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With a scientific consensus that we are already in a full-blown climate crisis, events are under widespread scrutiny for environmental impact. So are meetings now in a state of emergency? German Convention Bureau Director Matthias Schultze, UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf and Iceberg Founder James Latham are among the sector voices canvassed. From EventMB…
As Sherrif Karamat, President and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association explains, PCMA and the PCMA Foundation have set a goal of raising at least $250,000 to help those affected by the recent bushfires in Australia and earthquakes in Puerto Rico. The first $50,000 is already committed. From PCMA…
Last December Mariela McIlwraith, Director of Industry Advancement at the Events Industry Council, went to the UN Climate Conference COP25 in Madrid. There she took part in a panel discussion on the role of the meetings sector in bringing people together to act on climate. From the Events Industry Council…
Events always mirror society, and major trends like globalisation have transformed the meetings sector in recent years. At the dawn of a new decade, German Convention Bureau MD Matthias Schultze looks at which trends we should follow, including sustainability and new borderless multisite meeting formats. From Matthias Schultze via LinkedIn…
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…
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…
Mubarak Al Shamsi, Director of the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, has been speaking about the emirate’s Economic Vision 2030, and the part played in it by business events. New infrastructure includes Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company’s The Hive, and its 80-seat auditorium The Collaboratorium. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Convening Leaders, the flagship event of PCMA (the Professional Convention Management Association), is taking place in January at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Setting out the agenda and stage for this major industry meet, PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat explains how debate has shifted towards the outcomes and impact created by the sector. From PCMA…
Cities with a “business-friendly” environment for international associations will find more of them opening offices, including regional headquarters, within their vicinity. So says Martin Sirk, International Adviser of Iceberg partner GAHP, the Global Association Hubs Partnership. New data on association office locations backs up the claim. From Association Meetings International…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2019 has just run at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. In a session on business events, Lance Gibbons, the Publisher of Iceberg partner Event Africa, headed up a discussion on the importance of the sector. Also contributing was Jeffers Miruka, President of African Society of Association Executives. From the Event…
Jeremy Rees, ExCeL London CEO, has been revealing his plans for the future of the venue. Topics covered include measuring event success, budgets, safety, changes inside the industry, and the sector’s wider recognition. Ahead of Sibos, the centre upgraded its W-Fi, and also installed a living wall of more than 9,500 plants (see picture). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
During August, Iceberg partner Positive Impact conducted a survey of event industry commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Over 7,000 pledges from 58 countries were received, like using only plant-based food to reduce carbon footprint. In a video from outside UN HQ in New York, CEO Fiona Pelham explains. From Positive Impact via YouTube…
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