With the COVID-19 pandemic taking us into uncharted territory, there is no better time for associations to rethink the way they operate and deliver value. In the first part of a series, a mix of leading association voices, Iceberg partner Boardroom’s Advisory Board, talks through their individual and group experiences. From Boardroom…
Oscar Cerezales (pictured on right), Global Executive VP Corporate and COO Asia Pacific at Iceberg partner MCI, received the prestigious PCMA Chairman’s Award in January. Today he’s at working from his Singapore home, while pondering the flexible, diversified, and consolidated events industry that will emerge beyond coronavirus. From Event Crisis…
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and the travel restrictions that remain in place in most Asian markets, UFI has decided to cancel the 2020 UFI Asia Pacific Conference and the Digital Innovation Forum which were originally scheduled to be held in Macau in March and were subsequently rescheduled in late August. The UFI team…
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and the travel restrictions that remain in place in most Asian markets, UFI has decided to cancel the 2020 UFI Asia Pacific Conference and the Digital Innovation Forum which were originally scheduled to be held in Macau in March and were subsequently rescheduled in late August. The UFI team…
Globalisation, the world’s closer integration, is under attack. After nativism, terrorism and of course climate change, now a microscopic pathogen is even stopping us from gathering to meet. If globalisation does have a positive legacy though, international association meetings may be the best of what closer integration gives society. From Association Meetings International…
Māori culture gives New Zealand its distinct identity, but is also moving centre stage at meetings hosted in the country. This was very evident during the 2019 International Union for Health Promotion and Education Conference, which drew to Rotorua 1,185 attendees from 73 countries. From Association Meetings International…
Melbourne’s AIME (the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event), with its more than 2,500 visitors and 300 exhibitors on the showroom floor, was one of the last significant industry gatherings successfully delivered in February before the coronavirus pandemic shutdown large meetings across the globe. The Iceberg partner’s buyers and exhibitors connected to conduct business at more…
ExCeL London has become an emergency hospital, called NHS Nightingale, with the conference and exhibition centre being put into service to treat the expected surge in coronavirus patients. Other UK venues are also being prepared as ancillary hospitals: Birmingham’s NEC, Manchester Central and Glasgow’s SEC Centre. From Association Meetings International…
Under Australian restrictions on big gatherings during the coronavirus crisis, the organisers of technology conference QODE Brisbane chose to partner with YouTube and stream their event live around the world. In what is believed to be an Australian first, attendees were also able to visit exhibitor booths using virtual reality. From Boardroom…
No kind of event is immune from the devastation coronavirus is causing. After weeks of speculation and amid mounting criticism, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President of the IOC Thomas Bach both agreed to reschedule the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021, the first break in four-year cycle since World War II. From Reuters…
Coronavirus event cancellations are wiping AU$2.5bn off the Australian economy every month. So say new figures from a major industry body. Shutting down large gatherings has effectively shut down the country’s meetings sector, with devastating results, according to the Business Events Council of Australia. From Association Meetings International…
Most ambitious destinations market meetings by targeting key economic growth sectors and by making good use of knowledge economy assets. GAHP, the Global Association Hubs Partnership, links up four such cities with strong association ecosystems and support. GAHP is also a partner of The Iceberg. From Association Meetings International…
Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, we must share the heartbreaking news that AIME 2021 has been cancelled. Like many other event organisers, we face the challenges brought about by international and domestic travel restrictions despite healthy interest for the event from exhibitors and buyers. As the past year has shown, it’s difficult to predict…
In the wake of so many meetings cancelling due to the COVID-19 crisis, and the resultant economic losses, the Founder of The Iceberg James Latham has been discussing how event organisers are reacting, and why the sector could be leading the charge when business does start to return to normal. From Duetto…
The Australian Federal Government shut down all non-essential indoor events for over one hundred people on March 18th (then for more than two people on March 29th). Event venues like ICC Sydney no longer are able to deliver events. This is an unprecedented situation, says CEO Geoff Donaghy. From Boardroom…
The torrent of business event cancellations precipitated by the coronavirus crisis has seen planners all over the world examining the small print of their insurance contracts. Indeed many have had to reassess their entire approach to purchasing coverage. Terry Waller is Managing Director of event insurance specialist Arc International. In this Iceberg exclusive video, Waller…
The 13th International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes has just been held in Madrid, Spain. Despite massive event cancellations due to the COVID-19 crisis, the meeting brought together more than 3,800 healthcare professionals from 81 countries, start-ups and investors, reaching a new delegate record. From Boardroom…
The meetings industry, very used to things “going viral”, is now dealing with a real virus crisis. One of this site’s favourite bloggers has distilled down five suggestions for survival. Stick with the facts. Postpone, don’t cancel. Make use of this “period of reflection”. Be kind. Remember, this too shall pass. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
Public views about COVID-19 have seemed to polarise around either very sensationalist panic or similarly dangerous complacency. Perhaps we should choose to hear neither of these extreme positions. The events industry is going to take a battering from this crisis. The sector should try to accept this. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
The spread of COVID-19 has many planners confronting big questions about the risk assessment, the crisis management and communication involved in bringing thousands of people together. Bill Reed, Chief Event Strategy officer at ASH, the American Society of Hematology, has just had to pull the plug on a meeting. From PCMA…
Geneviève Leclerc is Chief Executive Officer of #MEET4IMPACT, and the best person to ask the difference between “legacy” and “impact”. This Iceberg partner is now working with Tourism New Zealand on the project “Enrich New Zealand – Conference Impact”. This will measure outcomes of three meetings held over two years. From PCMA…
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