. Holly Patrick talks to association experts to better understand what destinations need to do to attract their attention…
From Association Meetings International: Yuliia Katynska, deputy director of the Lviv Convention Bureau, explains how Lviv’s business events community has transformed challenges into solutions as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to wreak havoc…
From Skift Meetings: Meetings industry associations stand at the precipice of what many perceive as long overdue change. Some remain on shaky financial footing as they try to recover from the Covid pandemic. Others have fallen short in at least one of the key areas most important to a thriving association — innovation, advocacy, and…
A European medical association has found that its pre-pandemic siteselection strategy, which prioritized a legacy engagement project, has not proven to be viable in the current environment. By Michelle Russell: The pandemic has upended destinations’ view of business events as some kind of “subsidiary of tourism,” UK-based global urbanist Greg Clark, who spoke at the…
Matty Rubenstein has been advising senior association executives for 15 years Over the last 15 years I’ve had the most fantastic opportunity to work with senior executives across almost every division of IEEE, the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, in New Jersey. It’s one of the biggest associations in the US, generating revenue of almost $½…
Saudi Arabia’s Events Investment Fund has acquired a stake in Tahaluf, the Saudi Arabian large-scale live events company created through a strategic joint venture between the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, and Informa. Following the announcement Stephen Carter gave an exclusive interview to EW’s editor Paul Colston…
The Legacy & Sustainability Course ‘Shaping the Future of Business Events’ recently implemented by the Head of VisitBritain Business Events, Paul Black, concluded in Newcastle with 60 stakeholders from the business events ecosystem of Britain in attendance. The subject – Impact Measurement – surely the Holy Grail to identifying and measuring the value creation derived…
Christchurch, New Zealand, has emerged from the natural disaster bestowed upon it in on 22nd February 2011 with a renewed sense of respect for the role of business events in driving social and economic recovery. But the city shows an equally well-informed respect for Mother Nature and a commitment to carbon reduction across its supply…
Trade associations have a reputation for being monolithic organizations-they represent the whole of a major industry, busily advocating for its members but not looking far beyond that. A new survey, though, suggests that trade associations have been compelled to stretch more, and recognize that they’re just one piece in a larger value chain. From ASAE…
“Nobody is thinking anymore abut business events as some sort of sub-set of tourism”, said world-renown urbanist Prof. Greg Clark CBE FAcSS of The Business of Cities at last week’s IMEX Policy Forum in Frankfurt. Instead, he believes, “business events are the perfect tool to stimulate a high value economy and to solve our social…
By Scott Steinberg, from Meetings International: If artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) seem everywhere, remember: From Open AI’s ChatGPT to Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing, and Amazon’s offerings, the party is just starting. Soon, meeting and event planners (not to mention attendees) won’t just be able to leverage smart and self-aware technology assistants to…
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From PCMA: PCMA and the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe (SANCBE) today announced a new sustainability conference to be hosted in conjunction with Convening EMEA 2024 (30 September – 2 October) in Barcelona, Spain. The news was shared during the closing session of Convening EMEA 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Together, PCMA…
From Global Destinations Sustainability Movement: A white paper released at the UKinbound Annual Convention in Belfast reveals how a pioneering partnership between Green Tourism and Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council has helped to propel Northern Ireland’s capital into the Global Destinations Sustainability Index Top 10. The report, Sustainable Tourism for Cities and Stakeholders, and…
From Wonderful Copenhagen: From megatrends to contractual challenges – risk plays a major role for both buyers and suppliers when deciding on a destination or providing a quote for an event. By identifying key risks for the different industry players, Copenhagen Convention Bureau’s new white paper sets out to create greater mutual understanding and awareness…
From PATA: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Noor Ahmad Hamid as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2023. Noor’s appointment for a three-year term will usher in a new era for PATA as one of the world’s most influential industry associations dedicated to promoting…
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has been awarded Best Exhibition or Trade Show at the 2023 Australian Event Awards & Symposium. At a gala event held at the Highline Venue in Bankstown, NSW, on 13 September, AIME received the prestigious award, cementing its position as the flagship trade show for the meetings…
