Opinions

  • Category

  • Sector

  • Host Destinations

Found 414 Opinions

Viewing all Opinions

Technology: Changing the Way the Meetings Industry Meets

Meeting venues are facing increasing event acquisition, property and staff costs and competition from new venues. Planners are having to reconcile rising venue and travel costs with their flat budgets. Both groups are embracing technology in solving these challenges. Carl Law is a Development Manager at Capita Travel and Events. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

Read More

The London Bridge Terror Attack: The Lessons Are Complex

The London Bridge terror attack has had special resonance for meeting planners. It began during an event at Fishmongers’ Hall, which already stood in the shadow of increased security measures introduced after the previous 2017 attack. But lessons for the industry are complex. Photo: ChiralJon. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…  

Read More

Five Trends to Watch During 2020 Across Exhibitions and Events

2019 is drawing to a close. As we enter a new decade, the world now seems less stable and facing further disruption. Global association of the exhibition industry, UFI, has as per every year been tracking sector developments around the world. Here are five key trends the Iceberg partner has noted. From Kai Hattendorf via LinkedIn…

Read More

Meetings Sustainability: A Technology Provider on Association Events

The trend of making meetings more sustainable is growing. Momentum is gaining pace, and not just in terms of recycling and reducing wastage. Director of Marketing, Europe at Cvent, Judy Elvey, discusses how associations are now integrating sustainability more and more into meetings. She also mentions work with Iceberg partner Positive Impact. From Boardroom…

Read More

One Young World: Meat-Free Meeting for the Next Generation

In October the One Young World Global Summit came to London collecting together trailblazers including HRH The Duchess of Sussex. With sustainability at the core of the event, organisers asked venue partners for wholly meat-free menus. With over 3,600 delegates attending, meat-free meeting was no mean feat. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

Read More

ICC Wales: Big Parallel Room, Natural Daylight and No Soft Opening

England and Scotland have many established convention centres, but finding a home for one in Wales was problematic until Celtic Manor went fifty-fifty with the Welsh government on the £83 million ICC Wales. CEO Ian Edwards runs through the long consultation process that decided what the new venue should be. From Association Meetings International…

Read More

Panels Not Manels VIII: Shoptalk 2020 Opts to Feature Only Women

Retail conference Shoptalk has just announced that its next conference, to be held in Las Vegas next March, will feature an all-women speaker lineup, including both the track sessions and main stage keynotes. The decision has been applauded as a bold move, but is not uniformly seen as a good idea. From PCMA…

Read More

Battersea Power Station Sparks Back to Life as Event Space

Battersea Power Station has been a London landmark since 1933 when station A was completed and began producing electricity. Shut down in 1983, the facility is now undergoing regeneration, which will create new event spaces for organisers to hire: Generator Hall, Control Room A and three others. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

Read More

Incentives Core Market for Macau’s Galaxy International CC

Opening in 2021, Macau’s Galaxy International Convention Centre is aiming for the title of Asia’s most technologically advanced venue. Galaxy’s Director of Operations Development, Scott Kreeger, has been speaking about the facility at IBTM World in Barcelona, and says incentives will be one of its core markets. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

Read More

“Incredibly Exciting” as Te Pae Christchurch Nears Launch

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is set to open for its first conference in just under a year. The New Zealand College of Midwives’ 16th Biennial National Conference will launch the venue next October. This will be shortly followed by the International Association of Ecology 11th International Wetlands Conference. From AIME…

Read More

Accessibility: Barriers Still to Overcome for Disabled Delegates

“The majority of disabled people don’t travel to conferences because they expect their needs will not be met”. So says Alan Broadbent, an accessibility writer and consultant to the events industry. Three examples of inclusivity, a venue (ICC Wales), a meeting (Glasgow’s IASSIDD World Congress) and a city (Dubai), are analysed. From Association Meetings International…

Read More

The Inaugural Africa Association Summit Staged in Nairobi

Over 100 association executives from seven African countries have just gathered in the Kenyan capital Nairobi for the inaugural Africa Association Summit (AAS1). The two-day event was run by the African Society of Association Executives, in partnership with the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. AfSAE President Jeffers Miruka reports. From Boardroom…

Read More

New Luxembourg CVB Looks to Double Major Meetings by 2024

Business Events Luxembourg was created at the end of 2018 by the Ministry of the Economy of the Grand Duchy and the City of Luxembourg. It is the convention bureau for a destination striving to attract meetings in the government defined key sectors for economic growth: automobility, ICT, space, cleantech and life sciences. From Boardroom…

Read More

First Plant Based World Conference & Expo Lays Down Roots

The trend toward plant-based diets has made headlines recently, and this June the first Plant Based World Conference & Expo launched at the Javits Center in New York City. The inaugural event welcomed 3,737 attendees, including professionals from retail, specialty restaurant and food service, healthcare and distributors. From PCMA…

Read More

Food Waste, the Events Industry and Feeding the Planet: Part II

One of the biggest takeaways from the World Wildlife Fund’s research into ending food waste occurring in commercial kitchens was the need to clearly better communicate with meeting planners about the multiple ways in which they can reduce food waste. So says Monica McBride of WWF, who lists some approaches to follow. From PCMA…

Read More

Food Waste, the Events Industry and Feeding the Planet: Part I

It’s clear that food production and consumption needs to change, and radically, to safeguard the planet and feed a growing population. The best place to start for the business events industry is with food waste, and now the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been working on food conservation in convention centre kitchens and hotels. From PCMA…

Read More