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Seafood and Toys: Trade Fair Trade War Tariff Troubles

More than 90 percent of US eaten seafood is imported, and about 40 percent of 25,000 attendees at Seafood Expo North America also attend from abroad. Since tariffs imposed on goods imported from China and other countries have taken effect, some regular exhibitors have cut back on space they’re purchasing for March 2019. From PCMA…

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Convention Centres: The Legacy of Action on Homelessness

Most convention centres are publicly owned, so local laws are framed to allow community access. When it comes to the homeless this can present challenges. But being public institutions, venues can also play an active role in assisting the homeless. The International Association of Venue Managers offers nineteen amazing cases in point. From PCMA Convene…

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The Watkins Report: City Rankings from Meetings Professionals

The Watkins Report for US and Canadian convention bureaux is published biennially, and Curt Watkins of Watkins Research has been conducting the study for the past 25 years. Here he shares his perspective on how the features planners are seeking in their host destinations have changed over recent decades. From PCMA Convene…

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Corporations: More Events, Measurement Still a Problem

A new Harvard Business Review report called “The Event Marketing Evolution” (already available in The Iceberg’s Research section) shows that more than half of corporations place more value on face-to-face than other marketing channels, and have upped their event activity. Yet they still struggle to quantify return on investment. From PCMA Convene…

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Convention Centres: Across the US, 16 Projects Underway

As the exhibition industry continues to grow, more US destinations are upgrading or expanding convention centres. Some projects are at the planning stage, like the Los Angeles Convention Center. Some are underway, like at the new Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. Some are complete, like the Kentucky International Convention Center. Here’s a roundup. From TSNN…

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Looking Beyond the Tiers: Affordable Destinations

Tier 1 cities have much to offer meeting groups in terms of their connectivity and facilities. But all that bang takes a lot of buck. To make a big impact on a smaller budget, meeting planners should consider small and mid-sized cities. So how do you find big-city appeal in an affordable destination? From Successful Meetings…

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Convention Centres: How the City Benefits

A $1.5 billion expansion of Manhattan’s Jacob K. Javits Center is underway. The Las Vegas Convention Center is getting $1.4 billion, the Moscone in San Francisco $500 million, the Orange County Convention Center in Florida around $500 million, and the Miami Beach Convention Center $620 million. But how are decisions behind these projects made? From Successful Meetings…

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No Pressure for a PCO: World Peace v. Fire and Fury

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may have met North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, but we now know that President Trump’s face-to-face with the Supreme Leader on June 12th won’t take place. Before it was officially cancelled, one Iceberg partner pondered the pressures for organisers of such meetings. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Amazon: Is Not Speaking Smart?

Amazon’s smart speakers like the Echo and Echo Dot may be always listening. But the company itself has very firm ideas about how meetings are run, and they begin with up to thirty minutes of silence. Is the business that made Jeff Bezos the world’s wealthiest man onto something? From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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The US: Extending an Antisocial Welcome?

Proposed Trump administration legislation, if approved next month, will require most US visa applicants to relinquish all their social media identities from the previous five years. Convention bureaux across the country have already reacted, but what will the move mean for visiting international delegates? From editor’s blog at Assocation Meetings International…

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The US Events Industry Gender Pay Gap

In the US April 10th is Equal Pay Day. The date chosen reinforces a point. It takes women nearly four months longer to catch up to a man’s annual salary. Last year Convene’s Annual Salary Survey reported that female respondents earned 22 percent less than male respondents. This year’s survey has now closed. From PCMA Convene…

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US Independent Planners React to Hilton Commission Cut

The decision of Marriott International to reduce group-intermediary commission rates has already made a major impact on the North American independent planners, many of whom have business models built entirely around commission. Now Hilton is doing the same. What will this mean for both the planners and the wider industry? Photo: Daderot. From Meetings & Conventions…

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Science Under Threat: Expert Evidence

In October three presentations by US Environmental Protection Agency scientists were pulled from a workshop in Rhode Island. The presenters had contributed to a report citing climate change as a threat. As fewer government scientists attend conferences and with uncertainty over international travel to the US, three experts weigh in. From PCMA Convene…

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Attending Conferences Doubles Promotion Chances

What makes a good conference? Pádraic Gilligan picks again over the recent SITE + MPI Global Forum in Rome. But he reaches the Eternal City via a Harvard Business Review article about US women’s networking events, and research revealing that those attending were twice as likely to be promoted within a year than the no-shows. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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Marriott Commission Cut: Independent Planners React

Marriott International is cutting to seven percent the standard ten percent commission paid to group intermediaries in the US and Canada. The move prompted fierce reaction from the industry, much collated above in News. But Iceberg partner Northstar has also filmed video interviews with organisers at its Independent Planner Education Conference. From Meetings & Conventions…

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Recognition and Reward: A Targeted Approach

Picking the right motivation for an employee to meet or exceed their target itself requires a targeted approach: understanding who wants what in an incentive. It also means putting reward and recognition right at the heart of attracting and retaining top talent. The Learning Experience and American Fidelity Assurance discuss strategy. From Chief Executive…

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