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Medical Meetings: Correctly Diagnosing Return on Investment

The financial health of a medical association convention can depend on whether its exhibition floor is or isn’t sold out. Attending doctors though aren’t usually buying drugs directly but prescribing them. So measuring the return on investment of exhibiting at medical meetings has become a science in its own right. From PCMA…

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The Road Ahead of Giving Back: Meetings CSR & Sustainability

The Annual Meetings Market Survey just added two new questions about whether or not corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability are usually part of event planning. More than half of respondents did not make CSR part of their event, and the environment was top of mind (in RFPs) for only eleven percent. From PCMA…

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AIME 2019: Voices from Knowledge Exchange and Elsewhere

The Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) 2019 has just been held in Melbourne. Here are some memorable statements heard during the Knowledge Exchange and elsewhere from sundry CEOs (of a convention bureau, an industry association, and a venue), as well as a strategist, an inventor, a politician, and a poet. From PCMA…

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Designing Legacy: The Meetings Approach Across Africa

The legacy of events is best pictured as an iceberg, as this website should certainly know! Design Indaba, held annually in Cape Town, is extending the legacy it creates for participating SMMEs through four simulcasts of its conference. Natasha Skoryk looks at the impact of business events on destinations and the meetings industry itself. From the Event…

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Seafood and Toys: Trade Fair Trade War Tariff Troubles

More than 90 percent of US eaten seafood is imported, and about 40 percent of 25,000 attendees at Seafood Expo North America also attend from abroad. Since tariffs imposed on goods imported from China and other countries have taken effect, some regular exhibitors have cut back on space they’re purchasing for March 2019. From PCMA…

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UFI: Five Key Industry Trends Impacting Exhibitions

The team at UFI, the exhibition industry’s global association and an Iceberg partner, used UFI’s Global Congress, and other conversations around the world, to isolate and identify core themes that will be impacting the global sector. Kai Hattendorf, UFI’s CEO and MD, lays out five industry trends to watch out for in 2019. From UFI…

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Meetings Need to Become Part of the Innovation Economy

Meetings need to become part of the innovation economy, according to the recent ICCA Congress in Dubai, and this “new industrial revolution” needs fresh thinking from suppliers. The discussion included city expert Greg Clark and Vienna’s Christian Mutschlechner, who joked that planners might soon 3D print their own venues. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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IMEX America 2018: Four Industry Trends Across the Show Floor

IMEX America has taken place in Las Vegas. A key focus for this year was corporate social responsibility and sustainability, including another Legacy Wall (pictured), and MPI’s call for planners to be “legacy creators”. Also topical: wellness and support for attendees, and sector collaboration, like IAEE, MPI and SITE’s Global MICE Collaborative. From BizBash…

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IMEX America 2018: A Last Day of Learning and Experience

Designed for an industry that never sleeps, IMEX America 2018 was brimming with opportunity and learning right down to its last moments. From hearing hosted buyer experiences and exhibitor perspectives, to education content like C2’s session on connecting with audiences and The Events Industry Council’s on cybersecurity, it was a packed final day. From the Event…

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IMEX America: Five Experiences to Watch out for in Las Vegas

IMEX America will soon take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. Here are five experiences to keep an eye open for: the MPI Carnival, C2’s Learning Labs, the IMEX Live Zone, the IMEX Tech Zone, and a welcome import from IMEX Frankfurt, the Legacy Wall (pictured). From the Event…

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The Exhibition Industry: Moving Forward, More Caution is Required

The exhibition industry is currently firing on all cylinders. That was a clear takeaway from the recent UFI Global Barometer (see Research). For the first time in ten years, all four global regions together reported positive turnover development. But the outlook for 2018 is globally lower. UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf explains. From UFI…

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Peru: History, New Infrastructure and a Growing Economy

While the larger markets of Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia will surely be the focus of the upcoming UFI Latin America Conference, the growing economy of Peru is also worthy of attention. Better known as a holiday destination and for Machu Picchu, a new convention center has been built in the capital city, Lima. From UFI…

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The Mexican Exhibition Sector: José Navarro

The Mexican exhibition sector has certainly attracted major global players. But it’s still mostly smaller organisers or societies hosting regional or local events. UFI, the exhibition industry’s global association, has been talking to José Navarro, Chairman of its Latin American Chapter and General Director of E.J. Krause Tarsus de México. From UFI…

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IMEX America 2018: A Sustainable Event

IMEX America has always been run with sustainability in mind. This time around, sustainability education will feature throughout, attendees are urged to bring a reusable water bottle to the show, and IMEX America will also continue to beat the drum about the positive impact of giving back to destination communities. From the Event…

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The UK Exhibitions Industry: A Brexit Remedy?

The past month has revealed the turmoil the United Kingdom is in over the manner of its departure from the European Union. But might the UK exhibition sector provide some palliative relief from Brexit uncertainties? The sector’s global association takes a look at VisitBritain, along with the recent Farnborough International Airshow, for answers. From UFI…

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Exhibitions 2018: A Half-Year Progress Report

What an extraordinary year 2018 has been so far in the exhibitions sector: from the merger of Informa and UBM and other players, to one Chinese organiser’s international ambitions, to changes to the trade show’s traditional format like the new CEBIT with its ferris wheel feature (pictured). From UFI Managing Director Kai Hattendorf via LinkedIn…

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