Guy Bigwood provides optimistic and pessimistic perspectives on potential impacts on the travel, tourism and events sectors of the EU’s latest strategic world overview. Missing from his analysis is the certainty that these geopolitical issues will generate huge demand for new sectoral meetings where their implications, risks, and potential solutions can be debated and analysed.
This article provides an outline of the key steps cities need to take to create their own international events that can meet priority economic development goals: identify unique intellectual assets; coordinate disparate stakeholders; articulate a clear vision and event philosophy; bring in citizen voices; think about wider societal impact; use fresh meeting design-thinking. From Boardroom:…
From Glasgow Convention Bureau: This World Charity Day, we’re proud to reflect on the incredible partnership between the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – EAACI Congress 2025 and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. In June, during the Congress held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, over 350 dedicated runners laced up…
Prof. Liam Glynn of Limerick University shares the remarkable journey to impactful change from his remote General Practice in Ireland’s Ballyvaughan, County Clare. Starting from the creation of a political movement – No Doctor No Village – reversing post-GFC rural healthcare policy in Ireland. Attracting one of the world’s leading rural healthcare conferences to Limerick…
As is also the case with its strategy to attract international business events, Gothenburg doesn’t host football tournaments and other sporting events simply to drive tourism expenditure and bed-night figures, but as a means of advancing societally-important policy goals. In this case, the objective was to get more girls involved in organised sports – from…
James Lancaster, Editorial Director at Northstar Meetings Group, highlights how stricter immigration policies are increasingly affecting international conferences. Visa denials, particularly for delegates from the Global South, limit participation and make global collaboration more difficult, raising questions about inclusivity and the ability to address shared challenges effectively.
Event sustainability organisation isla announced the findings of its latest report at the Made Possible Festival held in London’s Barbican Centre this May. With almost 1000 recent events adding to previous reports on almost 4000 events, including data from over 2700 supply chain companies, the report highlighted the key areas where our sector can make…
From Centre for Events & Festivals (CEF): Flanders outlines key steps within their strategic approach to the delivery and measurement of event-driven positive impacts on the local community and wider society. Most events still rely on economic metrics, ignoring the harder-to-measure but vital social outcomes. Flanders’ approach embeds social impact into event planning through co-creation…
This innovative event brought together scientists, local, national and EU-level policymakers, and citizen activists, and ensured policy debates heard from all relevant voices, including those directly affected by this environmental problem. The European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) hosted the first ever joint Congress on 10th to 13th…
The City Travel Report by CityDNA 2024–2025 marks a pivotal moment for Europe’s urban destinations. Stabilisation replaces recovery as European city destinations adapt to a shifting tourism landscape. Based on benchmarking insights from 128 cities, the 21st edition of the report reveals that growth is moderating—average bednight growth slowed to 5.8% in 2024, down from…
Tourism faces constant challenges, but political instability has emerged as a critical disruptor. How do political shifts affect travellers and how can destinations stay resilient? TOPOSOPHY’s research, based on a 6-country survey and case studies, explores traveller perceptions and offers smart strategies for destinations to build trust and adapt, whether facing a crisis or preparing…
From AMI: The Meetings Show 2025 brought together almost 6,000 event professionals – including hundreds from associations – for meaningful meetings, enlightening education and collaborative conversations. More than 16,000 meetings took place between buyers and exhibitors over two days at Excel London on 25-26 June, with more than 9,000 of the meetings pre-scheduled, generating game-changing…
It’s been six months since Shaun Davies MP was elected Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events and a lot has happened in that time. View the July 2025 APPG for Events Briefing for highlights of what has been achieved so far this year, details of the upcoming Parliamentary Plan of Work, new policy…
Whether you’re a returning participant or a first-time attendee, prepare for a transformative journey crafted by a planning committee of hospitality industry leaders. Expect a groundbreaking program filled with world-class speakers, innovative event production and premier industry sponsors. With 100+ of the brightest minds in hospitality and events anticipated, this is your chance to connect…
Three major legacy-related goals were achieved at this event: inspiring young people to consider careers in one of the growth industries of the future, encouraging informed multi-level discussion of the key issues from families to governments, and influencing policy at the European level. ENERGY & WATER, an innovative environmental education centre in Copenhagen, organised an…
This year’s Summit brought together over 260 Association professionals for a day of learning, sharing, and community-building. The energy was unforgettable. Now, we have a challenge and a responsibility: to build on that momentum and make EAS26 even more impactful. Mark your calendars: #EAS26 will return with fresh sessions, new voices, and the highly anticipated…
Conventa is not just an event; it’s a dynamic and transformative experience that has been at the forefront of the B2B MICE industry for over a decade. Over the years, Conventa has evolved beyond the boundaries of a traditional business tradeshow, emerging as the key meeting point for event organizers, looking for destinations and venues…
From Meetings International, an illustration of the growing, and vital, role of international association conferences as platforms for overcoming dis- and misinformation. Face-to-face events led by experts in specialised fields are uniquely positioned to provide this essential public service.
The recent International Social Housing Festival (ISHF) in Dublin brought together over 2,000 delegates from across Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and Asia. The festival provided a unique platform to discuss critical housing issues like affordability, retrofitting, climate challenges, and accessibility, incorporating a powerful “tenant’s voice” project that not only created a legacy for Ireland, but…
In a time when certifications and indexes dominate the sustainability narrative, this whitepaper invites destination leaders to look deeper—beyond metrics and toward meaningful, transformative strategies. Drawing on 20 expert interviews, survey data and real-life insights from frontrunner cities like Helsinki and Gothenburg, it challenges DMOs to use frameworks as tools—not as finish lines.
This White Paper produced by VivaCITY (a partnership between CityDNA and Simpleview / Granicus) examines the role, benefits and limitations of sustainability indices and certifications. With evolving EU regulation raising expectations and challenging both local policymakers and destination management professionals on destination sustainability standards and performance, this paper argues that these concepts are not ends…
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