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Gary Grimmer Talks GainingEdge, Sector Resilience and More

Gary Grimmer, the Executive Chairman of Iceberg partner GainingEdge, has been revisiting both his own career path through four convention bureaux, plus the journey of his consultancy from its early days through to navigating the COVID-19 crisis. In this interview he also talks through the GainingEdge report “Leveraging Intellectual Capitals”. From Conference & Meetings World…

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Vienna Waits for You: Conference Supports Elderly Bakers’ Café

Jaimé Bennett, PCMA’s Regional Director of EMEA, was taken on a tour during her site visit to Vienna earlier this year. The aim was to find places Convening EMEA participants could explore during the meeting. One was a café which helps older residents augment their pensions and social lives through baking. From PCMA…

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Tips on Keeping Cool: How Meeting Planners Deal with Heatwaves

The UK has experienced red weather warnings and unprecedented high temperatures of late, with services shut down and events postponed. Europe and the United States have also suffered. Liz Taylor, the CEO of event management firm the Taylor Lynn Corporation, has sweated over the best solutions to keep delegates cool. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Roe v. Wade: Making Event Site Selection Political Decisions

On the back of a flash survey, Editor James Lancaster talks with Loren Edelstein, VP Content Director at Northstar Meetings Group, about how the US Supreme Court’s about turn on Roe v. Wade could inflence where international associations meet, and whether organisations should be being political about site selection. Photo: Ted Eytan. From Association Meetings International…

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Sarawak’s Tourism Minister Discusses Legacy Strategy

Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts, the Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, has been discussing the Malaysian state’s approach to recovery and its strategy of promoting business event legacy creation. Subjects covered include ventures with Iceberg partners GDS-Index and ICCA. From Boardroom…

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Meeting Technology: What an Investment Downturn Means

There are signs the event tech goldrush is already over. How quickly organisers harness the potential of online meetings will determine the size of any returns in future. William Thomson, Founder of Gallus Events and Practically Perfect PA, examines how the sector is now facing something of a reckoning. From Association Meetings International…

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Gen Z Renews the Call: The Imperative to Hold Regenerative Events

There is a huge disconnect between “sustainability” and what it will take for real change. Generation Z is passionate about reversing the climate crisis through individual means. This shift of mindset was also the topic of a past report for business events, The Regenerative Revolution, published by Iceberg partner IMEX Group and Marriott International. From PCMA…

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Chemical Reaction: Science Conferences After the Pandemic

PCMA Editor-in-Chief Michelle Russell drew our attention to this discussion of how the model of scientific conference should be changing in the wake of the pandemic. It contains a fantastic example of serendipitous legacy, a chance meeting at a conference in Puerto Rico leading to some Nobel prize-winning CRISPR gene editing. From Chemistry World…

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COP26: A Watershed Moment Both for the World and Sector

It is hard to think of a conference with higher stakes than the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties. As well as the future of the entire planet, it also could define that of business events. Net Zero Carbon Events from JMIC, and Iceberg partner Positive Impact, played their part. From PCMA…

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Requiring Vaccination: Everything Organisers Need to Know (US)

With ongoing cases of COVID-19, full federal approval of the Pfizer vaccine, and new federal vaccine mandates covering workers, more associations are considering adding a vaccine mandate to their in person events. Here’s what organisers need to know about legal considerations, about verifying vaccination, as well as about state mandate bans. From Associations Now…

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With Delta Cases Rising, Vaccination Mandates Gain Ground

When a US academic recently asked on Twitter whether our professional organisations should have vaccine and mask requirements at their on site meetings this autumn, the result was unexpectedly definitive. It also sets the stage for a challenging few months ahead, for the organisations, for destination local authorities, and also for attendees. From PCMA…

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UFI’s Global Congress Hears Keynote Speaker Gloria Guevara Manzo

A live keynote was given at the 87th Global Congress of Iceberg partner UFI by the President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council Gloria Guevara Manzo. Her address presented WTCC research, outlined WTCC efforts to jumpstart recovery, and offered key learnings from past crises that relate to the current pandemic. From UFI…

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Fighting Zoom Fatigue: Taking Your Meeting Out on the Tiles

The Netherlands Tourism Board recently hosted a meeting called “Dis-Connect”. Association, venue and destination professionals joined a virtual workshop staged live at the museum of the Royal Delft pottery factory. They painted white tiles with blue paint in the style of the famous “Delftware” produced in the town since the 17th century. From PCMA…

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RNC 2020: Three Key Takeaways from the Online Convention

2020’s RNC (Republican National Convention) offered event industry strategists another opportunity to see how organisers of a high-stakes, big-budget meeting can answer the challenges of capturing audience attention and engagement during the pandemic, still getting criticism over their choice of venues and lack of social distancing. From PCMA…

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