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Set off, offset: What to Do With Carbon on Your Conscience

Journalist Holly Patrick’s recent fam trip to Madrid came with a carbon dioxide footprint of 241.8kg, also equivalent to charging up a phone 29,000 times. So how did she offset the environmental price tag of flying there, and what options are available for event attendees with carbon on their conscience? From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Requiring Vaccination: Everything Organisers Need to Know (US)

With ongoing cases of COVID-19, full federal approval of the Pfizer vaccine, and new federal vaccine mandates covering workers, more associations are considering adding a vaccine mandate to their in person events. Here’s what organisers need to know about legal considerations, about verifying vaccination, as well as about state mandate bans. From Associations Now…

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ASAE’s Michelle Mason: Association Trailblazer Breaking Barriers

Michelle Mason heads up Iceberg partner ASAE as President and CEO. After she “stumbled into association management”, as a temporary staff assistant at what is now called the American Chemistry Council, Mason has climbed the ranks, transforming any barriers into opportunities and using her platform to raise others who are underrepresented. From PCMA…

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EHMA 2019 in Espoo: Reflections on Legacy, Community and Impact

Business and Events Academy Creator Nadia Rubtsova once worked for the European Health Management Association. Back in 2019, the scientific conference of EHMA was taking place in Espoo, Finland. After a year of hard work, the organiser’s guiding Northern stars for the meeting’s three days and 350 delegates were legacy, community and impact. From Boardroom…

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How HIMSS21 Handled Attendee Vaccine Verification (II)

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society held its 2021 Global Health Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas with a vaccine mandate. The event drew over 700 exhibitors and close to 19,000 in person delegates by the end, with almost as many attending online. Here’s more on how HIMSS managed the vaccine policy. From PCMA…

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Associations in Society: Contributing to the Wider Social Good

The intersecting crises of the pandemic, climate change and increasing inequality are compelling associations to repurpose and serve not just their members but society itself as well. This includes making commitments about sustainability, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). From Boardroom…

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With Delta Cases Rising, Vaccination Mandates Gain Ground

When a US academic recently asked on Twitter whether our professional organisations should have vaccine and mask requirements at their on site meetings this autumn, the result was unexpectedly definitive. It also sets the stage for a challenging few months ahead, for the organisations, for destination local authorities, and also for attendees. From PCMA…

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Serendipitous Meeting Leads to Girl Guides Keeping Bees

Much is said about serendipity at events. A recent gathering of the Membership Committee for the African Society of Association Executives, attended by Gary Grimmer of Iceberg partner GainingEdge, saw a chance encounter develop into a legacy collaboration helping Girl Guides to learn beekeeping. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…

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How HIMSS21 Handled Attendee Vaccine Verification

When a healthcare meeting chose to require verification of COVID-19 vaccination for attendees, it had to figure out how to do so in practice. The HIMSS21 conference just held used CLEAR Health Pass Validation and Safe Expo Vaccine Concierge Validation to verify status of staff, vendors and attendees. From Associations Now…

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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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Climate Change Can’t Be Solved Without Face-to-Face

On paper, travelling to meetings is less friendly to the environment than meeting virtually. But events face-to-face have value add hard to quantify. Human interaction is vital for challenging entrenched ways of doing business. To tackle climate change, we must surely collaborate in person as well as online. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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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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BestCities Reaches 21: Collaboration Key for Destination Alliance

BestCities Global Alliance has just celebrated twenty-one years since its founding. Managing Director Lesley Williams reflects upon the Iceberg partner’s past and future, and upon the role collaboration has played in the journey. She also pays tribute to the BestCities’ member destinations and to more recently formed alliances. From BestCities Global Alliance…

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PCMA’s Sherrif Karamat: How Business Events Create Better World

Sherrif Karamat is the President and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association. He claims here that the pandemic is raising the need to focus now on why we meet and why events like congresses are held. He also has some interesting ideas about The Iceberg’s favourite subject of legacy. From Meetings International…

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