In an effort to kickstart the market, associations and prominent leaders in the sector have joined together to create and support UKickstart Event 2020 in September. The multi-hub free-to-attend live and virtual event is the first big national face-to-face gathering of meeting professionals since lockdown. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
A campaign to restore confidence in UK events and experiences across all sectors has now raised £30,000 for PR. Further support is needed, and the organisers are calling on more businesses to get involved. The aim is to raise awareness in the general public and national media about the industry. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
To have international association meetings looking anything like they did before COVID-19, either of two things must happen: enough host countries push their daily case rate down to nearly zero so overseas delegations become possible, or else science comes to the rescue with a vaccine or treatment(s). From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
The complete global shutdown of in person meetings has meant many are now getting out of the habit. Non-Executive Director with BCD M&E and the Exclusive Collection David Taylor offers an account of his first face-to-face meeting since the imposition of lockdown, which he says (spoiler alert!) “felt good”. From Association Meetings International…
A combined group of members from the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association Event Venues (AEV) and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA), led by the associations, has launched the All Secure Standard, a risk assessment based framework of COVID-19 secure industry best practice and guidance for business events and consumer shows which…
Funding of £10 million has been offered by Scotland’s Government to help the events sector recover from the pandemic, as a result of £97 million of funding being made available by the UK’s Government. Businesses which have not yet been able to access previous mechanisms of support will be prioritised. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Venue managers across the UK have welcomed the announcement that business events are to resume this autumn, subject to the successful outcome of pilot events. The ACC Liverpool Group, ExCeL London and the NEC in Birmingham are among those responding. From Association Meetings International…
The UK meetings industry is now launching a campaign to boost confidence in the sector and to prove its worth to the country. Smyle’s Rick Stainton and BVEP Chair Simon Hughes are leading the drive to embed trust in the industry’s safety approach. They are calling for contributions. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said conferences and exhibitions in the country will be permitted from October 1st. The PM announced that the decision would depend on data and that local authorities would have powers to close events if there was a danger to the public. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
The modern PA, VA and EA are at the epicentre of the companies and industries they serve. Long gone are the days of limited power and influence, the modern assistant carries strong responsibilities and has a powerful place as the backbone of their company. The PA Show exists to support an incredible number of talented…
EPS will now take place outdoors with marquees at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre. EPS is the longest-running event designed for all event professionals involved in running outdoor events; including festivals, sporting events, corporate and brand experiences, local authority events and stadium/arena tours. The Event Production Show was created to support the live events community…
Come and join us for the best attended and most loved events industry showcase! It’s a tough time for our industry and we will certainly have some mountains to climb post COVID-19, it will be more important than ever that we unite for 2 days of knowledge sharing, networking and inspiration. Discover over 300 event,…
Martin Sirk is International Advisor for Iceberg partner GAH (Global Association Hubs). In a sharp reality check for the business events sector, he warns that successful reopening relies on a much wider containment of the pandemic than the industry on its own can ever achieve. The economy and health are not zero-sum trade-offs or parallel-track…
The UK’s Conservative Party will be hosting its annual conference at Birmingham in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The event has alternated between ICC Birmingham and Manchester Central since 2008. Both used to be Labour heartlands, which shows the legacies that come from targeting a specific destination. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
In the UK many industry associations have produced their own COVID-19 safety guidelines. While a measure showing initiative and real thirst to restart, this has caused confusion among planners over which label to seek out. List compiled before the Government-approved All Secure Standard was launched. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
After months of lockdown, many countries are just now gradually reopening events. This is not just countries that have suppressed the pandemic, but also many where the situation remains uncertain during a second wave of cases. So how do events look in a COVID-19 world? From Rod Kamleshwaran of the Iceberg partner GainingEdge via LinkedIn…
COVID-19 has forced a rethinking of travel. Many conferences have been cancelled. Some have gone virtual. This analysis looks at actions that might reduce conference travel emissions by up to 90 percent, including holding a conference biennially in accessible locations, plus having both regional hubs and more virtual events. From Nature…
A new starting point for exhibitions is here… Recognition and celebration is what we all need right now, but the awards signifies something much more important, it will give us a template and new starting point in which we can kick start awards in a face-to-face environment and not just with confidence but with style!…
The owners of ICC Wales and Celtic Manor Resort are to be cutting staff by almost half due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Celtic Collection, which owns both the Newport conference centre and hotel, has said 450 of its 995 staff are to leave, the financial model not now being sustainable. From Association Meetings International…
The Scottish Event Campus has secured new conference business during lockdown in partnership with Glasgow Convention Bureau and the city’s academic institutions. The business won amounts to 189,944 participant days for the city and will bring £144 million into Glasgow’s economy. From Association Meetings International…
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