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The Duke of York may have had ten thousand men, but recently when the University of York announced an all-male panel of seven for a history (sic) conference, a well-known female alumna tweeted academic displeasure. The conference sponsor immediately took the message on board and postponed the event, winning himself a GenderAvengers award. From PCMA Convene…
Some things just work better when you’re hearing from two locations at the same time. The industry has been talking for a while about virtual and hybrid meetings, both on the rise. But what about multi-hub events (partially virtual meetings where groups in different places share the same programme at the same time)? From PCMA…
If a company sponsors a bar tab or breakfast at an event, the return on that investment may quickly wear off. But at the inaugural MANOVA in Minneapolis, one of the healthcare event’s biggest sponsors chose to offer something rather more lasting. Walmart installed something most unusual for a conference: a flu-shot station. From PCMA…
Event designers are always imagining new ways to harness audience attention and make experiences memorable. But the pressure to be bigger and better than last year always seems to grow. David Peckinpaugh spoke at the Experient “Change Agents”-themed conference earlier this year, and here offers views on video about experience design. From Maritz Global Events…
More than ever the value of face-to-face seems in question, with virtual events now the new “shiny object”. But face-to-face meetings aren’t dull or rusty. As the attendee experience evolves, also now with actionable data, the easiest way to renergise an event is to give the delegates more of what they want. From Maritz Global Events…
Few issues have dominated public debate over the past few years as much as those related to diversity and inclusion. Charged discourse is impacting every part of our culture, including the meetings industry. Last month five thought leaders gathered on a conference call to discuss the topic. From Successful Meetings…
The Iceberg has fond memories of a stay at the historic Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds forty years ago. Now the owners of Eventprofslive have just organised a familiarisation trip to the refurbished venue, asking attendees to donate money to industry charity Meeting Needs. The idea met with great success. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
INBOUND is one of the world’s most popular business events. Each year it attracts well over 20,000 attendees from more than a hundred countries to Boston. The audience is about 65 percent female, but unlike many other meetings the event’s speaker lineup is also diverse. So how did INBOUND make it happen? From Forbes…
We think we make decisions based on logic, but unconscious influences affect our behaviour and judgment. So says Maritz Chief Behavioural Officer Charlotte Blank. Maritz Global Events is a partner of The Iceberg. Understanding behaviour presents a “whole new world of opportunity” for event design. From PCMA Convene…
In an age when some are once more trying to build walls, the remains of the one that divided Berlin stand testament to the historical impact of its demolition. Falling Walls, the International Conference on Future Breakthroughs in Science and Society, was founded to build on that moment and metaphor. From PCMA Convene…
What are the foundations of a productive meeting? It’s the question at the core of every planner’s job, and if you want to know about foundations, who better to ask than an architect? Caterina Alves is actually Venue Manager at the historic Royal Institute of British Architects. Photo: Philafrenzy. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
At its Annual Meeting in Chicago, Iceberg partner ASAE unveiled a groundbreaking, or possibly foolhardy, early-bird pricing experiment to attract association meeting professionals to a future event. Register in advance, and pay nothing now. After you attend the event in April, you pay only what you think it was worth. From PCMA Convene…
Changes in technology, and in its availability and cost, have greatly expanded possibilities for hosting events. So the debate between the advantages of traditional face-to-face meetings, against those of videoconferencing or livestreaming events, rages on. Here are six reasons why face-to-face still offers value for both delegates and organisers. From Maritz Global Events…
Opinions has already published Convene’s annual Best in Show list, celebrating industry excellence. But Convene also invited notables from across the sector to reflect on how the business of events is getting better. Nineteen contributed, among them Gregg Talley of the Talley Management Group and SoolNua and SITE’s Pádraic Gilligan. From PCMA Convene…
Why do we meet face-to-face when we also have email and video? Because it is the fastest way to gain shared perspective. That’s according to meetings author J. Elise Keith. So why is shared perspective rather like that old folk tale of people trying to describe an elephant by touch in the dark? From PCMA…
Planning meetings isn’t easy. So meetings about meetings remain popular and the search for new ways to improve the delegate experiences is never-ending. Meeting design has come a long way, but despite the innovative approaches available it pays to remember that content will always be king. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
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