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Celtic Mayhem: The 2018 M&IT Agency Challenge

Over 120 agencies and suppliers recently attended the 2018 M&IT Agency Challenge at Celtic Manor resort in Newport, Wales. From new faces to old friends, and even to having a good singsong around a piano, it’s always to be celebrated when so many eventprofs are together under one roof. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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AIPC 2018: How the Global Affects the Local

Iceberg partner AIPC, the international association of congress centres, represents more than 185 venues in 60 countries. The AIPC Annual Congress fosters excellence in every aspect of centre management, and the 2018 event at ExCeL London saw about 250 delegates tackling the theme of “Strategies for a Changing World!”. From Boardroom…

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The Meetings Show: Impromptu Debates and Chocolate Biscuits

The Meetings Show has just drawn the UK events sector together at London’s Olympia in a brisker new two-day format. For one Iceberg media partner highlights included an interview with James Heappey, followed by an impromptu debate between the Member of Parliament and BVEP chair Michael Hirst. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Transforming Events: Seven Fears to Face

Fear has been described by the acronym False Expectations Appearing Real. Change is often accompanied by it, so here’s a look at seven fears that come up with big changes to meetings, conferences and trade shows. Can we can flip those fears around and think about transformation in a whole new light? From PCMA Convene…

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Desert Island Discs and the Conference Castaway

Dr Sue Black is a British computer scientist, academic and social entrepreneur. She also helped save the World War II codebreaking site Bletchley Park from falling into ruin. Recently Black was interviewed on a famous BBC radio programme, and told an interesting story of gender and the power of conferences. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Indianapolis: An Eventful MPI World Education Congress 2018

Meetings Professionals International’s World Education Congress has just concluded in Indianapolis, having welcomed around 2,200 attendees. Since WEC 2017 MPI had totally reimagined the event, and the 2018 running was certainly eventful, even to the extent of a Sudanese-Australian speaker being unable to attend because of a US visa waiver refusal. From Meetings & Conventions…

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The Gender Agenda: An End to All-Male Panels?

Despite a recent report that men give more than twice as many talks than women at scientific conferences, there are signs that female-to-male ratios are improving at some events. One of the best strategies for tackling the gender agenda is to include women as part of the team that selects speakers. From PCMA Convene…

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The US Events Industry Gender Pay Gap

In the US April 10th is Equal Pay Day. The date chosen reinforces a point. It takes women nearly four months longer to catch up to a man’s annual salary. Last year Convene’s Annual Salary Survey reported that female respondents earned 22 percent less than male respondents. This year’s survey has now closed. From PCMA Convene…

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Are Men the Solution to the Gender Pay Gap?

As UK firms must now submit gender pay gap data, it is clear that women working at large event agencies are on average paid less than men. But gender pay gaps and staffing makeup are separate issues. If there are still more men at the top, is this for men to address? From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Meetings and Events Associations: An Insider’s Guide

The events and meetings industry is hardly short of its own professional associations. A good many of them are even Iceberg partners! You join for the networking, education and advocacy, then get much more. But which are right for each of the different tribes within our overall sector? From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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The New Approach Required for True Equality

The events industry has a significant female workforce, yet only 27 percent of women at CEO or MD level. So there’s some catching up to do. For International Women’s Day, Director of Venues at RIBA Moya Maxwell discusses where we are, where we’re going and what needs to change. From editor’s blog at Meepie.com…

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Frances McDormand’s Speech: A Legacy for Meetings?

In her Oscar acceptance speech, actress Frances McDormand finished with two words: “inclusion rider”. The notion that an actor can contractually insist a film’s cast and crew meet a certain level of diversity was first floated at a conference. If inclusion riders become standard in Hollywood, might they also for event speakers? From PCMA Convene…

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Attending Conferences Doubles Promotion Chances

What makes a good conference? Pádraic Gilligan picks again over the recent SITE + MPI Global Forum in Rome. But he reaches the Eternal City via a Harvard Business Review article about US women’s networking events, and research revealing that those attending were twice as likely to be promoted within a year than the no-shows. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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Deborah Sexton: 13 Years, 13 Questions

Convening Leaders 2018 in Nashville was a valedictory event for Deborah Sexton, who is stepping down as CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association after thirteen years. So here are Deborah’s revealing answers to thirteen questions, including her country music ambitions, ad libbing after Matthew McConaughey, and surviving a plane hijacking. From PCMA Convene…

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SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018: All Roads Lead to Rome

The Eternal City recently became the Eventprofs City for a weekend as the SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018 hit Rome. The first time the two had joined forces, the benefits of co-location were immediately obvious both in the sheer range of speakers and sessions, and in the value consequently delivered. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Convening Leaders 2018: 18 Soundbites

Convening Leaders 2018 saw a massive gathering in Nashville of industry expertise. Here are eighteen thought-provoking quotes from the show: from diversity to sustainability, and from entering the Chinese market to getting attendees out of their hotel rooms. “We don’t make changes because we see the light. It’s because we feel the heat.”. From PCMA Convene…

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