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Managing a Reported Positive COVID Test After Your Meeting

As more meetings return fully in person or as hybrid with in person components, there is the chance that someone will test positive for COVID-19 following attendance. Having a plan to deal with this is crucial, and that plan begins by helping delegates understand to whom to report the information. From Associations Now…

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Tokyo 2020: Staging a Hybrid Global Event Too Big to Fail

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were the most expensive to date, and too big to fail, despite ongoing challenges from the pandemic. Gary Grimmer, the Executive Chairman of Iceberg partner GainingEdge, says they make a timely case study for planners and destinations in the new paradigm of broadcast-friendly hybrid events. From Meetings & Conventions Asia…

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US Healthcare Meeting Requiring Attendees’ Proof of Vaccination

While many conferences are still remaining virtual, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is going back in person to Las Vegas, but requiring attendees at its August conference to show proof of their vaccinations. One of the larger healthcare events in the US, HIMSS cancelled last year because of the pandemic. From Associations Now…

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GAHP’s Martin Sirk: How Associations Are Evolving Their Meetings

The Iceberg always enjoys hearing from Martin Sirk, the International Advisor of our partner the Global Association Hubs Partnership and owner of Sirk Serendipity. In an AMI podcast Martin discusses the future of association meetings in terms of both vaccine passports and also of outcomes measurement. From Association Meetings International…

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Northstar Editors Give Global Outlook on Sector Recovery

Singapore is tightening up its COVID restrictions. The UK has piloted large free-of-mask events, but uncertainty remains over resuming international meetings. With the global vaccine rollout still not injecting enough certainty into the industry, four Northstar editors from around the world have collaborated on a global outlook. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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IMEX’s Carina Bauer: New IMEX BuzzHub Bets on Community

As Iceberg partner the IMEX Group launches its latest digital platform IMEX BuzzHub, CEO Carina Bauer explains how the community is key to COVID-19 recovery. Bauer reveals also latest plans for IMEX America in November, and why organising any trade show right now is “an exercise in extreme preparedness”. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Budget Cuts, But Quick Recovery? Pandemic Impact on Euro CVBs

Three quarters of CVBs (convention bureaux) have suffered financial cuts over the pandemic year, according to a new report called “The Impacts of the Coronavirus on Convention Bureaux in Europe”. What does this mean for the meetings industry in general and for associations? Report author Rob Davidson explains. From Association Meetings International…

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JMIC’s Kai Hattendorf: Industry Advocacy and Lessons Learnt

The Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has supported industry advocacy through COVID-19 with resources like the JMIC Global Manifesto and JMIC Advocacy Guide. President Kai Hattendorf now looks at the state of advocacy in the sector, examining also some of the lessons that have been learnt. The past year has generated a…

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JMIC’s Rod Cameron: Vaccine v. Variant, so Where to from Here?

With the competing forces of the vaccine rollout and the emergence of variants waging a battle across most of the world, there are few simple scenarios for the future of the events sector. Rod Cameron, Executive Director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (which presents The Iceberg), asks “where to from here?”. From UFI…

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PCMA’s GMID Debate: Vaccine Passports and Industry Recovery

In celebration of Global Meetings Industry Day, PCMA hosted the first ever PCMA APAC and EMEA debate, attracting over 500 registrations from 57 countries. Moderated by Oscar Cerezales, Global Executive Vice President Corporate Division of Iceberg partner MCI Group, the big debate discussed the pros and cons of the potential vaccine passport. From PCMA…

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GMID’s New York City Event: Two Attendees, Two Ways to Attend

Global Meetings Industry Day was celebrated in New York City with a hybrid event. An enterprising sector publication chose to experience the meeting both online and in person, so here are two contrasting views on different ways to experience a single event, including the role of serendipitous encounters, dessert and champagne. From PCMA…

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IBTM World Virtual and IBTM World 2021 by David Thompson

Event Director David Thompson (pictured left), is a familiar figure around the show floor at Iceberg partner IBTM World. In this podcast, he talks through the experience of running IBTM World Virtual in 2020, and why he is certain there will be a live event in Barcelona this year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Mark Laidlaw: The SEC From Hospital Back to Event Venue

Since the start of the crisis, like many other venues around the world, the Scottish Event Campus has been supporting health services in the battle against COVID-19. The SEC’s Director of Operations Mark Laidlaw describes the collaboration involved in operating as a field hospital as the venue now looks to its future. From Boardroom…

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Recovery of the Sector: The Innate Human “Need to Meet”

Following on from the publication of two very different views on business events recovery, Juliano Lissoni, the Managing Director of MCI Group in Canada, makes a further and more academic argument for face-to-face meetings. The Iceberg partner chief makes his case around an in depth analysis of our innate “need to meet”. From PCMA…

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Picking up the Crumbs: A Rallying Cry for the Embattled DMO

As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, there is a growing sense of hope. Some destination marketing organisations (DMOs) have been able to continue their association conference business through the pandemic. But others have faced severe budget cuts, as Sarah Fleming, the owner of Sarah Fleming Associates, explains. From Association Meetings International…

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M&IT Talks: The MIA’s Jane Longhurst on Restart Caution

The UK government has announced a timeline for reopening business events, with all sizes of meetings able to run from June 21st. But according to Meetings Industry Association Chief Executive Jane Longhurst, UK event professionals need to manage their expectations around the certainty of the date and the necessary conditions for it. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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