The Iceberg, presented by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), exists to enable its Partners & Ambassadors to advocate the transformative socio-economic and societal impacts generated by business and professional events . The Tip of The Iceberg: A Visitor Economy Great work by the Events Industry Council (EIC), in partnership with Oxford Economics, has quantified…
AIPC is strongly recommending that its congress centre members and other business events organisations should study and apply the recommendations in the World Economic Forum’s 2005 report, “The Cyber Resilience Compass”. Drawing on over 100 experts across industries, the paper distills real-world lessons on how to anticipate risks, strengthen collaboration, and transform cyber awareness into…
Dr Mike Duigan from the Centre for Events & Festivals clarifies how two very different but equally powerful conceptual frameworks – Theory of Change and Field Configuring Events – can be used in tandem to generate practical, lasting transformation, both in host destinations and more generally in service of the event-owning organisation’s mission.
There are plenty of thought-provoking insights and useful lessons for Business Events professionals from the parallel universe of music, culture and the creative economy, in this White Paper style report produced by specialist agency Sound Diplomacy.
Destination leaders recently gathered in California as Destinations International shared new research and resources for destination organisations to strengthen reputation, advocacy, and long-term success. This included The Advocacy Leadership Imperative, produced with MMGY NextFactor and supported by the DI Foundation, outlining a model for destination advocacy that embeds it across governance, strategy, and performance.
Padraic Gilligan considers the implications of the intangibility of key assets that make our industry. When business models rely on events which exist briefly, with no guarantees of future revenue, and on the intellectual and experiential capital of staff who could leave tomorrow, how can accountants and venture capitalists place a value on such businesses?
David Adler profiles one of the individuals who have done the most to shape the modern entrepreneurial trade show sector, and in doing so defines essential, universal leadership attributes for success, but also advocates for the importance of having societally valuable personal objectives in such a profit-centric ecosystem. From GatheringPoint.news…
Hip replacements in Africa, domestic violence abatement in Mongolia, autism inclusivity, First People’s engagement, public health structural transformation – the wide-ranging case studies highlighted in this Boardroom article have one thing in common: a shift from “recognising” the impact of events, to partnerships between organisers and destinations that proactively plan for positive outcomes and long-term…
Association-Destination-Matching platfom Conferli has conducted in-depth research that obtained data on subvention policies and practices at 115 destinations worldwide, revealing wide variations in decision-making, scale of financial support, and regional utilisation. Over 90% of respondents agreed with the prompt that subventions could be used to drive forward sustainability and destination legacy objectives, yet only 6%…
“We have many of the necessary puzzle pieces… but need a much stronger mid to long-term positioning for our industry.” Industry thought-leader Kai Hattendorf argues that the Business and Professional Events sector has thus far failed to present itself as a genuine industry, and has been only intermittently successful in communicating the full spectrum of…
Skifts’s third annual summit for CEOs and thought-leaders in the Business Events Sector tackled some of our industry’s toughest issues. Their key findings are essential reading for all those who want to understand the ways and unprecedented speed with which our sector is evolving, and the future challenges that are heading in our direction.
IPVC won the Incredible Impacts Programme Seed Grant for its advocacy and engagement programmes at IPVC 2024 in Edinburgh, resulting in a nationwide HPV information hub reaching thousands of people across Scotland, involving over 1,200 students in educational workshops, and embedding HPV education into numerous academic and community programmes. Now this initiative will extend into…
Prof Mike Duignan, Founder & Chair of the Centre for Events & Festivals, argues that it’s essential to bring together the very best academic practitioners and rigorous studies with top practitioners who deeply understand the workings of the market, if we are to really gain the necessary depth of understanding to move our sector to…
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…
Powered by 
