The creation of ISO’s first dedicated Technical Committee on Events is an important step forwards for not only the exhibitions industry but for all event types. Chris Skeith OBE explains why global standards matter, not just for organisers and venues, but for governments, destinations, and the millions of people who experience events worldwide.
Business Events advocacy veteran Rod Cameron eloquently sets out the arguments why our sector shouldn’t let the “overtourism crisis” go to waste. Business, professional and scientific events need to be clearly differentiated from leisure tourism, when communicating with the public as well as with policymakers, and now is the perfect time to do this: There…
In a world where sustainability and the climate crisis will be ever-higher on the agenda, business events organisers are certain to face growing calls to demonstrate why and how their activities help reduce overall carbon emissions, to justify the carbon-cost of their attendees’ travel. This is a great early example of taking an evidence-led approach…
NZCE has released the first full report on the period July 2023 to January 2025, comprising statistical input from 144 companies and organisations, with examples of external communication to policymakers and the general public about progress towards net zero. Useful data and examples for business events organisations wishing to improve sustainability strategy and related communication.
This report confirms the necessity of a new boardroom and senior management focus on the geopolitical environment, and analysis and management of related risks and opportunities. Many recommendations can be applied to organisations’ international meetings strategies, e.g. qualifying value at stake, honing narratives and strategic offerings, optimising engagement, and investing in new capabilities. From McKinsey…
The Events Industry Council’s latest report show measurable progress compared to earlier in the year, with global RFP activity reaching pre-pandemic benchmarks and hotel group room nights continuing to move closer to 2019 levels. However, the report also points to uneven regional recovery and persistent headwinds from slower global growth and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.
The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) unveiled the 2025 Incentive Travel Index (ITI) at IMEX America. Produced with research partner Oxford Economics, the eighth edition offers a panoramic global view of incentive travel today and tomorrow, based on insights from 2,700 professionals across 85 countries.
Sally Beerworth and Caroline Fleming from Good Talent Media share best practices on how organisations can move from reactive to proactive advocacy, to turn good ideas into impactful influence: For associations and not-for-profits, advocacy isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s essential to delivering on our mission. These days, making your voice heard feels like shouting…
The editors at Nature Mircobiology outline why they attended 27 scientific conferences last year. In short, it’s for virtually the same reasons as the researchers, students, speakers, technologists and professors who make up the rest of their attendee ecosystem! A great summary of why conferences are so vital for everyone in the scientific community.
Despite continuing geopolitical uncertainty, meeting planner optimism continues to trend upward, although 2026 expectations have softened slightly for both meeting volume and attendance. Download the free report for exclusive data, region-by-region breakdowns, and deeper insights into the global events industry. From M&C Asia…
Meetings International’s Roger Kellerman laments the failure of so many countries’ national governments to adopt transformative event strategies, and suggests a few actions the events sector can take to help solve this problem: If a country creates a strategy for events and major sports championships, only to never actually implement it, this inverted power move…
Industry guru Gary Grimmer on the need for a new acronym to effectively communicate the true USP of business and professional events: Leveraging International Networks and Knowledge. From Meetings International: Over the years, it has been common to hear association leaders, meeting planners, and people from convention bureaux, venues, and PCOs say that collectively, we…
David Adler argues that participation is the USP that has driven the value and impact of events from time immemorial, and that new technologies that fail to unlock meaningful participation will fail whilst those that widen and deepen interactivity will thrive. From GatheringPoint.news…
The impact and value of business events won’t be maximised by cutting and pasting past models. For the sector to enjoy long-term success, inspiration and innovation need to be drawn from every potential source. From M&C/Asia: Event designers wanting to leave an impression on attendees can learn a thing or two from creators across industries…
From AMI: The campaign will throw a spotlight on how IAPCO members can help associations through governance support, driving advocacy, and creating outcomes that matter. Martin Boyle, CEO of IAPCO, said: “Associations deserve the highest standards and IAPCO accreditation is that guarantee. From strategic guidance and content curation to logistical precision and compliance expertise…
For all those confused about the roles and aspirations of the umbrella organisations that aim to provide global leadership for our industry (and our Alphabet Soup of business event associations!), Kai Hattendorf’s article is a must-read: Global Meetings Industry Day to move from US Travel Association to EIC—an alignment, or a strategic power play?
Skift Meetings Editor-in-Chief Miguel Neves dissects key factors driving corporate trust in the power of events to unlock business value in ways that are inaccessible to other channels and tools: Brands are making bold experiential moves, and the events industry stands to benefit — if it delivers on the promise of meaningful experiences…
The 2025 GDS-Index Report marks a decade of progress as destinations worldwide accelerate climate action and sustainability efforts, and reveals a 31% increase in average performance across all participating destinations since the programme began. This year’s theme, Shifting Tides, reflects a period of global transition during which destinations demonstrate remarkable resilience and accelerated action.
This Meetings International report is packed with thought-leadership articles on issues such as using Futurist techniques, implementing augmented analytics, the future role within Business Events strategies for Science Parks and Business Incubators, restating our industry’s value proposition via a catchy(?) new acronym, and how destinations are using events to reinvent their branding and market competitiveness.
Kai Hattendorf draws some worrying conclusions from his analysis of a high-level survey and White Paper on corporate meetings by ELX. Event teams want to act strategically, but without robust measurement, executive buy-in, or visible impact, they remain internal service providers, unable to unlock their events’ enormous full potential.
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