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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…
Festivalisation refers to a process of making existing meeting structures more engaging, more immersive, and more tailored to the individual. The word is everywhere and may sound like a gimmick, but there’s a serious side to it, which might determine whether your congress lives to see another ten years. From Association Meetings International…
The international conference just staged in Ljubljana, Slovenia, by Iceberg partner European Cities Marketing included thoughts about destination sustainability from Nobel prize winner and climatologist Lučka Kajfež Bogataj. Another Iceberg partner participating, the Global Destination Sustainability Index, also released its third white paper. From European Cities Marketing…
“Business Events Legacies”, the Joint Meetings Industry Council’s recent report, reveals “significant” failings in the way governments measure the true value delivered by conferences, congresses and trade shows. But further sharing of sector impact stories could give the report weight in the battle to convince the world of the industry’s worth. From UFI…
After enduring record temperatures at sector meetings, the CEO of UFI, global association of the exhibition industry, muses on its recent report about supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Joint Meetings Industry Council is doing similar work, plus Iceberg partners UFI, ICCA and AIPC have launched a Global Alliance. From Kai Hattendorf via LinkedIn…
The meetings and events industry is served by many international trade associations, quite a few of them partners of the Iceberg. Some have formalised collaborations, the latest being The Global Alliance, a sharing of content between ICCA, UFI and AIPC. But are there still too many for the sector? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
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…
Any manifestation of political instability can have a devastating effect on a destination’s perceived attractiveness for staging major events. Stuart Bailey, the CEO of a Hong Kong-based exhibition and conference organiser, believes that international impressions of the special administrative region’s recent protests are overblown, and should not deter either business or leisure visitors. From UFI…
The World Tunnel Congress 2019 was recently held in Naples, Italy. Over 2,700 attendees from more than 70 countries, an 80 percent rise in delegates, gathered at the Mostra D’Oltremare Congress Center. Trips included ancient and Renaissance archaeological sites, and legacy projects donated excess food and helped build community housing. From Boardroom…
Food waste is a universal problem, a lesson in Moroccan manners clearly shows. In the latest Meeting Room of the Future report from IACC, 62 percent of planners consider how a venue manages its waste before booking. 54 percent want to know if it buys from sustainable sources. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
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…
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence’s new Bangkok Manifesto aims to define the nature, purpose and direction of the incentive travel sector. It was crowdsourced during the SITE Global Conference held in Bangkok this January, from essays written by ten sector professionals. CMO Pádraic Gilligan explains. From Northstar Meetings Group…
As IMEX Frankfurt wraps up for another year, the events industry is already looking foward towards IMEX America this September in Las Vegas. “Imagination” is IMEX’s talking point for the year, and this theme will inform content throughout the meeting, bringing with it exciting new experiences, exhibitors and educational sessions. From Boardroom…
Keith Tan has been the Singapore Tourism Board’s Chief Executive for about half a year. During IMEX he spoke about the city-state’s plans and approaches for continuing to attract international associations and their meetings, which include working alongside Iceberg partners BestCities Global Alliance and Global Association Hubs Partnership. From Boardroom…
A legacy of awareness around visual impairment was created during IMEX in Frankfurt with the holding of a “Dialogue in the Dark” workshop. Hosted by industry association IAPCO, and the business events teams of both Dubai and Melbourne, it all started with a blindfold. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Collision 2019 is ostensibly a startup show, with nearly 1,100 fledgling companies, 26,000 attendees, and conference tracks for pitching venture capitalists called “Growth Summit,” “MoneyConf,” and, simply, “PITCH.” But another conference theme quietly linked the VC guys in slick suits, with the fintech startups, AI companies and data scientists: fixing the world. From Digital Trends…
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