Opinions

  • Category

  • Sector

  • Host Destinations

Found 965 Opinions

Viewing all Opinions

Old Dog, New Bone: What now for Melbourne Chief?

Outgoing CEO at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Peter King, reflects on the needs of the business events sector to have a ‘North Star’ upon which to attract talent. In a parting message, the former AIPC president hints that he still has a significant contribution to make to the broader wellbeing of the sector’s…

Read More

BLAST OFF! New Intent to Accelerate DEI across Business Events

Rory G. Archibald confirms the mission of New Intent – a movement designed to galvanise diversity, equity, and inclusion across the business events sector. In an exclusive video, Archibald explains that the ambition is to go far beyond housekeeping, beyond box-ticking, or DEI-washing. “We have a duty to do this or we are doing humanity…

Read More

Elevating the Business Events Industry Starts With Advocacy

Iceberg Ambassador Tommy Goodwin, Vice President, Government Affairs for the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, discusses the value and power of advocacy for the meetings industry. ECA has spearheaded a number of programmes to help small businesses and key stakeholders across the industry within the US. From Skift Meetings…

Read More

Guadalajara: Social Progress Starts With Innovation

Known for the close connection to its people, Guadalajara in Mexico has set a steady course to help elevate their quality of life through innovation and the strategic attraction of business events. With extensive support from the government, Guadalajara is consolidating its 4.0 economy while promoting its strengths in the meetings industry. From Boardroom Global…

Read More

Thinking Again With Adam Grant at Convening Leaders

In his work as an organizational psychologist and consultant, Adam Grant has seen a lot of companies go out of business, he told a packed audience at Convening Leaders 2023. It wasn’t because their leaders weren’t good at thinking, said Grant, “They were too slow when it came to rethinking.” From PCMA…

Read More

What does 2023 hold for the Exhibition Industry?

Originally broadcast live on YouTube & LinkedIn on 5th Jan, Dan Assor chatted with Kai Hattendorf, CEO of UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, about the the key trends for 2023: Doubling Down on Customer Focus; ‍The Climate Crisis Will Hit;‍ More Data, Less Hype; Staffing Stays Key;‍ Accelerating Change. From Dan Assor…

Read More

Facing Up to the Climate Challenge

Sustainability and climate scientist professor Kimberly Nicholas sums up the climate challenge concisely, stressing: “It’s warming. It’s us. We’re sure. It’s bad. We can fix it.” But what role do associations play? How is it us? And how can we fix it? From Association Meetings International…

Read More

Kai Hattendorf: 2023’s Five International Trends to Watch

The CEO of Iceberg partner UFI, Kai Hattendorf (pictured right!) has been looking into his crystal ball yet again as the year ends. With the pandemic lingering in some territories, Russia’s war in Ukraine, inflation skyrocketing and the climate crisis, what are the key trends to see business events through 2023? From Exhibition News…

Read More

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…

Read More

DI’s Jane Cunningham Talks Legacy and Net Zero Carbon Events

Jane Cunningham has worked for hotels, a convention centre, a DMO (destination marketing organisation) and a PCO (professional conference organiser). She has also worked for two Iceberg partners, BestCities Global Alliance and Destinations International. Here she offers her thinking on legacy and Net Zero Carbon Events. From Meetings International…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More