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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…
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…
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…
Kai Hattendorf with a deep-dive into a sector he knows intimately, drawing out lessons that are of value to meeting professionals both within the trade show sector but also far more widely. Main takeaway: “Experiences, not Engines” drive success.
Guy Bigwood provides optimistic and pessimistic perspectives on potential impacts on the travel, tourism and events sectors of the EU’s latest strategic world overview. Missing from his analysis is the certainty that these geopolitical issues will generate huge demand for new sectoral meetings where their implications, risks, and potential solutions can be debated and analysed.
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath argues that the era of transactional venues selling rooms, tech and m2 is over, and sensitivity to the delegate experience is the key factor for future success: Over the past few years, I have witnessed something remarkable in the business events world: venues are no longer simply spaces where meetings take…
By Kai hattendorf, Global Business Events Industry Strategist: America’s reputation as a tourism and events hub is strained, with travel down, costs rising, and accessibility questioned. How can this be overcome, and what might happen next? Fees, access issues, and image concerns weigh on the country’s standing in the international meetings market…
James Lancaster, Editorial Director at Northstar Meetings Group, highlights how stricter immigration policies are increasingly affecting international conferences. Visa denials, particularly for delegates from the Global South, limit participation and make global collaboration more difficult, raising questions about inclusivity and the ability to address shared challenges effectively.
From GatheringPoint.news, by David Adler: The events industry is the vast ecosystem behind conventions, trade shows, conferences, festivals, and brand experiences—a powerful engine that moves people, money, and ideas. As offices went hybrid and remote, these gatherings absorbed the social, professional, and even romantic collisions that used to happen at work…
By Kai Hattendorf, Global Business Events Industry Strategist: I rarely report on single conference sessions, but recently in Singapore there was one that stood out to me, as it really showed the regional take on geopolitical developments. My take: The region is no longer waiting for Washington, as panelists shared their assesment that, while the…
David Adler raises important issues on the necessity of attending meetings with people who hold diverse perspectives, and the more important point that governments have a responsibility to encourage participation and to participate in such meetings themselves. International meetings shouldn’t become echo chambers if they are to educate their participants and identify solutions to problems.
From Skift Meetings: Dr. Steven G. Rogelberg says meetings are a bigger expense than IT when you add the cost of attendees’ time and salaries. So why is no one at the top in charge? Few corporations view meetings as a critical business function and there’s no one at the executive level who actually owns…
From GatheringPoint.news: For too long, the event industry has treated networking like a natural resource — abundant, automatic, and free. Put people in a room, offer wine, dim the lights, and wait for something to happen. Connection, we’ve assumed, is a given. It isn’t. And Freeman’s 2025 Networking Trends Report says so—finally and forcefully.
From Boardroom: Sven Bossu, CEO of AIPC, unpacks the complexities and challenges of advocacy within the meetings industry. Drawing from first-hand experience and real-world examples, he explores why a structured, consistent approach is essential to making the industry’s voice heard—especially at the policy level.
By Guy Bigwood, CEO and Chief Changemaker, GDS-Movement: As destination leaders, we pride ourselves on adapting to change, crafting strategies that serve and protect people and places. The newly released and excellent 2025 DestinationNEXT Futures Study, developed through consultation with 537 participants from 36 countries, offers inspiration but, also, a warning. There’s much to applaud…
From MIX – Asia’s Business Events Magazine: Emma Bowyer says events with purpose are here to stay with more delegates placing a high importance on leaving a beneficial mark on the communities they visit. EVENT MANAGEMENT is changing for the betterment of organisations, disciplines, professions, cities, countries and for the wider population…
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