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What does 2023 hold for the Exhibition Industry?

Originally broadcast live on YouTube & LinkedIn on 5th Jan, Dan Assor chatted with Kai Hattendorf, CEO of UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, about the the key trends for 2023: Doubling Down on Customer Focus; ‍The Climate Crisis Will Hit;‍ More Data, Less Hype; Staffing Stays Key;‍ Accelerating Change. From Dan Assor…

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Carbon Offsetting for Events: Which Projects Are the Most Effective?

One way to take action on climate is to purchase carbon offsets, paying to help the planet when you do something that harms it, like air travel. But not all carbon offset programs are equal. Critics argue that some projects don’t deliver any benefit at all, while others do more damage than good. From PCMA…

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UFI Global CEO Summit Pope Francis Vatican Address: Full Text

Attendees at the recent UFI Global CEO Summit in Rome were granted a private audience in the Vatican’s Sala Clementina with Pope Francis. His Holiness said that trade fairs and exhibitions were benefitting regional economies while “showcasing to the wider world the rich diversity and beauty of local cultures and ecosystems”. From UFI…

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UFI’s Next Generation of Leaders Grant 2019 Winners: Part II

Every year Iceberg partner UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, gives young and emerging sector talent the chance to advance via its Next Generation of Leaders Grant sponsored by Freeman. In the second of two-parts, the last two of the five 2019 awardees talk about what NGL mentoring means for them. From UFI…

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Incentive Travel and the Potential Disincentive of Flight Shame

The Swedish concept of “flygskam” or “flight shame” is starting to affect air travel. So says new research from UBS, which claims that one person in five is actively reducing the flights they take for environmental reasons. What do event professionals make of the possible impact, on incentive travel especially? From Conference & Incentive Travel via AIME…

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UFI’s Next Generation of Leaders Grant 2019 Winners: Part I

Every year Iceberg partner UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, gives young and emerging sector talent the chance to advance via its Next Generation of Leaders Grant sponsored by Freeman. In the first of a two-part series, three of the five 2019 awardees talk about what NGL mentoring means for them. From UFI…

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Sustainable Meetings: Understanding Event Impact on Society

Sustainability continues to rise up the agenda across meetings and events, and two Iceberg partner specialists in this area have turned up in a series of video interviews on the subject filmed at IMEX America, Positive Impact’s Fiona Pelham and the Global Destination Sustainability Index’s Guy Bigwood. From Endless Events…

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Technology that Mimics Human Interaction Set to Change Events

Technology that mimics human behaviour and helps delegates to interact with each other is set to change the face of events, it has been claimed. The Tech Watch Award winners will be announced during IBTM World in Barcelona this November, and the experts on its judging panel have been discussing emerging trends. From Association Meetings International…

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US Exhibitions Industry: Currently Evolving into Exhibitions 2.0

AMR International’s recently updated report, “The US Exhibitions Industry – Developments and Opportunities for Organizers”, points the way to the next generation of exhibitions. The white paper finds the US market still attractive, forecasting continuing compound annual growth rate of 3.5 percent through 2022. Of more concern is a decline in attendee numbers. From PCMA…

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Brexit and Advocacy to New Government: UK EIB’s Michael Hirst

As Boris Johnson was appointed new Prime Minister of the UK, Events Industry Board Chair Michael Hirst was speaking about Brexit and government involvement in the meetings and events industry. He also discussed how advocacy always has to start over again, engaging with new ministers after Cabinet reshuffle turnover. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Hong Kong: SAR Still Safe and Still Stable for Meetings and Events

Any manifestation of political instability can have a devastating effect on a destination’s perceived attractiveness for staging major events. Stuart Bailey, the CEO of a Hong Kong-based exhibition and conference organiser, believes that international impressions of the special administrative region’s recent protests are overblown, and should not deter either business or leisure visitors. From UFI…

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Exhibitions: Thoughts on Transformation for Sector Stakeholders

You don’t have to be a doctor to change people’s lives! On June 5th, Global Exhibitions Day brought the industry together like never before. GED 2019 also saw the sector trying to quantify the huge transformative power of exhibitions as a medium, for entrepreneurs, businesses of all sizes, and destinations. From UFI…

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From Frankfurt to Las Vegas: IMEX America Themes Previewed

As IMEX Frankfurt wraps up for another year, the events industry is already looking foward towards IMEX America this September in Las Vegas. “Imagination” is IMEX’s talking point for the year, and this theme will inform content throughout the meeting, bringing with it exciting new experiences, exhibitors and educational sessions. From Boardroom…

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Enlightening the Sector Lack of Vision Around Event Accessibility

A legacy of awareness around visual impairment was created during IMEX in Frankfurt with the holding of a “Dialogue in the Dark” workshop. Hosted by industry association IAPCO, and the business events teams of both Dubai and Melbourne, it all started with a blindfold. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…

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Don Welch: DI Helping Members “Do Battle” With Politicians

The head of tourism association Destinations International says his organisation spends a lot of its energy and resources doing battle with politicians around the world on behalf of members facing financial and legislative challenges. CEO Don Welch was speaking out at IMEX about issues like “over-tourism” and womens’ and LGBTQ rights. From Association Meetings International…

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Big Questions, Difficult Answers: Meetings and Climate Change

The looming threat of climate change poses huge questions for the international meetings industry, particularly for high profile global events under intense media scrutiny like COP24, the World Economic Forum and the UN Climate Change Conference. But does the sector itself have the answers, and how is it approaching the problem? From Association Meetings International…

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