Kai Hattendorf documents a fundamental shift in the way AI will influence the future of events: rather than primarily being a suite of tools for organisers, AI’s most impactful role will be in how younger delegates use it long before the event starts to guide their entire decision-making on whether and how to participate.
David Adler, Gathering Point News, explores the rationale for establishing the Centre for Events & Festivals as a response to a fragmented events industry, weak knowledge-sharing, and limited use of evidence. The organisation aims to bridge academia and practice, strengthen collaboration, and promote more sustainable, inclusive, and community-focused approaches to event design and delivery.
Boardroom’s Vicky Koffa and Remi Deve summarise the key issues, opportunities and challenges discussed at the recent EAS 2026, all of which provide vital insights for business events suppliers and destinations interested in better understanding the current thinking and priorities of their association clients. An important conclusion: collaboration has become a strategic necessity.
M&C Asia magazine examines the changing picture of global rankings in passport power (how easy it is for holders of a particular passport to visit other countries) and border openness (how restrictive countries are to holders of different passports), and explains the implications for destination competitiveness for international business events.
Australian-based association consultancy Mayvin Global has released a series of three White Papers packed with valuable insights from 15 international association case studies, focused on the most mission-critical strategic challenges and potential solutions, many of which have implications for the future evolution of their event strategies.
International association meetings can find themselves in the frontline when geopolitical conflicts erupt. This Boardroom feature by Pamela Wilton explores the implications of key risk factors, illustrates why associations can no longer argue that they are “apolitical by nature”, and outlines how to build a geopolitical resilience framework.
Gatheringpoint’s David Adler suggests answers to the conundrum of managing two conflicting realities simultaneously: projecting confidence to the market, whilst making real-time decisions behind the scenes. Exercising resilience in real-time during periods of high uncertainty is one of the hardest challenges imaginable, especially with only partial vision of what’s happening.
60 years young: that’s the spirit of Melbourne Convention Bureau, one of the world’s most successful and innovative DMOs. The MCEC – Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – is a relative youngster with only 30 years under its belt, but the venue laid out its ambitions at birth by achieving a six Green Star sustainable…
Dr Emma Delaney analyses some key issues regarding subventions and other financial incentives, drawing from the perspective of PCOs. Amongst her conclusions: flexible, co-created incentive packages are more effective than rigid, conditional offers, and when aligned with a destination’s goals, incentives can facilitate sustainable, inclusive and high-quality conferences and stronger societal impact. From CEF…
Tommy Goodwin, Vice President of Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, provides a helpful and robust decision-making framework for industry leaders attempting to understand and navigate the fast evolving geopolitical landscape we all are facing. From Exhibition World Magazine…
Scotland’s capital is set to become the first city in the UK to fund its convention bureau through a mandatory tourist tax – or ‘visitor levy’ – in what could herald the start of major changes to how cities across the country attract business events and conference tourism. From M&IT…
The launch of the MeetEngland Impact Network at Sheffield’s Cutlers’ revealed why intellectual capital is one of England’s biggest advantages on the international business events stage. It was a genuinely significant industry moment — not just another announcement, but the start of something that could reshape England’s global competitiveness. From M&IT…
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True to form, the BestCities Global Alliance continued to use its annual Forum to pursue association impact by gathering members of its association community for shared learning. The methodology for developing greater impact strategies came in the form of the 2nd edition of the ICCA Association Impact Masterclass following its inauguration by Founding Funders and…
From Skift Meetings: The shifting political landscape in the U.S. is casting a shadow over WorldPride 2025, with sponsors pulling out and international travelers facing growing uncertainty. While organizers remain steadfast in their commitment to hosting the global event, concerns over all Pride events are mounting. WorldPride 2025, a three-week celebration in Washington, D.C., May…
By Pádraic Gilligan, Co-Founder, SoolNua: We now live in a global society where conflict, in all its forms, has become the new normal. Game-changing decisions that impact entire industries are being made—and unmade—within 24 hours. Global trade, poverty alleviation programs, pathways to peace, and even fundamental values like inclusiveness are being actively weaponized in a…
From Le Devoir: Cities are fighting over international conferences, whose economic benefits and influence are the stuff of dreams. In Canada and Quebec, organizations support municipalities and institutions that are trying to secure such events. In April 2024, the teams from Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des congrès de Montréal created the Collectif Savoir, whose…
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