From Northstar Meetings Group: The European Travel Information and Authorization System, formed to improve the security of European Union member states in the Schengen Region, has announced that travelers will need special authorization to enter Europe beginning next year. Visitors from countries that are currently exempt from visa requirements — including the United States…
From TravelPulse: The popular Italian tourist destination of Venice will soon trial a tourist tax that was originally supposed to take effect in the summer of 2022. In an ongoing effort to combat overcrowding during the city’s peak visitor days, officials will charge a €5 or $5.35 tax to day-trippers visiting Venice’s Old City starting…
From Polish Tourism Organisation: From 26 to 30 August, Gdańsk hosted the participants of the 37th edition of the CityDNA Summer School. This important event, organised by the City Destinations Alliance, had been acquired for Poland by the Gdańsk Convention Bureau. The four-day training session, aimed mainly at people starting their careers in the MICE…
From Northstar Meetings Group: Crucial tourism revenue has plummeted since the wildfires hit, and unemployment is surging as restaurants and tour companies lay off workers. Richie Olsten has been in the helicopter tour business on Maui for half a century — so long he’s developed a barometer for the tourism-dependent economy: the number of rental…
From Exhibition World: UK-based Cuil Bay Capital (CBC), a new investment vehicle led by exhibition industry entrepreneur Doug Emslie, former CEO of Tarsus Group, announces its inaugural investment, the acquisition of a majority stake in UK-based Raccoon Media Group (Raccoon). Exact terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Founded in 2016, Raccoon achieved acclaim…
From Business Events Adelaide: The biennial gathering of Australia’s pre-eminent philanthropic organisations will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in August 2024. It is expected to attract more than 700 delegates, and speakers from around the world. Philanthropy Australia’s 2024 conference will be its first held outside Melbourne or Sydney…
From BBC News: Locals in the Austrian town of Hallstatt have taken part in a protest against mass tourism. Hallstatt, which is a World Heritage Site, has just over 700 inhabitants – but gets up to as many as 10,000 visitors a day during high season. Residents are calling for limits on the number of…
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Singapore’s global influence is undeniable. Moving up a spot as the 7th most innovative nation in the world in the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022, the city attracts associations aiming for meaningful impact and sustainability, fostering knowledge exchange, innovation, and positive community engagement. Home to an airport serving nearly 100 airlines and connections to…
In 2022, Montréal Convention Centre hosted the 24th International AIDS Conference, organised by the International AIDS society, bringing together approximately 8,000 people, including scientists, clinicians, people living with HIV, community leaders and decision-makers, and other stakeholders from around the world. A further 1,000 attendees joined the event virtually. The main aims of the conference were…
The Southern Hemisphere’s very first WorldPride held in Sydney, Australia in March, over 17 days extending to 400 events proved an opportunity to galvanise the LGBTQIA+SB community in standing together in a powerful call for equality. The Theme: Gather. Dream. Amplify and Sydney delivered on every level as Robin Mack, Executive General Manager for Commercial…
Medical conferences convene hundreds, often thousands, of doctors and scientists in one city. But their expertise is seldom heard outside the conference centre. They exchange knowledge and best practice peer-to-peer, using technical language non-experts would find bewildering, in lectures, workshops, panel discussions and poster presentations. The end goal is to improve patient outcomes in the…
The 6th World Parkinson Congress 2023 provided an unparalleled international and interdisciplinary forum to highlight the latest developments in Parkinson’s Disease worldwide. But the benefits for Barcelona go far beyond the economic impact and overnight stays, as the event will leave an invaluable legacy in the city’s social and scientific fields. From HQ Magazine July…
The 2021 BestCities Global Forum in Madrid came just a few months after the city hosted the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Congress. The Iceberg has been following the evolution of its legacy engagement project – The Madrid Project – which derived from a revolutionary RFP created by CEO Alessandro Cortese, and explained…
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From Global Destination Sustainability Movement: Lessons from Belfast’s ambitious 18 month programme for transitioning to become a more sustainable destination are offered for take-up by tourist destinations keen to address climate change. Destination management and marketing organisations, industry stakeholders and local authorities don’t have to reinvent the wheel when planning to mitigate climate change.
