From Boardroom: Long recognised for its hospitality, culture, and strategic position within Europe’s business events landscape, Barcelona is now working to embed long-term societal value into the very fabric of the events it attracts.
From Boardroom: As the European Green Deal is shaping various sectors in the continent, associations need to step up their game for advocacy and actively lead their sectors towards transformation. Few have risen to that challenge with the clarity and collaborative ambition of the European Boating Industry (EBI), which has just been awarded the 2025…
This post-conference report from the latest edition of AHAIC held earlier this year in Kigali, Rwanda illustrates how international meetings can not only identify critical vulnerabilities and shared challenges, but can craft and launch local-needs-led programmes aimed at building continent-wide resilience and innovation. AHAIC now has a decade-long track record of convening African thought leaders…
From Skift Meetings: The White House has proposed the largest single-year budget cut to NASA in U.S. history. As a result, space science and exploration are taking a hit — and so are the cornerstone conferences that support these efforts. NASA is facing a proposed 24% budget cut. The financial uncertainty is already hitting the…
It’s great to see a dramatic example of The Iceberg’s central metaphor on the cover of this book about the enormous impact and value of trade shows! It’s focused on the USA, but the arguments and insights are universal. Read a review from ExhibitCity News here. The Invisible Industry: The Evolution of Trade Shows can…
Ex-UFI CEO turned industry thought-leader Kai Hattendorf was ubiquitous at this year’s IMEX, challenging the industry to up its game in terms of global advocacy, arguing that this is even more critical than ever during a time of geopolitical flux and uncertainty, and then eloquently demonstrating in a series of interviews how to frame the…
From Thoughts & Observations on Business Events with Kai Hattendorf: Today is the 10th “Global Exhibitions Day”. It was launched in 2016 by UFI to bring together many actors across the trade show ecosystem that had been mulling a joint advocacy activity for a while. Now, every year, exhibition professionals in more than 100 countries…
Hugh Jones, CEO of RX Global and President of UFI, the Association of the Global Exhibitions Industry shares the organisation’s key advocacy messages in a video address to policymakers.
From Skift Meetings: Visa delays, funding cuts, and geopolitical tensions are driving scientific conferences out of the U.S. Some are relocating. Others are canceling. The International Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (IACBT) canceled its August 14-17 conference in Nashville — its first U.S. meeting in 40 years. Approximately 900 were expected. Organizers cited visa uncertainty,…
From Boardroom: Associations are under pressure. Technology moves fast, members want different things, politics are unstable, and the climate crisis is ever-growing. Association leaders must make difficult decisions about what relevance means and how to partner strategically for impact. In this context, Sydney’s Leadership Choices: Driving Societal Change into Associations event served as a hands-on…
From Northstar Meetings Group: During the IMEX Frankfurt 2025 trade show, Virginie De Visscher, executive director, business events, for Destination Canada, sat down with Northstar Meetings Group editor Lisa Grimaldi to share insight into her organization’s goals for tracking the impact that meetings, conventions and incentives have on destinations. During their conversation, she discussed new…
A wave of directives – including the CSRD, ECGTD, and GCD – will set bold new standards for sustainability, transparency, and trust in tourism. But these aren’t just legal hurdles. They’re a chance to lead. Join GDS-Movement and the European Travel Commission (ETC) for a vital webinar that shows how destinations can move from compliance…
Powered by 