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AIPC 2018: How the Global Affects the Local

Iceberg partner AIPC, the international association of congress centres, represents more than 185 venues in 60 countries. The AIPC Annual Congress fosters excellence in every aspect of centre management, and the 2018 event at ExCeL London saw about 250 delegates tackling the theme of “Strategies for a Changing World!”. From Boardroom…

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Transforming Events: Seven Fears to Face

Fear has been described by the acronym False Expectations Appearing Real. Change is often accompanied by it, so here’s a look at seven fears that come up with big changes to meetings, conferences and trade shows. Can we can flip those fears around and think about transformation in a whole new light? From PCMA Convene…

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Desert Island Discs and the Conference Castaway

Dr Sue Black is a British computer scientist, academic and social entrepreneur. She also helped save the World War II codebreaking site Bletchley Park from falling into ruin. Recently Black was interviewed on a famous BBC radio programme, and told an interesting story of gender and the power of conferences. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Indianapolis: An Eventful MPI World Education Congress 2018

Meetings Professionals International’s World Education Congress has just concluded in Indianapolis, having welcomed around 2,200 attendees. Since WEC 2017 MPI had totally reimagined the event, and the 2018 running was certainly eventful, even to the extent of a Sudanese-Australian speaker being unable to attend because of a US visa waiver refusal. From Meetings & Conventions…

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Copenhagen: Evaluating Academic Conferences

During IMEX, Copenhagen described the image problem academia is facing: endless conference invitations alongside carbon footprint concerns and straining public budgets. Industrial PhD student Thomas Trøst Hansen has been researching how delegate academics work and receive recognition through the value chain used as a basis for evaluating academic events. From Boardroom…

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Fam Trips: The Case for Upper and Lower

While The Iceberg prefers to write “familiarisation trips”, the rest of the industry seems to stick with the shorter “fam trips”, or sometimes the capital “FAM trips”. Which should be considered correct? One of our more particular partners places the use of that shift key under the microscope. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Child’s Play II: A World Economic Forum Legacy

The Iceberg has previously covered the legacy created by Calgary for the International Play Association World Conference. Now delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, have also taken time out to talk about play. Unilever, LEGO Foundation and IKEA Group founded the Real Play Coalition in partnership with National Geographic. From PCMA Convene…

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Medical Conferences in the Modern Age

National medical associations hold conventions yearly, while international ones are held every two to four years. But educational timeframes have utterly changed in the digital age. So what will happen to the traditional convention model, and its role in medical professional education? Neurosurgery Professor Antonio A.F. De Salles asks whether conventions will become digital. From Boardroom…

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Child’s Play: Creating a Legacy

The International Play Association supports “every child’s right to play and to promote healthy, high-quality play opportunities and environments”. When the manager of recreation for the north and east region of the City of Calgary was approached to host its world conference, her boss said “I want to do something that’s meaningful”. From Boardroom…

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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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SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018: A Roman Romance

Meetings are always about human contact and interaction, but delegates should also find time to enjoy their destination. At the recent SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018 in Rome, attendees were spoiled by the city’s classical and Renaissance heritage, and also by the facilities and venues hosting the event. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018: All Roads Lead to Rome

The Eternal City recently became the Eventprofs City for a weekend as the SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018 hit Rome. The first time the two had joined forces, the benefits of co-location were immediately obvious both in the sheer range of speakers and sessions, and in the value consequently delivered. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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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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Education: Any Organisation’s First Priority

In a fast-changing and uncertain world, education is probably the most important thing any business does. Its importance is growing, driven by specialisation of professional skills, by speedier deployment of products and services, and by its own evolving visibility and delivery. By Rod Cameron, Executive Director, AIPC and the Joint Meetings Industry Council. From Boardroom…

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Getting Exercised About Engaging Attention

It’s a familiar problem. After a great start to the opening session, the room’s energy dips over a couple of hours. The morning break is supposed to revive and refresh, but somehow that initial dynamism never quite seems to return. Perhaps instead of tea or coffee, the secret sauce is an exercise break. From the Event…

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Associations: The Importance of Education

Kai Troll – Chairman of Best Buddies EMEA and Head of Development at the International Sport and Cultural Association – has been discussing both the reasons associations are of value to their members and the future of the model. Education is right at the heart of the sector, but not always effectively delivered. From Boardroom…

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