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Coronavirus: Boston’s Voice of Healthcare Summit 2020

What might face-to-face meetings with neither a coronavirus vaccine nor effective treatment look like? Perhaps signing a waiver releasing the organiser from liability, an initial COVID-19 test and then daily checks of temperature? Those are some of the requirements of Metrock’s Voice of Healthcare Summit 2020 set for Boston this August. From PCMA…

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Coronavirus: Pandemic “New Normal” Actually Quite Abnormal

“The new normal” is an irritating phrase that has entered common parlance since lockdown measures began to contain further spread of COVID-19. While the transition to virtual events is a “new normal” we can take seriously, not much else of the “new normal” is “normal” at all. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…

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Coronavirus: Staging Exhibitions During the Age of the Pandemic

As the COVID-19 crisis has persisted, so has came the slow realisation that its impact will linger a very long time indeed. What does this mean for the exhibition sector in the future? Reed Exhibition’s former Chairman and CEO Mike Rusbridge, and former Commercial Director Nick Forster, offer thoughts. From UFI…

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Coronavirus: Webinar Held on How to Restart Events Post Pandemic

A webinar has been held to discuss “Restarting Events in a COVID-19 World”. Chaired by Peter Sheahan, Karrikins Group Founder, speakers included Sherrif Karamat, PCMA President and CEO, Kati Quigley, Senior Director of Global Industry Marketing at Microsoft, and David Peckinpaugh, President of Iceberg partner Maritz Global Events. From PCMA…

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Coronavirus: How Events Will Look as Lockdowns Are Lifted

With the industry still one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, the most pressing question on event professionals’ minds is what events will look like once lockdowns have been lifted. There are extra factors on the health and safety front that will pile on top of the measures traditionally taken. From EventMB…

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Coronavirus: Future Formats to Include Virtual and Hybrid

Matthias Schultze, the German Convention Bureau’s Managing Director, has been discussing the future of meeetings with Christina Buttler, the MCI Germany Director of Strategy and Innovation (MCI is a partner of The Iceberg). She is sure virtual and hybrid events will still be revolutionising established formats even after the current crisis ends. From GCB…

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Coronavirus: Predicting New Norms for Future Meetings and Events

COVID-19 has made virtual events necessary, acceptable and habitual. The crisis will change the industry beyond recognition in that meeting face-to-face will not take place for a while at anything like the usual scale and frequency. In the mid to longer term, social distancing and hygiene protocols will also transform. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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Coronavirus: Letting Virtual Meetings Get More Creative

From creating virtual trade shows to turning a mere three-day event into a multi-week offering, planners are getting experimental as they pivot their meetings to virtual. The current reality requires improvisation simply to keep things moving, and that can sometimes turn out to be something of a creative shot in the arm. From Associations Now…

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Medical Associations: Involving Patients in Medical Congresses

Once they relied on actors or even mannequins, but more and more medical associations now involve real patients in their congresses. Whether as speakers, panellists or co-designers, they add a different perspective. The result is meetings that are engaging, insightful and enlightening. From Association Meetings International…

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Coronavirus: MCI’s Oscar Cerezales on Post-Crisis Strategy

Oscar Cerezales (pictured on right), Global Executive VP Corporate and COO Asia Pacific at Iceberg partner MCI, received the prestigious PCMA Chairman’s Award in January. Today he’s at working from his Singapore home, while pondering the flexible, diversified, and consolidated events industry that will emerge beyond coronavirus. From Event Crisis…

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Coronavirus: In Crisis Associations Have to Rethink Everything

COVID-19 has struck a blow to many associations by halting their key source of revenue: the massive annual meeting. With the timescales of lockdown uncertain, associations should try out new ways to support and connect members. So says the CEO of Iceberg partner TMG (Talley Management Group), Gregg Talley. From Northstar Meetings Group…

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Coronavirus: Virtual Pivot Dairy Meeting Doubles Reach

As the World Health Organization designated COVID-19 a pandemic, and the US announced more flight restrictions, so PDPW (Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin) was one week away from welcoming over 1,200 attendees to its annual Business Conference in Madison. Converting the meeting to virtual was the only way forward. From PCMA…

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Coronavirus: How the Crisis Has Advanced Virtual Meetings

The coronavirus crisis has led to unprecedented interest in virtual events. For many organisers, this meant seriously looking into their possibilities, in some cases for the first time. But directly transposing the aims of a live event can mean missing the potential benefits of producing relevant and bespoke video content. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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