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Marriott International is slashing the industry-standard ten percent commission paid to group intermediaries. From March 31st the rate will be seven percent for hotels sourced in the US and Canada. The move prompted outrage from planners, many of whom rely solely on commission revenue. Iceberg partner Northstar has collated substantial coverage. From Meetings & Conventions…
Didier Scaillet has been appointed CEO (Chief Excellence Officer) of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence. The Belgian has a background in Association Management and previous worked for Meeting Professionals International. Scaillet replaces outgoing CEO Kevin Hinton, who announced his retirement in October having led the Chicago-based organisation since 2013. From Association Meetings International…
While an attempt to to form the largest ever human guitar didn’t quite break the world record, the Professional Convention Management Association did announce strong financial growth and record revenue at its annual Convening Leaders event. Membership globally now totals 7,000, with more than half attending in Nashville. From Association Meetings International…
The United States meetings industry generates a massive $330 billion annually, according to the Events Industry Council’s latest Meetings Significance Survey. This is a $50 billion rise since 2014’s first report. In 2016, 1.9 million US meetings took place. The study canvassed 1,300 planners, 9,000 domestic business travellers and 50,000 international travellers. From Meetings & Conventions…
Around 450 US Geological Survey researchers typically attend the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union. But ahead of the recent event the Interior Department said no more than 199 could travel to the meeting, and spending could not exceed $399,000. Only 178 attended and 30 abstracts were withdrawn by absent scientists. From Association Meetings International……
It’s far from the end of the story, but for now the United States Supreme Court is letting President Trump enforce a ban on travel to the US by residents of six mostly Muslim countries. Other legal challenges are still pending, as is the Supreme Court’s expected final ruling. Photo: Matt Wade. From Meetings & Conventions…
Deborah Sexton, who has served as CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association for over 12 years, will stand down after the annual Convening Leaders meeting in January. She will be succeeded by current COO Sherrif Karamat. Under Sexton, PCMA more than doubled its membership and revenue. From Meetings & Conventions…
The Incentive Federation has issued an update on the Congressional proposal to repeal part of the US tax code which gives firms exclusion for employee service and safety awards. The House of Representatives has now passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but the Senate bill does not have a corresponding provision. From Meetings & Conventions…
After three strikes at at travel ban, the call to end DACA, and a proposed wall on the US / Mexico border, how seriously has America’s global image as a welcoming destination been damaged? Recent research suggests it is tarnished, with one CEO also now claiming the US’s loss may be Canada’s gain. From PCMA…
It’s not proving third time lucky for Trump’s Travel Ban III. As with his previous attempts to bar people from certain mainly Muslim nations from entering the United States, 3.0 has run into immediate challenges. Federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland blocked it just before it was due to take effect. From Meetings & Conventions…
Kevin Hinton, CEO of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, has announced he will be leaving the role in January. He said it was time “to step away and close out my work over the past four and a half years so that I can explore my next professional chapter”. From Meetings & Conventions…
The White House has made the US seem “closed for business”, according to the Global Business Travel Association. After Trump Travel Bans I and II, 45 percent of GBTA’s European members said they were “less likely” to bring meetings to the US. Every one percent of business travel supports 74,000 jobs. From Meetings & Conventions…
As his last travel ban expired, President Trump issued a new unlimited order to bar citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and – as hostilities with Kim Jong-un escalate – North Korea. The US is also banning from October 18th some Venezuelan officials and their families. Photo: John Pavelka. From Meetings and Conventions…
In the US, Democratic lawmakers are introducing a bill to ban federal officials from enjoying taxpayer-funded business travel at properties owned by senior government officials. This would include resorts like President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, where the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, was entertained in April. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US Supreme Court has let President Trump’s restrictions on refugees entering the country stand, overruling a lower court. But grandparents and cousins of those already in the US can’t now be excluded. In October SCOTUS will examine the ban on entrants from six mainly Muslim countries, which expires in September. From Meetings and Conventions…
With cities across the path of Hurricane Irma braced for impact, major events were postponed as the storm neared. With a state of emergency declared in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Iceberg partner Northstar put back Destination Southeast in Miami Beach to December. Meanwhile, the Caribbean is reeling from Irma’s pass. From Meetpie.com…
The four month US ban on carrying larger electronic devices in aircraft passenger cabins – a restriction placed on all flights from ten proscribed airports in the Middle East and North Africa – is now completely lifted. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, became the last airport to implement new US security measures. From the Event…
Twenty US travel and meetings industry organisations have signed a letter asking the White House to reconsider a recent Executive Order amendment. In it a target of interviewing 80 percent of temporary visa applicants within three weeks has been abandoned. The signatories – including several Iceberg partners – say the move will have negative economic impact. From Meetings & Conventions…
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