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Masks Masterstroke: Quebec Venue Forms Recycling Partnership

Early in the pandemic, Quebec City Convention Centre’s Director of Building Management and Event Support Marc Poirier was shocked at how many masks were ending up in the venue’s rubbish. He set to work finding a partner to reuse them. Also in Quebec, Go Zero Recycle has developed the process. From PCMA…

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BESarawak Legacies: Celebrate the Past to Awaken the Future

“MICE” is a term long-associated with the meetings sector. But now the small and wily mouse-deer of Malaysian folklore has become a metaphor for how Business Events Sarawak has crossed the river after the pandemic and resumed business events activities through its Legacy Impact Initiative. Photo: Dave Curtis. By Jane Vong Holmes, Senior Manager Asia, GainingEdge….

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UK Events: The £84bn Sector That Deserves Government Respect

The UK events industry as a whole is a vastly fragmented animal, before the pandemic worth £84 billion to the country every year. This leading article from Martin Fullard is a direct message for the UK’s Government, which calls for the industry now to be shown the respect it deserves. From Conference News…

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Event Travel Retrain: London to Barcelona, The Sustainable Way

Anna Abdelnoor, Co-founder of the event sustainability body Isla, took a different journey to IBTM World in Barcelona this year. To show her commitment to slow travel, Anna opted for rail over air, and producd 97 percent lower carbon emissions than she would have had she flown. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Making Events Inclusive Means Making Them Accessible for All

The bad experience of an Israeli minister, unable to enter a COP26 venue because she is a wheelchair user, reveals the distance planners still have to travel on accessibility and inclusivity. Lizzy Eaton, the Founder of Oddity Events and Marketing, remembers her own mistake on accessibility. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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COP26: A Watershed Moment Both for the World and Sector

It is hard to think of a conference with higher stakes than the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties. As well as the future of the entire planet, it also could define that of business events. Net Zero Carbon Events from JMIC, and Iceberg partner Positive Impact, played their part. From PCMA…

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Net Zero and Changing Industry Narratives on Climate Change

With recent sustainability initiatives in the event sector, including the signing of JMIC’s Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge at COP26 and others joining UNFCCC’s The Race to Zero, are this industry’s narratives around the climate crisis changing, and will net zero be enough to improve the global situation and safeguard our industry? From Event MB…

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COP26: Hosting the Ultimate International Climate Change Event

In terms of legacies left for the planet, COP26 is surely the most important business event ever to come to the UK. But what does it mean for Glasgow to deliver this ultimate global climate meeting? Voices include Iceberg ambassador Aileen Crawford, Glasgow Life Head of Tourism and Conventions. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Turning Our Talk Into Action Over Net Zero Carbon Events

The Joint Meetings Industry Council pledge over Net Zero Carbon Events is not the end of the events industry, as some alarmists have decried, but rather a new beginning. But the key will be measurement. Here is how assorted Iceberg partners worked together to make progress on the issue, including Positive Impact. From Exhibition News…

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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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A Line of COPs: An Isla Conference of Parties Historical Guide

Just what is COP26, and why should it matter to meetings professionals? Sustainability not-for-profit isla put together this handy historical guide in advance of the Glasgow COP26 conference. Which destinations have hosted previous COPs, and what legacies did they create, if the climate emergency is still upon us? From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Pandemic Partnerships: CVBs, DMOs and EDOs Working Together

The pandemic has given convention bureaux a fresh chance to partner with their economic development agencies to benefit the destination over the short and long term in new and often fruitful ways. In fact, this is one of three central trends identified in the DestinationNEXT 2021 Futures Study just released. From PCMA…

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Set off, offset: What to Do With Carbon on Your Conscience

Journalist Holly Patrick’s recent fam trip to Madrid came with a carbon dioxide footprint of 241.8kg, also equivalent to charging up a phone 29,000 times. So how did she offset the environmental price tag of flying there, and what options are available for event attendees with carbon on their conscience? From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Requiring Vaccination: Everything Organisers Need to Know (US)

With ongoing cases of COVID-19, full federal approval of the Pfizer vaccine, and new federal vaccine mandates covering workers, more associations are considering adding a vaccine mandate to their in person events. Here’s what organisers need to know about legal considerations, about verifying vaccination, as well as about state mandate bans. From Associations Now…

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