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How the Grown Ups Approach Event Legacy

The 7-times winner of the 8 GDS-Index Awards for Leadership, the city of Gothenburg in Sweden, share this long-awaited series from The Iceberg into the DMOs 3-part framework which provides a systematic approach to realising impact from business & professional events; The Gothenburg Way to Legacy… In this 4-part mini-series, we begin with an introduction…

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AIMEX Legacy Set for $AUS Billions

“It’s more than a visitor economy,” says Damien Kitto, CEO of Business Events Adelaide. And the benchmarking and KPIs that track the impact data of events reveal metrics that extend far beyond the consumption economy of events hosted in the South Australian capital. The reason lies in the value sought by the Department of Trade…

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Trump 2.0 Disrupts Meetings Industry in First 100 Days

From Skift Meetings: President Trump’s second term began with a series of executive orders that immediately impacted the meetings industry. On Inauguration Day, January 20, Trump signed the Executive Order, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.” It eliminates federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. All federal DEI staff were also placed…

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CityDNA International Conference 2025 Inspires a Bold Rethink of the Visitor Economy & Business...

From City Destinations Alliance: Held from April 9 to 11, 2025, in the heart of Hungary’s vibrant capital, the City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA) International Conference & General Assembly brought together over 250 tourism leaders, destination experts and changemakers from across Europe to explore how cities can drive business transformation through the visitor economy. Under the…

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ECA Offers Tariff Resource Centre

ECA and its public policy counsel, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, have prepared the following detailed analysis of recent tariff developments and what they mean for the business and professional events industry. Please bookmark this page for future updates as circumstances warrant. On April 17, the Office of the United States Trade Representative took action…

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Business Events Industry Week 2025 Focused on Celebrations That Work

From Smart Meetings: Four years into an experiment to replace an annual spring event in Washington, D.C., with a collaborative concentration of events organizations all gathering in the same place, Business Events Industry Week (BEIW) has built some popular must-attend features and announced that other pieces will shake off, either going away altogether or moving….

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How US Tariffs Redraw the Global Trade Show Map

By Kai Hattendorf: 2024 was the best year ever for the trade show industry globally by revenues. 2025 likely won’t be. Uncertainties around an aggressive, tariffs-driven challenge to global trade from the new U.S. administration are shaking markets and economies around the world. If high import tariffs announced by the U.S. administration are here to…

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Meetings Industry Braces for Effects of Tariffs

From PCMA: According to a new Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) statement, the latest round of proposed tariffs will “increase costs for business and professional event organizers, exhibitors, and attendees alike.”When Convene spoke in December with Tommy Goodwin, vice president of Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), tariffs imposed on U.S. trading partners didn’t top the…

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Insights from the BestCities-ICCA Community Cafe-Spotlight on Success: Tips to Craft a Winning Entry...

From BestCities: On 1 April 2025, BestCities Global Alliance and ICCA hosted two insightful sessions to unpack the dynamics of creating lasting impacts through international conferences and celebrating these through the Incredible Impacts Programme. This article captures key takeaways from the collaborative discussions, where industry leaders shared their experiences and offered valuable guidance for prospective…

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AIME Before the Storm

AIME 2020 pre-empted the pandemic. AIME 2025 pre-empted the unfolding of a global trade and intellectual engagement crisis. As a case study in fortunate timing, the Asia-Pacific’s annual meetings and business events trade show illustrated the harmony of globalisation when in full flow. It’s hard to imagine how the AUS$400m of trade reported from this…

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ASSOCIATION IMPACT: An Epiphany in Dublin

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…

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WorldPride 2025 a Go Despite Sponsorship Losses and Travel Challenges

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…

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The Future of Events: Navigating Uncertainty in a Fractured World

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…

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New Weapons to Attract International Congresses

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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Meeting Cancellations Mount as Trump Administration Orders Take Effect

From Skift Meetings: A growing wave of meeting cancellations signals trouble for the business events industry. Providence is one destination already feeling the impact. The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau in Rhode Island received its first business meeting cancellation on January 27. The conference, focused on renewable offshore wind energy, included 3,300 room nights…

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Glasgow’s Conferences Leave a Lasting Mark Through Impact Network

From Boardroom: Glasgow has reinforced its position as a leader in purpose-driven conferences with the Glasgow Conference Impact Network (GCIN) marking a successful first year. Launched in partnership with the Glasgow Science Festival in March 2024, the initiative has created new collaboration among local stakeholders to ensure conferences leave a lasting legacy. Over the past…

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VIDEO DOUBLE: Geopolitical Fears @ IBTM World

A Reflection on the role of IBTM World in the supporting cast of Business Events: IBTM World has always been a crucial indicator of success within the Business Events Sector. The 2024 edition validated post-pandemic barometer with a notable 15% year-on-year increase in visitor numbers. The Significance of IBTM World Presenting a flagship global event…

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The Meeting Room | Done Badly, DEI Can Do More Harm Than Good

The Meeting Room Podcast, by Northstar: What’s next for DEI now Trump is back in the White House? Will 2025 be the year AI comes of age? Who’s getting a budget increase and who’s missing out? Join Holly Patrick and James Lancaster as they discuss what 2025 has in store for event professionals.

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Medical Meetings Canceled Under New Trump Policies

From Skift Meetings: The National Institutes of Health, a linchpin of global biomedical research, has abruptly canceled its meetings, raising alarm across the medical meetings industry. As the new administration exerts its influence, planners grapple with uncertainty. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S.’s largest research agency, has canceled dozens of meetings under new…

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How Vancouver Used the Event Impact Calculator to Secure the World’s Premier Tech Conference

From Destinations International: Destination Vancouver is a non-profit, member-based destination marketing and management organization that promotes the spectacular city of Vancouver, British Columbia, as a premier travel destination. We support Vancouver’s tourism industry through marketing initiatives, event support, and partnerships with local businesses and institutions to attract visitors from around the world with a mission…

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Incoming PCMA Chair Neil Brownlee Breaks New Ground

From PCMA: Neil Brownlee, head of business events at VisitScotland and chair of the 2025 PCMA Board of Directors and Trustees, talks about how he thinks his perspective as the board’s first non-North American chair will help set the association up for future growth. Neil Brownlee attended his first Convening Leaders in 2011 in Las…

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