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Soft Power Now a Key Driver of Incentives

Latest research about trends in incentive travel shows that “soft power” (meaning persuasion rather than coersion) is now competing with sales and the bottom line as a key driver in the industry. The 2019 Incentive Travel Industry Index’s preliminary results were revealed at IMEX America in Las Vegas. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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CWT: Meetings Industry to Grow Eight Percent

CWT M&E says the buoyant global meetings industry is poised for eight percent growth next year, despite looming geopolitical and economic headwinds. The 2020 Future Trends report notes these as the trade war between the US and China, Brexit and its wider impact, the protests in Hong Kong and climate change. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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IBTM World Launches Business Accelerator

Iceberg partner IBTM World has just launched a mentoring / investment scheme for young entrepreneurs. The Event Business Accelerator will give those with an idea, product or service for the events industry the chance of intensive mentoring, and of pitching to potential investors at IBTM World this November in Barcelona. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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CTICC: 16 Years Marked by 16 Achievements

CTICC, the Cape Town International Convention Centre, has just passed its sixteenth birthday. To mark the occasion, CTICC shared sixteen of its achievements. Among them were job creation, economic contribution and training, growing the province’s knowledge economy, and CTICC’s response to Cape Town’s water crisis. From Meetings International…

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Thailand Introduces “Meet Special Bonus”

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau has launched a “Meet Special Bonus” to secure more major events. The bonus of THB 50,000 ($1,628) is for planners holding an event with at least 100 international delegates staying for least three nights and using a venue recognised by the Thailand MICE Venue Standard. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Sustainability Rising, GDS-Index Paper Says

A new era of sustainability is rising and set to shape the future of the events industry, according to a new white paper just out from the Global Destination Sustainability Index, an Iceberg partner. The report details case studies, data analysis and actions taken by 47 destination management organisations and municipalities. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Austria Center Vienna Celebrates Best Year

Austria’s largest congress centre, Austria Center Vienna, has revealed that 2018 was the most successful year in its three-decade history. The venue generated €14.85 million (£13 million) and also welcomed 136,000 international delegates, representing a 29 percent year-on-year increase in visitor numbers. From Association Meetings International…

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SEC Brings Glasgow £1.5m Per Day

The Scottish Event Campus has had its most successful year since 2014 and the Commonwealth Games. Trading turnover increased by 21 percent to £35.1 million, and contributed an average of £1.5 million per day to the Glasgow economy in 2018 – 19, a total of £457 million over the year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Expo 2020 Dubai to Deliver $33.4bn

Expo 2020 Dubai will boost the United Arab Emirates’ economy by AED122.6 billion ($33.4 billion), and will also support 905,200 job-years between 2013 and 2031. So says an independent report from global consultancy EY. During its peak six months the event is predicted to add the equivalent of 1.5 percent to UAE GDP. From Meetings International…

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Conference Content a Challenge, Says Study

For the fifth year running, Omnipress has just published its “State of the Conference Industry Report”, which collects and analyses the responses of 150 association professionals, many directly responsible for event planning. Managing last-minute content changes was revealed as the respondents’ most common challenge, with content distribution also posing problems. From PCMA…

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GMID 2019 Celebrated Around World

Organisers, venues and convention bureaux have celebrated the 2019 Global Meetings Industry Day to promote the economic and societal benefits of the sector. Hundreds of events took place to mark GMID, which was founded by the Meetings Mean Business alliance in the US four years ago to spotlight industry legacies. From Association Meetings International…

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Hungexpo Announces Record Revenue

The largest event management and exhibition organising company in Hungary, Hungexpo, has announced record turnover for 2018. Hungexpo had earned more than £21 million by the end of the year, up almost 30 percent on 2017. Major events in 2018 included the Congress of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Events Industry Board Surveys EU Funding

The UK Events Industry Board has launched a survey to help assess the value of EU grants, infrastructure funding and service-related projects that have benefited the business events industry. The EIB is urging destinations to complete a survey identifying EU funding for projects like ICC Birmingham in 1989. Photo: Roy Hughes. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Edinburgh Marketing Wins Stay of Execution

Edinburgh Marketing, the body behind the city’s convention bureau, has been dealt an eleventh hour reprieve after city councillors accepted a counter offer to proposed cuts. The council had sought to slash the organisation’s funding by £567,000 next year and by 89 percent over two years. Now it has reinstated £267,000. From Association Meetings International…

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Bid Fund Business Doubles to AU$187m

The value of the business events secured with the help of Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program has almost doubled from AU$97 million to a record AU$187 million in the past three months. Total expenditure by international meetings visitors in the year ending September 2018 was AU$4.9 billion, up 16 percent. From TTG Mice…

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DMO MD Condemns Edinburgh Cuts

Leaders from one of Europe’s most prestigious gatherings of destination marketing organisations have voiced disbelief at proposed budget cuts which could see the end of both Marketing Edinburgh and the city’s convention bureau. Partner of the Iceberg European Cities Marketing’s Spring Meeting 2019 has just been held in the Scottish capital. From Association Meetings International…

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Edinburgh Ambassadors Slam Proposed Cuts

Academics across Edinburgh have slammed proposed budget cuts that would see an 89 percent drop in the capital’s marketing over the next two years as well as the closure of its ambassador programme. Over 75 Edinburgh ambassadors contacted the City Council objecting to the proposal to slash Marketing Edinburgh’s budget by £790,000. From Association Meetings International…

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UK Conference and Events Market Growing

The United Kingdom conferencing and events market is growing as a whole, despite the conference and meetings segment suffering decline for a third consecutive year. So says an in-depth study of eleven industry reports by Warwick Conferences. A focus on ROI means the number of events being organised is down. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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