From Northstar Meetings Group: Planners will likely be increasing their budgets next year to account for rising costs, based on findings from the latest Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry PULSE Survey. Among the highlights of this new research: A plurality of planners (44 percent) report that their event budgets will increase next year, with six out of…
Envisioning Tourism in 2030 is a new research report developed to help policymakers and the tourism industry understand what a global, thriving, decarbonising tourism industry could look like by 2030 and through to 2050, when tourism and every other human activity must achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. From The Travel Foundation…
The exhibition industry has long had challenges in focusing its identity. The purpose of this white paper is to help organisations in the industry unite on a common talent narrative and suggest central threads for customising their own “people story”. This document discusses: key industry-wide narratives, the Gen-Z perspective on talent… From UFI…
In our latest IMEX America Sustainable Event Report, discover how we delivered a zero-waste event for more than 12,000 participants. Download the report now for insight on: Eliminating single-use plastics; Reducing CO2 emissions; Diverting waste; Tracking and measuring event impact; Giving back to local communities… From IMEX…
From GCB: Sustainability is increasingly becoming the focus of event planners and participants alike. The value of personal encounters at business events remains unbroken – and more and more people are extending business trips for private purposes. These are some of the key findings of the new study “Portrait of European Meeting & Convention Travel”…
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By Phil Soar, Chairman, CloserStill Group and Nineteen Group, from Exhibition News: On 11 August, 2020, I wrote a piece in EN about “Hopin” and have followed this up with occasional health reports since. Hopin was, according to The Times, the future of events, a future which would be almost all online and digital…
From Destinations International: Our economy is changing from one that delivers experiences to one that creates transformation. And this new way of doing business requires a shift in how destination marketers think about their role as change makers. The travel industry is uniquely suited to deliver on a pandemic-induced craving for self-evaluation, reflection and change….
Geneviève Leclerc, Co-Founder & CEO of MEET4IMPACT, reflects on the issues raised in Business Events World #107: The End of the Legacy Road?… It’s sad to hear that the efforts deployed by European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) – a pioneer in elevating the act of purposefully allocating a meeting to a destination based…
The tourism industry is being hit by a wave of climate shocks. The crises come just as the industry has started to recover from lengthy travel restrictions following the covid-19 pandemic. However, that experience has already led some in the sector, and travellers around the globe, to think differently about tourism… From The Economist…
Destination Marketing Organization University (DMOU) Podcast: When the moderator went to the audience this year at the Annual Convention of Destinations International asking, “what keeps you up at night,” Lviv’s Olena Pavlyuk held out her mobile device and replayed a recording of an air raid siren. In this fascinating episode of DMOU, Olena shares how…
By James Lancaster, from AMI: Has event legacy (associations and host cities working together to ensure meetings leave a lasting benefit to society) hit a brick wall? Or is it just getting started? It’s a question causing a great deal of anguish amongst meeting professionals right now. Either way, it’s hard to recall a subject…
By Maraika Black, Advocacy, Policy, and Public Health Coordinator, European Association for the Study of the Liver: Health conferences have traditionally focused on actors directly involved in the field – specialists, medical experts, general practitioners, researchers, nurses, and allied health professionals. It has long since been a source of prestige and professional mobilisation for delegates…
By Jack Johnson, from Destinations International: Every two years, Destinations International, as the world’s largest membership entity and resource for official destination organizations and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), looks into the future and releases the DestinationNEXT (DNEXT) Futures Study. It is the largest and most extensive survey of destination organizations around the world…
By Jeff Heilman, from Meetings Today: Destination Canada’s Business Events team has a remarkable record of creating innovative initiatives, backed by in-depth market research and analysis, to promote, amplify and advance the Canadian meetings industry. This evolving program is geared principally to Canada’s priority economic sectors. These comprise life sciences, agribusiness, advanced manufacturing, finance and…
SFA Connect founder, Sarah Fleming, voices concerns at the lack of association engagement by destinations Sarah Fleming, CEO & Founder of lead-generation and bid support agency SFA Connect and Iceberg Ambassador, explains the processes involved in preparing destinations in their bidding for relevant conferences and events which support both the key sectors as well as…
As destinations seek to broaden the value creation from events in pursuit of sustainability and community impact goals, Paul Mockler – the Head of Commercial Development at Failte Ireland – confirms that the new policies emerging from government are likely to widen the KPIs currently assessed when selecting which events to bid for. “We’re going…
From M&IT Magazine, Kim Myhre of Xdesigned.com on why the events business needs to embrace change and ‘build forward better’ – not back: You often hear people talk about the ‘good old days’ like things were so much better back then. But you’ve got to wonder, were things that much better in the past, or…
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The CDME program prepares senior executives, who want to advance their careers to blend theory with experience and application of knowledge to help industry leaders thrive in a constantly changing environment. The program focus is on vision, leadership, productivity and implementing business strategies.
Certified International Convention Executive (CICE) Course | This course is designed for higher-level executives to learn about new strategies and business models to elevate the level of the industry for meeting suppliers. This 5-day course take place at ICCA Head Office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We recommend learners studying 1 hour per chapter prior to…
“Celebrating the 2023 GDS-Index Results and GDS-Awards Winners” – explore and be inspired by sustainability successes on our journey towards greater regeneration for destinations. Discover insights and trends from the data we’ve collected, and learn about the projects that are putting our winners into leadership positions, in a webinar packed with inspiration and practical examples.
