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As well as attending the 57th ICCA Congress, SoolNua’s Mary Martin has been at IBTM World in Barcelona. Her roundup includes the ICCA World Forum for young professionals. representing the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence with a social media clinic, the 2018 Tech Watch Awards, and IBTM World’s impressive closing statistics. From SoolNua blog and news…
The Global Association Hubs Partnership, founded in Autumn 2015 and an Iceberg partner, brings together four major hubs across America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. As it passes its third anniversary, Brussels, Dubai, Singapore and Washington DC are enjoying association growth of 2.5 percent, well above the global average of 0.9 percent. From Boardroom…
Now companies have to respond almost immediately to bad publicity, overreaction is the danger. When the positive benefits of an activity aren’t understood, the damage can be even greater. Our incentive specialist looks at headlines the sector has weathered and what they say about the real value of incentive travel. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
Like many new markets, the Middle East and North Africa has its own dynamics with events, meetings, and conferences. The culture is all about personal relationships, so face-to-face is always important for business. Exhibition Director Middle East of IBTM Arabia, Danielle Curtis, shares insights on future trends and technology. From the Event…
The Watkins Report for US and Canadian convention bureaux is published biennially, and Curt Watkins of Watkins Research has been conducting the study for the past 25 years. Here he shares his perspective on how the features planners are seeking in their host destinations have changed over recent decades. From PCMA Convene…
Where meetings and events choose to go, and how they approach their content, are affected by many factors, not least the influence of political disruptors like Brexit or the 2016 US presidential election. So says Rod Cameron, Executive Director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg. From CIM News Magazine…
Border security seems to be of increasing importance in a more nationalistic political age. But sometimes the business of implementing border security involves collaborating across borders. Tony Smith, Chair of the International Border Management and Technologies Association, discusses IBMATA’s recent inaugural conference, and why collaboration is a main focus. From PCMA Convene…
What’s the best thing about travelling for business? In new research from ConferenceLeeds, almost half said it was “the novelty of being away from the office”. The results highlight how much we enjoy time away from our usual day-to-day routine, like time spent attending conferences and events in different cities. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
Vienna is the world’s most “liveable” city. That’s according to the annual Economist Intelligence Unit Global Liveability Index. It’s also the first city in Europe to top the survey: Melbourne had lead for seven years previously. But what is the link between “liveability” and actually attracting conference delegates? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
A recent report from the IMEX Policy Forum 2018 (see Research) outlines three areas of concern raised during the event by Gloria Guevara Manzo, the World Tourism and Travel Council President and CEO (pictured at IMEX with Group Chairman Ray Bloom). Her three concerns were: security and safety, crisis preparation and sustainability. From PCMA Convene…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. When the US Supreme Court recently upheld Trump Travel Ban III, Vancouver quickly tweeted out a welcome mat. But here’s a tale of two cities, New York and San Francisco, that insist the US is still open for business. From PCMA Convene…
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…
In 2016 Turkey’s largest city Istanbul claimed eighth spot in ICCA’s much-trumpeted city rankings. Today it is in 133rd place. Over the past 24 months the city has suffered deadly terrorist attacks, a failed coup, and a series of purges against its citizens, including teachers, journalists and lawyers. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Seasoned meetings industry veterans always take pleasure in discovering any destination unfairly overlooked. For one Iceberg partner a new find is the Swedish seaport of Gothenburg. Hotel Svenska Massan / Gothia Towers recently held a centenary event for customers from all over Europe “that combined intelligence with stardust”. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
Even before the leaders of North and South Korea shook hands over the Demilitarized Zone border, plans were already being made for a possible meeting between Kim Jong-un and US President Trump. Is this political coup the legacy of an event: the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Proposed Trump administration legislation, if approved next month, will require most US visa applicants to relinquish all their social media identities from the previous five years. Convention bureaux across the country have already reacted, but what will the move mean for visiting international delegates? From editor’s blog at Assocation Meetings International…
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