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HCB’s Florian Gerdes on Hamburg: Capital German Non-Capital

Florian Gerdes is Marketing Manager Conventions at HCB, the Hamburg Convention Bureau. He describes here HCB’s approach to subvention during low demand, the relationship Hamburg has with UK, what the city has to offer the planners organising within prioritised knowledge sectors, its competition with Berlin and its recent secured bid wins. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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KLCC: Venues Can Help Build Local Links for Association Events

Can venues help bridge the divide that often lies between international associations and their local hosts or chapters in the event destination? Angeline van den Broecke, Director of Global Business Development and Marketing at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, believes they can, and in the process ensure the success of major congresses. From Boardroom…

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ExCeL London: Jeremy Rees on the Power of Events and of People

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…

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Davos: A High-Altitude Knowledge Hub for the AO Foundation

Davos is perhaps best known for staging the World Economic Forum, which gathers around 3,000 leading figures from business, politics and science every year. As such, it also has the expertise and capacity to host association events, as Professor Geoff Richards, Director of the AO Research Institute Davos, can testify. From Boardroom…

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Glasgow’s Culture of Events: Views from Across the Sectors

Glasgow will be welcoming 30,000 delegates, among them 200 world leaders, to discuss climate change at COP26 next year. The Glasgow Convention Bureau has also just reported best ever year-end results for conference business, attracting as well incentive and motivational events like KFC’s RGM Fest. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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The Netherlands: Four Cities, Four Meetings, Four Ambassadors

Holland’s network of thought leaders plays a key role in attracting international association events and enhancing the country’s reputation as a knowledge hub. Here four key influential figures, instrumental in winning bids for Utrecht, The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, discuss the experience. The group includes Professor Peter Reiss (pictured at AIDS 2018). From Boardroom…

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Nantes: Setting the Scene for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation is about to host its 36th World Conference at La Cité Nantes Congress Centre. IASP consulting director Jean-François Balducchi, from Atlanpole (the science-based business incubator for the whole Pays de la Loire region), discusses the fit of event and destination. Photo: LisaRlld. From Boardroom…

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2019’s Best in Show: Ten Fresh Approaches to Meeting Design

PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association, has just published its annual “Best in Show” list. The ten stories include using art therapy at a haematology event, a heart rhythm meeting dropping registration fees for self-paying attendees from lower income countries, and a biomedical event letting students earn credit towards attendance costs by staffing the meeting. From PCMA…

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BestCities’ Jane Cunningham on Association Legacies

Jane Cunningham, Director of International Associations at Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance, has recorded a video with Kit Watts, Strategic Communications Director at IMEX, also a partner. In it she talks about the role of associations, the legacies their events leave, the “Incredible Impacts” awards, and even The Iceberg. From BestCities Global Alliance…

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Pharma Event Discusses Science of Healthcare Congresses Report

The findings of “The Science of Healthcare Congresses” (see Research), Ashfield Meetings & Events’ new study of over 200 healthcare professionals, was a focus of discussion at the 36th Pharma Fortbildungs-Forum in Cologne. Its results were presented by Ashfield’s Client Relationship Director Fabienne Wild. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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The Future of Congress Centres: AIPC Annual Conference 2019

Iceberg partner AIPC, international association of congress centres, has just held its annual conference in Antwerp. At the Flanders Meeting and Convention Center, next to the city zoo, 150 delegates discussed future economics of such venues, the technology transforming them, and the expectations of big clients like Sibos and the European Society of Cardiology. From Boardroom…

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Associations Differing with Destinations on Outreach and Legacy

The perspectives on outreach and legacy of associations, compared with destinations, have significant differences. So says a new study by MeetDenmark, the development association for business and event tourism in Denmark, and meetings consultancy and Iceberg partner GainingEdge. But the study also shows common ground to build on. From Boardroom…

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The Medical Meeting that Changed the Course of a Life

Dr Lance O’Sullivan certainly knows the power of conferences. Aged 17, the twice-expelled disruptive child from a deprived background was taken to a Māori medicine meeting by his aunt. A smart and charismatic doctor speaking there captured the teenager’s attention and started his career path as healthcare innovator. From Association Meetings International…

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“Women Deliver” Draws 8,000 to Vancouver Convention Centre

The Women Deliver conference has just brought 8,000 world leaders, advocates, academics, activists and journalists from over 150 countries into the Vancouver Convention Centre. The meeting aims to influence policy makers and politicians, and to drive investment into the lives of girls and women. Photo: Jon Benjamin Photography. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Elliott L. Ferguson II: “Connected Capital” Washington DC

Elliott L. Ferguson II, President and CEO of Washington DC’s official marketing organisation Destination DC, has been talking “connected capital”, inclusion and positive impact at IMEX in Frankfurt. His themes included which knowledge sectors the district is targeting, the legacies its meetings are leaving in their wake, and issues of diversity. From Boardroom…

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Astra Zeneca: Meetings “Vital Tool” in Medicine Innovation

One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, British-Swedish multinational Astra Zeneca is responsible for research into and manufacture of many cutting-edge medicines. As Catherine Boissier, Associate Professor and Associate Director working as a Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control Project Lead in Gothenburg explains, meetings are a vital tool in that endeavour. From Meetings International…

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