“Celebrating the 2023 GDS-Index Results and GDS-Awards Winners” – explore and be inspired by sustainability successes on our journey towards greater regeneration for destinations. Discover insights and trends from the data we’ve collected, and learn about the projects that are putting our winners into leadership positions, in a webinar packed with inspiration and practical examples.
Attracting, retaining, and growing talent is a global challenge for our industry, not only in Canada but worldwide. One way of addressing this challenge is providing the upcoming leaders of convention centres with unique professional education, focusing on their specific needs. That is why Convention Centres of Canada and AIPC decided to co-create a Canadian…
The Enhancing Events with AI certificate course is a tailor-made program for all event organizers who want to bring the power (and magic) of artificial intelligence (AI) into their work. This course goes beyond helping you understand AI. We’ll take you behind the scenes, revealing how to use the most practical AI platforms. These new…
This unique, international programme is tailored for our developing leaders who are ready to shape the industry around the globe. The programme has three components: Masterclasses: a series of 7 expert led masterclasses; Industry challenge: working with your group, you will collectively identify an industry challenge, create a proposed solution, and develop a business case…
The CDME program prepares senior executives, who want to advance their careers to blend theory with experience and application of knowledge to help industry leaders thrive in a constantly changing environment. The program focus is on vision, leadership, productivity and implementing business strategies.
Every Wednesday, Iceberg Ambassador Anna Look hosts a FREE Q&A session to motivate & inspire business event professionals. Boost your week, ready to slay your 2023 sales targets with Anna’s industry trends insights and advice on tackling your specific prospecting worries. Let Anna help you get unstuck with tips, tricks and motivation.
Discover how Singapore, as a premiere business event destination, can help you organize impactful conferences. In this special Knowledge Capital Boardroom MiniCourse, Carrie Kwik, Executive Director Europe, Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau, explains what makes Singapore so special when it comes to organizing high-quality association events that will have long-lasting legacies both for your organization…
Currently, only a small number of destinations have clearly defined legacy and impact strategies and use outcome and impact indicators to monitor their non-financial performance. Go to the next level of performance: learn the latest social impact theories and approaches to enable you to develop a robust impact strategy and implement measurement processes to monitor…
On-demand education from experienced industry professionals: This series of lessons can be reviewed at your own pace, on-demand, saving your progress as you go. At the end, you will take a quiz on what you’ve learned to receive a certificate of completion for CMP credits.
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TEAMS: TRAVEL, EVENTS AND MANAGEMENT IN SPORTS, is the world’s leading conference and expo for the sports-event industry. Launched in 1998, TEAMS attracts more than 1,000 attendees including CEOs, executive directors and event managers from sports organizations as well as representatives from sports commissions and convention bureaus, corporate sponsors, event suppliers and other hospitality industry…
The CityDNA Autumn Conference’s 3 days are not to be missed, as it joins in a collaborative DIY towards Destination Positive. It will be stacking Lookout Towers for new inspiration and supercharged thinking and explore how best to Build the Foundation of a truly Destination Positive future. In the spirit of CityDNA’s community of sharing…
The 2023 AIPC South-America summit combines the best of AIPC’s global summits on Sales & Marketing and Operations & Facility. Its goal is to bring together the South American community of convention center leaders to connect, share and learn. The programme will cover all the key challenges convention center executives are facing: rapidly evolving technology,…
Destination East is the premier hosted-buyer event for qualified meetings and incentive professionals sourcing programs in the East. Destination East will include destinations, hotels, DMCs, and other services provided in the Eastern U.S. Learn from, and be inspired by, our guest speakers who will provide targeted education specific to your needs as a meeting and…
Destination organizations are a community asset responsible for programs promoting their community as an attractive travel destination and enhancing its public image as a dynamic place to live and work. Through their knowledge of the destination, brand management, promotional programs, and the resulting impacts of visits by people, destination organizations strengthen the community’s economic position…
IMEX America is the largest trade show in the US for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry. Our award-winning show brings the meetings industry together to do a year’s worth of business under one roof. Suppliers and buyers from every sector of the meetings industry come together at IMEX, held at Mandalay Bay,…
ICCA Business workshop offer an informal and small platform for associations and meeting suppliers to interact (ICCA members and accompanying association executives). During the workshop, a series of one-to-one business meetings will take place where all associations executives will have the chance to meet sale representatives to discuss their specific meeting requirements.
