Meeting design guru Adrian Segar argues the meetings industry has spent decades measuring success as a matter of volume: more attendees, more exhibitors, more sponsors, more square footage. But bigger events don’t necessarily create greater value for the people who attend. Segar puts forward his predictions for the rise of delegate-centred success metrics.
GCB Managing Director Schultze argues that while the world of business events has access to more data than ever before, and destination and venue information is widely available, the real value emerges only when different data sources are connected and placed into a meaningful context. Schultze outlines what Germany is doing to illuminate these connections.
Kai Hattendorf conducts a deep dive into Informa’s recent state-of-business report for the first half of 2026, drawing our attention to the impact of geopolitics on global trade show sector performance, and the company’s strategic and tactical decisions on issues such as event postponement vs cancellation, regional prioritisation and differentiation, and risk management.
Destinations International’s President & CEO Don Welsh shares his personal business philosophy and his views on the future role of convention bureaux or DMOs. Leaders of these organisations will need to evolve into “alternative mayors”, ringmasters of the complex institutional relationships that make up modern place leadership in destinations large and small. From GatheringPoint.news…
David Adler takes a critical look at the threat to scientific and medical meetings should US federal regulation OMB-2026-0034 go ahead, prohibiting grant recipients from attending conferences not named in the original grant proposal (in practice, an impossibility!). David also brilliantly articulates the processes by which face-to-face meetings generate scientific insights and progress.
An industry asked its government for attention, got it, and watched the government defund it mid-conversation. Parliament formally objected, demanded the cuts be reversed, and proposed moving the entire sector out of the culture department and into the trade department. David Adler translates the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee report into plain English…
Founder and Chair of the Centre for Events and Festivals, Dr Mike Duignan provides academic credibility to the recently released Canadian Legacy & Impact Study Final Report, stating, “This is a simple but rigorous framework of legacy drivers.” Duignan argues that there is a critical need for alignment between governments, DMOs, event owners and organisers,…
AMI’s James Lancaster urges caution when making all-inclusive economic expenditure claims that collate such items as flights and accommodation as well as meetings-specific spend. Instead, our arguments have a better chance of influencing policymakers if we focus on the societal value generated, and frame our industry as an enabler of other sectors’ activity.
Drawing on decades of experience representing associations, Thomas Reiser argues the most successful destinations are no longer simply selling venues and hotel rooms; they are becoming strategic partners that help associations advance their missions, connect with local expertise and create lasting impact. Stronger collaboration between associations and destinations has never been more important.
ECA’s Tommy Goodwin argues that events bringing together policymakers, business leaders, media and lobbyists to discuss key issues offer far more transparent platforms than other forms of policy influencing activity. He encourages more media companies to embrace the importance of high-quality events as part of their respective journalistic missions.
ICCA CEO Dr Senthil Gopinath argues that business events leaders must move beyond operational excellence and embrace advocacy. Sitting at the policy table is not about politics; it is about partnership. It is about ensuring that those who shape the rules understand the real value we deliver.
In a conversation with Guy Bigwood, the GDS-Forum 2026 emerges as a reflection of the meetings industry’s shift from ambition to accountability. Highlighting themes such as impact measurement, destination stewardship and regenerative development, the GDS-Movement CEO argues that stakeholders are increasingly demanding evidence of progress rather than sustainability pledges alone. From HQ Magazine…
Paul Coulson despairs at cuts to the business events team within VisitBritain whilst the sector is attracting major investment and widespread recognition of its utility as a driver of economic and societal value. It’s time for joined-up thinking by policymakers that respects the essential role business events marketing plays at a national level. From CMW…
In just eight weeks, four of the ten largest exhibition groups in the world have been sold. This is unprecedented in the history of the exhibition industry – as are the sums of money involved. There is one common theme and that is the effect of AI. From Exhibition News, by Phil Soar…
#MEET4IMPACT is challenging destinations to rethink their role in the business events ecosystem, arguing that DMOs must move beyond promotion and become active facilitators of long-term social impact. In a conversation with their Consultant Made Raie, the organisation highlights the growing importance of legacy, community engagement and impact measurement for positive change. From HQ Magazine…
In this episode of The Meeting Room, host James Lancaster sits down with Dr Mike Duignan, founder of the Centre for Events & Festivals (CEF), to unpack the BIG problems nobody is talking about enough, from fragmented advocacy and missing economic data to why festivals, sports events and business events must stop operating in silos.
Kai Hattendorf synthesises the views of a panel of global Business Events leaders who shared their perspectives during IMEX on resilience preparedness, leadership transitions, non-linear backgrounds as an asset, the necessity of better impact metrics, and “trust” as the industry’s USP in the AI era.
GainingEdge experts summarise this year’s GainingEdge Knowledge Exchange at IMEX Frankfurt, themed on risk management: the business events industry does not lack experience with crisis, but lacks a shared structure for managing it. That gap, and what the industry can do about it, is what the session spent an hour unpacking.
From Associations Commons, by Peng Ee Ooi: By every traditional measure, IFAT Munich 2026 is already a success story. The 2026 edition runs from May 4–7, 2026, celebrating its 60th anniversary, the event features 3,400 exhibitors and attracted 142,000 visitors from 170 countries, utilizing 300,000 square meters of space to showcase advancements in water, sewage,…
Australian PCO owner Emma Bowyer argues that legacy measurement is woefully absent across most of Asia-Pacific Destination Marketing Organisations, and that it’s become the responsibility of event organisers to educate clients to include such metrics in the way they evaluate the impact of their meetings. A Robotics conference that will track 200 local high-school attendees…
Futurist, urbanist, author Greg Lindsay’s speech to the Events Industry Council on Global Meetings Industry Day draws parallels between the nuclear fusion of stars and serendipitous power of both cities and business events to unlock human potential. An inspiring take on the value of our industry that speaks to policymakers in language they will understand.
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