The World Congress on Railway Research will be taking place at ICC Birmingham, following a global bid process. On behalf of the UK’s rail industry, the RSSB and the University of Birmingham will jointly stage the meeting in June 2022. Birmingham is a key hub across both current and forthcoming railway networks. From Conference News…
Glasgow says it has secured 28 new conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are expected to bring in around 36,000 delegates. The events, all won since last April, could be worth £84 million to the city. Glasgow Convention Bureau worked jointly on the bids with the destination’s academic conference ambassadors. From Association Meetings International…
A new report names London the “intellectual capital” of the world. The study ranks destinations by the number of international association board members living in them. But the UK capital could attract more meetings by better “harnessing” its potential conference ambassadors. The report is from Iceberg partner GainingEdge. From Association Meetings International…
Almost all restrictions on events in England could be lifted by June 21st, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. Some may be permitted to go ahead with restricted capacities of up to 1,000 people or 50 percent attendance from May 17th. More pilot events will run with testing. From Conference News…
Since the start of the crisis, like many other venues around the world, the Scottish Event Campus has been supporting health services in the battle against COVID-19. The SEC’s Director of Operations Mark Laidlaw describes the collaboration involved in operating as a field hospital as the venue now looks to its future. From Boardroom…
The UK government has announced a timeline for reopening business events, with all sizes of meetings able to run from June 21st. But according to Meetings Industry Association Chief Executive Jane Longhurst, UK event professionals need to manage their expectations around the certainty of the date and the necessary conditions for it. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
An “ambitious” plan to create a carbon reduction target for the business events sector has been presented, with the intention of launching during COP26. Positive Impact Events, an Iceberg partner, is hoping to raise £30,000 for the project, to be delivered under UN Framework Convention on Climate Change auspices. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Scottish government is to provide further funding for its events industry as part of a new £104.3 million package split into nine separate funds. These include a Pivotal Event Businesses Fund and wider Event Industry Support Fund. Businesses can apply even if they have drawn on previous funding. From Conference & Meetings World…
Organisers hosting their meetings in Vienna through 2021 and 2022 will be covered by Austria’s government if there are COVID cancellations or restrictions. The protective umbrella has been welcomed by the Vienna Convention Bureau. Other markets either have similar schemes or else are campaigning for them. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
IMEX Frankfurt 2021, due to have been held at Messe Frankfurt this May, has been cancelled. The news follows the cancellation last year of IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America. Iceberg partner IMEX Group said the industry’s resurgence would arrive too late to organise a successful show. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The events industry is worth £70 billion annually to the UK economy in terms of visitor spend, over half of all tourism expenditure. £165 billion further of trade is transacted during business events. The Chief Executive of ICC Wales, Ian Edwards, profiles the UK business events industry’s current state of play. From Celtic Manor…
The CEO of Iceberg partner IMEX Group, Carina Bauer, has discussed the decision taken to cancel IMEX Frankfurt 2021. The early call, she said, was “to give everybody clarity”. Bauer also discussed what’s next for IMEX, including her hopes for IMEX America in November and the future of PlanetIMEX. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Events might have disappeared during the pandemic, but climate change hasn’t. We want to live in a world where events can take place, but also want to have a world to live in. Leading industry voices discuss sustainability, including two from Iceberg partners Global Destination Sustainability Movement and IMEX Group. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Meetings Show is the best platform in the UK for the events, meetings and incentives industry to come together to source, learn and network. Launched in 2013, the show welcomes exhibitors from the UK and around the world including hotels, luxury hotels, destinations, destination management companies, conference centres, venues and technology suppliers. In 2019 we saw…
COVID-19 SMART tests (Systematic Meaningful Asymptomatic Repeated Testing) were successfully used at the Livercool Conference 2020 for the first time. After mass testing of 90,000 Liverpool residents in early November, Liverpool City Council partnered with venue ACC Liverpool and Downtown in Business on the approach. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The global exhibition market size is likely to drop by $19.9 billion, with a total year-end contraction of about 69 percent. That’s according to the twelfth edition of market assessment Globex. By 2022, the report expects the global market to have bounced back to 78 percent of its 2019 size. From Exhibition World…
Ten well-known UK exhibition organisers have been describing their thought processes and plans for 2021. Several talked about how their teams had risen to the multiple challenges of keeping the lights on and their businesses ticking over. There was also real consensus of opinion about key learnings and outlook going forward. From Exhibition News…
Managing Editor at Iceberg partner Mash Media Paul Colston has been putting questions to Ray Bloom, the Chairman and Founder of the IMEX Group, also a partner. The pair talk PlanetIMEX, resilience, lobbying the politicians, the skills the team learnt during the crisis, and what is coming next for the group. From Exhibition World…
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…
During the pandemic meeting venues have already been used as field hospitals. Why shouldn’t the sector also play a role in rolling out of the coronavirus vaccine? It boasts exactly the right set of skills to help deliver such logistics at scale. So argues Julian Agostini, Managing Director at Iceberg partner Mash Media. From Exhibition World…
Gateshead Council’s planning committee has approved the development of a £260 million regeneration scheme which will create around 2,000 jobs in the North East of England region, and give a £60 million boost to the local economy each year. A conference and exhibition centre is part of the Gateshead Quays scheme. From Conference News…
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