From M&IT: And so, it’s over. The Paris Olympics drew to a close on Sunday (11 August) after two weeks of thrills, spills and bellyaches with a closing ceremony with a lot riding on it. After the mixed reception to the rain-drenched river-centric opening ceremony, organisers knew they had to pull out all the stops…
The Paris Olympic Games are approaching the finish line, and I had the opportunity to get a close and personal look at the games from many perspectives: as a (part-time) resident, a visitor, an event professional, and a spectator. Here are some observations. As a destination… Paris blends the Olympic venues into the city with…
From The Guardian, by Barney Ronay: Avant: le deluge. There was a moment, about an hour into Paris 2024’s Grand Opening Spectacular, as the rain soaked through shoes, trousers, socks and eventually skin, hair and bone; as yet more boats of waving people chugged down the Seine, like watching an endless series of weirdly nationalistic…
From Forbes: Craig King has heard a lot about the sustainability of the upcoming Paris Olympics — its historic commitment to green energy, recycling and mass transit. But that’s not why he’s going to the games. King will be in Paris with his wife to cheer on their son, Matt, who is on the US…
From M&IT: A revised version of the international standard for sustainable event management has been published, with a stronger emphasis on legacy, human rights, and compliance. Pioneered by the organising committee for the Olympic Games London 2012, ISO 20121 has become a lodestar for organisations, big or small, wanting to produce sustainable events. The standard…
From PCMA: The Olympic Games, the largest sporting event in the world, is aiming to make next year’s edition in Paris its most sustainable ever. What can the events community learn from its plans and its progress? In ways both small and large, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a series of firsts….
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Marta Gomes has spent nearly 20 years working in the international events and meetings industry. She has collaborated extensively with professors, association executives and destination partners to attract international congresses to Paris, one of the leading global destinations for international events. As Deputy Executive Director Sales, she is charge of sales and business development for…
During COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative launched its Roadmap. This is designed to aid suppliers, venues, and businesses along their journey to reaching Net Zero by 2050. Net Zero Carbon Events, itself launched at COP26 in August 2021, now has 400 supporting organisations from 55 countries. From Exhibition News…
Association meetings are facing tough economic headwinds with renewed sense of purpose, while focusing on legacy, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. That was the unmistakable message from the 61st Congress of Iceberg partner the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), held in the city of Kraków, Poland. From Association Meetings International…
ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) rankings just posted saw destination Vienna reclaim the top spot worldwide for the first time since 2012. The 2021 Iceberg partner survey attributed 92 congresses to Vienna, with Lisbon second (91) and Athens third (66). Barcelona and Singapore are next, then Madrid, Prague, Paris, Berlin and Brussels. From Meetings International…
International conferences are the most carbon-intensive activity for associations. Here five sustainability experts answer twenty fundamental questions to let organisations begin their journey towards net zero and assess their progress along the way. Included are views from Iceberg partners GDS-Index and Positive Impact. From Association Meetings International…
Global convention sector consulting firm GainingEdge has launched its second annual report on leveraging the intellectual capital of convention destinations, based on an analysis of international association leadership. The research underpinning the Iceberg partner’s report identifies the relative strengths of 350 destinations via the presence of their local intellectual leaders in the governing bodies of international associations that…
Prague is better than any other city at engaging with its locally-based association leaders to secure big meetings and conventions, says a new report. The Czech Republic’s capital has a 95 percent “harnessing ratio”, according to the Leveraging Intellectual Capital second edition just compiled by Iceberg partner GainingEdge. From Association Meetings International…
As refugees flee the war in Ukraine, Russian members of Iceberg partner ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association) will not be attending association events until further notice. The ICCA board also cancelled all planned activities and meetings in Russia. Iceberg partner UFI has as well suspended Russian members. From Association Meetings International…
International Women’s Day, which has now been marked for over a century, offers the opportunity to remember the key conferences and other events that have helped move the needle on women’s rights. The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women (pictured) in Beijing, China, featured participation by future Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. From PCMA…
The Net Zero Carbon Events pledge from the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has just been delivered at COP26. At the 60th Congress of our partner ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), The Iceberg spoke to Aileen Crawford of the Glasgow Convention Bureau and to Guy Bigwood of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. Speaking…
Associations and the meetings sector have gathered across hub cities and via a virtual platform for the 60th ICCA Congress. Around 1,200 delegates from 83 countries attended the Iceberg partner event to enjoy 100 hours of live content. Hopes for one unified Congress in Colombia, were dashed by travel restrictions. From Conference & Meetings World…
Copenhagen Legacy Lab, the project run by convention bureau Wonderful Copenhagen, has won the Global Destination Sustainability Movement’s Innovation Award for 2021. The trophy was presented at the 60th ICCA Congress’ Paris hub in recognition of CLL’s efforts to focus the industry on legacy work. All three are Iceberg partners. From Association Meetings International…
With recent sustainability initiatives in the event sector, including the signing of JMIC’s Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge at COP26 and others joining UNFCCC’s The Race to Zero, are this industry’s narratives around the climate crisis changing, and will net zero be enough to improve the global situation and safeguard our industry? From Event MB…
The Joint Meetings Industry Council pledge over Net Zero Carbon Events is not the end of the events industry, as some alarmists have decried, but rather a new beginning. But the key will be measurement. Here is how assorted Iceberg partners worked together to make progress on the issue, including Positive Impact. From Exhibition News…
Just what is COP26, and why should it matter to meetings professionals? Sustainability not-for-profit isla put together this handy historical guide in advance of the Glasgow COP26 conference. Which destinations have hosted previous COPs, and what legacies did they create, if the climate emergency is still upon us? From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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