(Open to UFI members only.) UFI’s annual Global Congress is known as the exhibition industry’s largest global meeting of the year, combining international networking with unique content. It is an ideal opportunity for members to gain insight into topics of strategic interest, on the current industry trends and challenges that the exhibition industry is currently…
Small & Boutique Meetings — Northstar’s premiere hosted-buyer event designed specifically for small and boutique-sized meetings — bringing together highly-qualified meeting buyers with destinations, hotels, DMCs and other suppliers ready to welcome smaller events. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group.
Join industry leaders, event professionals, and innovators to explore cutting-edge trends, strategies, and technologies driving the future of event management. Delve into global outlook, technological advancements, customer insights, sustainability, economic impact, AI utilization, business development, and thought-provoking debates. Unleash the potential of your events.
Global Incentive Summit—Northstar’s global hosted buyer event for the incentive travel industry—brings together the most highly-qualified incentive travel buyers with top incentive destinations, hotels/resorts, cruise lines, DMCs, DMOs and tourism offices from around the world. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group of…
With over 1,000 members from 91 countries and territories across the globe, the hosting of the ICCA Annual Congress will spotlight Thailand as the ideal destination for international conventions in both quantitative and qualitative terms. The congress will create revenue, economic and social impacts as well as contribute to the potential of Thailand in hosting…
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Heike Mahmoud has been Chief Operating Officer (COO) of CCH – Congress Center Hamburg since March 1st, 2018. As COO and a fully authorized officer, the business administration professional is also a member of the Executive Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress. The new CCH was officially opened by the First Mayor of the Free…
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Loren Christie brings more than 25 years of experience in Tourism & Hospitality to his role as Managing Director of the BestCities Global Alliance. He held various leadership positions with Starwood Hotels & Resorts during his 17 year career with them including Director of Sales for International Congress, Business Transient and Leisure Sales at the…
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Having lived and worked in Asia, Africa and Europe before moving to Canada in 2010, Virginie is the Senior Director of Business Development – Economic Sectors for Destination Canada Business Events (DCBE), Virginie is responsible for leading the development and implementation of DCBE’s global economic sector strategy and team to increase overnight visitations to Canada…
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Tommy Goodwin is Vice President for the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), a newly-formed association dedicated to the recovery and advancement of the business events industry. In this role, he leads ECA’s advocacy and member engagement work on behalf the interconnected ecosystem of exhibitors, show and event organizers, suppliers, venues, and destinations that comprise the…
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As Head of Advocacy & Industry Relations, Natasha oversees all industry partnerships, sponsorships, pan-industry initiatives and strategic alliances for the IMEX Group. Natasha plays a key part in business events industry advocacy efforts on behalf of the IMEX Group including the prestigious IMEX Policy Forum. In this capacity she is responsible for bringing together national…
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Born in Toronto, Canada, Greg has divided his life between living in Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa. With now more than 20 years in the hospitality industry Greg has spent time in Management of a high end independent mountain resort property (The Rimrock Resort), Hyatt Hotels and the Intercontinental group before moving over to convention centers….
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Nigel started his career at the head office of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) in Amsterdam. He was part of the event organizing team of the association and served 7 years organizing a host of events on all continents. During his tenure he gained extensive project management skills and was responsible for implementing…
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A bona fide veteran of the MICE industry with over 25 years of experience building and managing some of the world’s biggest event, conference, and tourism organizations, Sumaira’s reputation precedes her. She has worked both as a destination practitioner (DMC, PCO) as well as an advisor consultant to Tourist Boards, Associations and Local Governments in…
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Geoff Donaghy is CEO of Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and entertainment venue, ICC Sydney, which since its opening has been successfully attracting local, national and international visitors with its focus on high quality events, local produce and commitment to service excellence. He is also the Group Director of Convention Centres for leading venue management specialists,…
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Aileen has worked in the meetings industry for over 20 years, initially in venue sales for Glasgow Museums, then in a variety of roles within the Conventions team at the Tourist Board, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and is currently the Head of Tourism and Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, Glasgow Life. The Glasgow Convention Bureau…
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Amelia is a pioneer of BESarawak with over 21 years of branding, marketing and PR experience whose career in the sector began as a sales coordinator. Within 12 years, she helms the organisation as a CEO. Coming from the indigenous Bidayuh tribe of Sarawak, she is passionate about developing her homeland and providing opportunities for…
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Alex Alles joined JMIC Joint Meetings Industry Council in August 2022. There he is responsible for the overall operations of the association as well as the project office of the Net Zero Carbon Events. NZCE is an industry-wide initiative aiming to help stakeholders of the meetings and events sectors to decarbonise. Before joining JMIC, Alex…
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