The first ever IBTM World Virtual drew to a close with Reed Travel Exhibitions reporting nearly 13,000 business meetings as having taken place and almost 8,300 eventprofs taking part. 87 content sessions and four keynotes were presented at the Iceberg partner show, many around topics to help the sector rebuild. From Exhibition World…
David Thompson, the Event Director of Iceberg partner IBTM World, has been talking to M&IT Acting Editor Paul Harvey. The discussed IBTM World Virtual and the challenge of turning a live physical show into an online-only event, plus Thompson’s outlook for planners in the coming year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The pandemic has questioned the role of the meetings industry and the function destinations now play. Five European convention bureaux, part of an informal alliance, share perspectives on how emerging as intellectual capitals may be key to staying relevant beyond the crisis: Glasgow, Copenhagen, Vienna, Brussels and Barcelona. From Boardroom…
Iceberg partner IBTM Events has said that IBTM World 2020, due to have taken place in Barcelona, will pivot to a fully virtual event now between December 8th and 10th. The move is a result of the unpredictable travel restrictions that still persist because of the ongoing pandemic crisis. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Consumer electronics show IFA has run at Messe Berlin, as German trade shows and exhibitions restarted this September. In line with local COVID regulations, attendance was limited: just 750 attendees allowed at each show segment, so invitation only for industry experts and sector media. From UFI…
Designers of Melbourne’s latest meeting space, CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park, have been setting out their ideas. NH Architecture was selected as part of the final stage of AU$972 million redevelopment. The firm has worked on other projects in the city, including the expansion of MCEC. From Association Meetings International…
This report was created for leaders in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry, and particularly operators of small and mid-size sector businesses who are focused on business survival and eventual recovery. It is based on an extensive review of recent and relevant news, studies and analysis, as well as interviews and panel discussions…
In Iceberg partner ICCA’s annual rankings for international meetings, Paris has taken the top spot for the second year in a row, pulling even further ahead of other European destinations. The city’s dominance validates the work of both the local sector and the Conference Unit of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. From Meetings International…
European Cities Marketing has just published “The DMMO COVID-19 Continuity Checklist” (posted in Research). In an exclusive webinar the Iceberg partner’s co-publisher Toposophy guides you through the document, with news of projects across Amsterdam, Barcelona and Hamburg as well. From European Cities Marketing…
Early this year a new event launched for associations. GIAF, or the Geneva International Association Forum, was hoping to draw together the sector and “tackle common challenges”. The meeting was scheduled for June, and at the moment is still going ahead face-to-face. From Boardroom…
In 2017 Iceberg partner European Cities Marketing, in partnership with Toposophy, published eight bold statements in The Future of DMOs: The ECM Manifest that set out a vision for what DMOs (destination marketing organisations) could and should become. The final of these statements warned of ‘‘The New Normal’’, a world in which ‘‘crises of every kind have…
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…
The FYP brings together 35 young industry professionals from a diverse array of backgrounds. Over 3 days, the selected applicants are given networking opportunities, educational sessions, social activities and guidance worth their weights in gold from some of the most influential meetings industry figures. Participants will complete the FYP with a wealth of knowledge, a…
A recent Twitter #Expochat devoted an entire session to the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on US and global exhibitions. Industry leaders including Kai Hattendorf, MD and CEO of Iceberg partner UFI, talked through the shows being cancelled or seeing major absences from their Chinese delegations. Far more are going ahead than not. From UFI…
Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world’s largest exhibition for AV and systems integration, has just taken place at the RAI in Amsterdam. With growing concern over coronavirus, and after the cancellation of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ISE’s MD Mike Blackman explains which steps the meeting chose to take. From UFI…
Cancel, delay or go ahead? Planners of industry events are facing tough choices as significant gatherings of thousands or tens of thousands pose a major risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. The cancellation of Mobile World Congress due to have been held in Barcelona shows how organisers are now under intense pressure. From Tech Xplore…
Mobile World Congress, the huge smartphone conference, has been cancelled after significant exhibitors pulled out citing the coronavirus crisis. The association behind the event, GSMA, could have to foot the bill for the entire cost of cancellation unless Spain’s government declares the outbreak a health emergency. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Homeless hackathons, like those being held this year in Edinburgh, Montreal, Barcelona, Dundee and London, are one way for meetings to tackle this pressing social issue. The MD of organiser Gallus Events recently had a personal experience of homelessness outside COP25, the UN Climate Change Conference, in Madrid. From Association Meetings International…
Congress organisers at ESTRO, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, are requiring host destinations bidding for their events to help them connect with local communities and create lasting legacies in cancer care. They are doing so through the running of so-called “engagement projects”. Ideas for such initiatives, typically with stakeholder involvement from cancer specialists,…
2019 was the year veganism went mainstream. In 2020 Veganuary, or going vegan for January, is bigger than ever. One Iceberg publishing partner is sampling fast food vegan options, went vegan at Associations UK Congress 2019, and will again at all 2020 events. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Last month, just prior to IBTM World’s staging, the Iceberg partner’s inaugural Global Policy and Practice Forum was held in partnership with The Business of Events. Supporting the gathering were the Barcelona Convention Bureau, PCMA (the Professional Convention Management Association) and JMIC (the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg). The forum brought together…
Powered by 
