Archives: Events
Discerning News in a Fast-Paced World with Andrea Doyle
By Jorge Eduardo Q: In today’s 24/7 news cycle and hyper-connected feeds, event leaders are bombarded by headlines, hot takes, and trending crises every minute. Economic shifts, health emergencies, political strife, and algorithmic sensationalism form a loud backdrop that challenges clarity. Within this noise, strategic discernment becomes not just an asset, but a necessity for…
2024 Report: IAPCO Members Delivered €17.8B in Global Economic Impact
From IAPCO: Conferences and meetings demonstrate resilience and growth in uncertain times IAPCO celebrates Global Meetings Industry Day 3 April 2025. The membership of the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) collectively delivered 19,469 events across the globe in 2024 contributing an economic impact of over €17.8 billion. This represents a €3.54 billion increase…
Drawing Red Lines on the Map: Incentive Travel’s New Geography
by Pádraic Gilligan, co-founder, SoolNua: As 2025 unfolds, it’s increasingly difficult to pin down exactly how incentive travel professionals feel about the short- to medium-term outlook for our industry. One thing is clear: sentiment has shifted since 2024. The Incentive Travel Index, released in November 2024, painted a nuanced picture—continued growth in the use and…
‘A Hostile State’: Why Some Travellers are Avoiding the US
From BBC: As the list of nations issuing travel warnings to the US grows, some visitors are opting to boycott it entirely. Here’s why many foreigners are changing their travel plans and what this could mean for Americans. As President Donald Trump implements sweeping new policies, issues tariffs on longtime allies and leads an immigration…
Creating Lasting Legacies Through Association Events
This ESAE seminar report illustrates the importance of building long-term strategic relationships between destinations and international associations, and co-creating impact and legacy programmes from an early stage. Beyond their immediate objectives, conferences and congresses are increasingly expected to leave a trace, be that a new practice introduced, regulation debated, partnership launched, or community engaged…
ICCA Meets with Mexico’s Tourism Leaders to Advance Business Events Industry
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath met in Mexico City on 24 March with Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, and Mexican Council of the Meetings Industry (COMIR) leader Michel Wohlmuth. The meeting took place at the Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR), the Mexican government department responsible for the promotion and development of tourism in the country….
Investing in Mental Wellness Could Benefit Workplace Culture… & Events
From Boardroom, by Senthil Gopinath, CEO, ICCA: It goes without saying that “wellness” goes beyond the basic idea of eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and engaging in physical activity that contributes to cardiovascular health. There’s no shortage of viral videos and social media clickbait encouraging viewers to try the latest powder, pill, detox,…
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…
GILLESPIE: Can Moral Ambition Offset Enshittification?
The CityDNA Autumn Conference in partnership with the GDS Forum hosted sustainability futurist, author and investor, Ed Gillespie, to address the combined DMO community in Bruges. The co-founder of The Futurenauts, a strategy ‘insultancy’, put the counter argument to the naysayers of climate change and that all destination management organisations have a responsibility to treat…
CALGARY: Smart Cowboys
Attracting knowledge, investment, and talent to a destination as the 3 pillars of a Knowledge & Creative Economy requires an ability to attract -and convene – business and professional communities from all over the world. The City of Calgary, famed for its Stampede, has emerged as a round-the-clock meeting space for all manner of sectoral…
Navigating Key Risks Facing the Events Industry: Managing Rising Costs
By Nicola Kastner, CEO of Event Leaders Exchange: Costs are rising. Expectations are not. That gap is one of the biggest risks event professionals face today, and it is not going away anytime soon. This is the third article in my series on the key risks facing the events industry in 2025 and how we,…
AC FORUM: Futureproofing in Glasgow
In this video double-bill, AC Forum – the gold standard of associations in Europe – convened its annual Congress at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in January with impact and sustainability front and centre of the agenda. In partnership with the venue, Glasgow Convention Bureau, the entire Board of Directors, and local universities, the organisation…
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