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Jeremy Rees took over as CEO of ExCeL London towards the end of 2018, after joining as Sales Director in 2010. Here he discusses how the venue became an emergency field hospital for COVID-19 patients, the NHS Nightingale London, and is now restored to its original, event-ready state. From Exhibition News…
The hybrid multi-site event BOCOM saw players from across Germany’s meetings industry demonstrating readiness for future event formats. Several hundred participants met on-site at the central conference venue in Berlin and at the hubs in Amsterdam, Essen and Vienna, as well as virtually from all continents. From GCB…
Consumer electronics show IFA has run at Messe Berlin, as German trade shows and exhibitions restarted this September. In line with local COVID regulations, attendance was limited: just 750 attendees allowed at each show segment, so invitation only for industry experts and sector media. From UFI…
When the time comes for in person events to start up again, convention centres across the US will be ready to deliver an experience prioritising health and safety. Much of that will be the result of new technologies, new cleaning protocols, and new staff positions that venues have in place. From Associations Now…
How do you make sure your event adheres to US Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines? A new tool let the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association meet safely but in person through the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting this July in Colorado. NCBA worked with 42Chat to launch a symptom screening tool. From PCMA…
International association meetings, particularly those that are attracting thousands of delegates, were once the prized targets of all convention bureaux. COVID-19 has made the immediate future smaller and more regional. But this trend was already underway and should not frighten destination marketing organisations. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
After months of conference calls, webinars and online meetings, we recognise perhaps more than ever the role that business events play in exchanging ideas, building networks and fuelling innovation. So explains Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, Executive Director of Business Events at Destination Canada. From PCMA…
When ASN (the American Society for Nutrition) decided to switch its live event set for late May in Seattle to all-virtual just sixty days before the meeting, the organising team of ten didn’t know what to expect from the pivot. Nutrition 2020 typically draws 3,500 delegates, but about 30,000 attended the virtual version. From PCMA…
In the rush to pivot strategies for the new normal, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters for an association and its members. Here is a guide to this transformative shift for associations and their congresses, including the delegates, sponsors and technology: the myths, facts and opportunities around virtual events. From MCI…
Iain Bitran, Executive Director of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management, shares the challenge of transforming a physical conference into a digital meeting. In just eleven weeks and with around 400 contributions, the XXXI ISPIM Innovation Conference succeeded in “Innovating in Times of Crisis”. From Boardroom…
Iceberg partner IMEX Group has just been forced to cancel IMEX America 2020, after the cancellation of IMEX Frankfurt earlier this year. IMEX CEO and also Iceberg ambassador Carina Bauer explains how the decision was taken, and reflects upon politicians’ appreciation of the value of events. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The many contributions on video for The Iceberg webinar about the JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events included one from Martin Lewis, former Managing Editor of Iceberg partner CAT Media, and Iceberg ambassador. The photo is of Martin in lighter mood at the 32nd M&IT awards last year. But in this longer extract from his…
Mark Taylor, Chief Executive of the QEII Centre in London, believes the meetings industry’s recovery from the impact and threat of COVID-19 could see it become even stronger. The venue has had an interesting journey, with one delegate in early February diagnosed with the virus just after attending. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
As so much of the business events world pivots to virtual meetings in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, what does that mean for the skill in presentation demanded of those who are speaking? Roy Sheppard is a conference MC, a facilitator, an interviewer and an online course creator, who first worked with the team…
Associations have long advocated for their members’ interests before governments and other institutions around the world. Now COVID-19 has completely revolutionised this function. As policymakers react to the crisis in real time, the advocacy associations do on behalf of their members has never been more urgent. From Boardroom…
Prior to the UK outlining plans for lifting lockdown in the hospitality industry, Jennifer Houlihan, Events and Operations Specialist at Dotted Lines, took an in-depth look at how meetings could start to come back and spur post-COVID-19 recovery. She discusses pre-event, onsite and post-event planning issues. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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