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Associations Creating Impact – Not a Trend, the New Normal

By Maraika Black, Advocacy, Policy, and Public Health Coordinator, European Association for the Study of the Liver: Health conferences have traditionally focused on actors directly involved in the field – specialists, medical experts, general practitioners, researchers, nurses, and allied health professionals. It has long since been a source of prestige and professional mobilisation for delegates…

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Taking The Lead on Destinations’ Social and Economic Development

Events have the power to build inclusive communities and better places to live, highlighting the extent to which meetings and conferences can contribute to a destination’s societal impact. This was one theme explored in a webinar hosted by GDS-Index, a sustainability benchmarking and improvement programme for destinations around the world. From Meetings & Conventions Asia…

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Copenhagen Legacy Lab: Leading Global Legacy Creation

Copenhagen Convention Bureau launched the Copenhagen Legacy Lab in 2019 to bridge international congresses held in Copenhagen with the local public, business and science communities. This Iceberg partner lets global associations both to achieve their objectives and solve societal challenges through events, and it aims to create the world’s leading hub for legacy. From Meetings International…

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Destination Boycotts Over Abortion Bans: Different Approaches

Meeting planners reacted strongly to the US Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion rights. Over 40 percent said state abortion legislation would influence site-selection decisions. But Iceberg partner Destinations International has been on a mission to convince groups that travel boycotts simply do not work. From Northstar Meetings Group…

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How an Association Put Sustainability in Its RfP With GDS-Index

How does a desire to minimise the environmental impact of events fit into a traditional RfP (Request for Proposal)? This was the question asked by Guidelines International Network when sourcing a place to hold its international conference in 2023. The starting point was with Global Destination Sustainability Index, an Iceberg partner. From Association Meetings International…

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The Invisible Industry Gets 49-Foot Trailer Advocacy Roadshow

The “Invisible Industry” was a label put on the meetings and hospitality sectors back in 1996 by broadcaster Charles Osgood. Now this title has become an advocacy roadshow, thanks to a 49-foot trailer stocked with interactive media. It launched a year-long “Invisible Industry Tour” of US cities last June. From PCMA…

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Book Extract: “Business Event Legacies” by Goodfellow

Last year Goodfellow Publishers released “Business Event Legacies: Global industry case studies”, from Carmel Foley, Deborah Edwards and Karin Weber. Previous work by Foley and Edwards includes the first JMIC Case Study published here on The Iceberg, and this book cites all of those studies. Here the volume’s content is outlined. From Meetings International…

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Pandemic Heroes: One Year Later, How the Sector Survived

One year since exhibitions returned after the UK’s COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, EN guest editor Phil Soar explores who the true “heroes” of the pandemic have been. He looks in particular at the roles played by venues that became National Health Service “Nightingale” field hospitals, and finds some encouraging causes for hope. From Exhibition News…

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Explaining Events to Policymakers: ECA’s Tommy Goodwin

The workday of Tommy Goodwin, Vice President of the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, is explaining the importance of business events to policymakers. But are they finally starting to get it? Goodwin explains the purpose of the business events advocacy association set up in early 2021. From Association Meetings International…

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Acknowledging First Nations: ICC Sydney, Art and the Artist

ICC Sydney shows its commitment to Australia’s First Nations peoples with programming, a reconciliation plan, and in artwork and messaging around its campus. Works by artist Jeffrey Samuels have become part of the venue’s comprehensive art collection, and are now also being adapted in other media, including digital signage. From PCMA…

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Sustainable Congresses: No Quick Fixes, Just Twelve Key Tips

Director of Event:Decision Matt Grey, together with Mark Handforth, Director of 3Sixty Event Consulting and Healthcare Venues, haven’t got a quick fix for sustainable meetings and conferences. Instead, they lay out the most effective methods to cut the emissions produced by events in twelve key tips for the sector. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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PCMA Discussion Takes Talk of Destination Boycotts to DC

PCMA has held a roundtable discussion in Washington DC on how to navigate events in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision on US abortion rights. Ninety minutes of fascinating crosstalk on the rights and wrongs of events boycotting destinations because of their laws ensued. From PCMA…

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Ten Ways to Make Your Business Event Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive

Keeping events diverse and inclusive often means thinking about issues like age, mental and physical ability, culture, religion, gender identity or language. But how can organisers deliver on diversity, equity, access and inclusion? Arinex Managing Director Nicole Walker offers ten tips for holding a more inclusive event. From Association Meetings International…

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