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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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Are Men the Solution to the Gender Pay Gap?

As UK firms must now submit gender pay gap data, it is clear that women working at large event agencies are on average paid less than men. But gender pay gaps and staffing makeup are separate issues. If there are still more men at the top, is this for men to address? From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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The New Approach Required for True Equality

The events industry has a significant female workforce, yet only 27 percent of women at CEO or MD level. So there’s some catching up to do. For International Women’s Day, Director of Venues at RIBA Moya Maxwell discusses where we are, where we’re going and what needs to change. From editor’s blog at Meepie.com…

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Frances McDormand’s Speech: A Legacy for Meetings?

In her Oscar acceptance speech, actress Frances McDormand finished with two words: “inclusion rider”. The notion that an actor can contractually insist a film’s cast and crew meet a certain level of diversity was first floated at a conference. If inclusion riders become standard in Hollywood, might they also for event speakers? From PCMA Convene…

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Hurricane Maria and the Puerto Rico Convention Center

Only a few weeks ago the Puerto Rico Convention Center was still the main headquarters of the area’s emergency response effort after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. The venue’s General Manager Jorge Perez looks back at how his facility was commandeered by both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and by local officials. From Successful Meetings…

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Keeping Events Safe and Secure: Ten Tips

In an age of terror attacks, natural disasters and political dissent, event safety and security is at the forefront of every planner’s thinking. But how do you deliver for delegates an environment that is as risk-free as possible? Here are ten tips to keep your meetings safe and secure. From Event Marketer magazine…

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22 Days: GRB Houston During Harvey

It was 2017’s most memorable meetings industry picture story: the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston repurposed as a mega-shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Over 22 days, the venue became a temporary home to over 10,000 evacuees. Chief Operating Officer Luther Villagomez relives an operation the sector won’t quickly forget. From PCMA Convene…

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Convention Centres: The Gateway to What Lies Beyond

Today convention centres have to take a broader approach to the meetings sector, offering organisers a gateway to the cities and regions in which they are located. Some are effectively convention bureaux in their own right. Just how the role of major venues is changing is revealed across the thriving Australian scene. From CIM News Magazine…

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Giving Back During Thanksgiving

The holiday season is a time we should all be thinking about those less fortunate than ourselves. So what better story now to tell than the charitable legacies offered by several major US convention centres during Thanksgiving… the last time that turkey was on the menu? Go and do likewise. From PCMA…

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The Unanswered Questions on Social Media

Pádraic Gilligan of Iceberg partner SoolNua is a expert in social media and its usage across the meetings industry. He often presents on the subject and did so with colleague Aoife McCrum at the recent IBTM World in Barcelona. He continues the session here with the audience’s Sli.do feedback. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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Food for Thought: One Third of Venues Offer “Brain Foods”

Today’s attendees want healthier food that improves mental focus and concentration. That’s according to an IACC report “Trends in Nutrition & Delegate Wellbeing”. “Brain foods” are on the rise, with over a third of survey venues offering them. 75 percent either currently offer basic nutritional information in their menus or plan to. From CIM News Magazine…

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Fresh Thinking on Food

With edible legacy stories elsewhere on The Iceberg – the San Diego Convention Center (Features) and the ICC Sydney (JMIC Case Studies and here) – please tuck into some fresh thinking on meetings food and beverage. The sharing trend, interactivity, using dieticians, accommodating dietary requirements… all palates are catered for. From CIM News Magazine…

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AIPC Research Creates a Roadmap for Industry Advocacy

A roadmap for industry advocacy has emerged from a piece of research conducted by AIPC, the International Association of Convention Centres. The AIPC Local Resident’s Survey targets three cities where the impact of visitor traffic is considered an issue: Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam. An advisory from Rod Cameron, Executive Director, AIPC and the Joint Meetings Industry Council…

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Shaun Hinds on Manchester Central’s Next Ten Years

Manchester Central is now celebrating ten years since becoming an exhibition and conference centre. The venue’s new CEO Shaun Hinds has clear views on its next decade, in terms of industry disruption, the evolution of meetings and events, extending the conference experience beyond the event itself, and in the use of technology. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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