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Why Don’t Our Big Companies Have Control Over Their Marketplaces?

From Exhibition News, by Phil Soar: The control Microsoft has on its marketplace has been much in the news. It effectively forced the board of OpenAI to take back Sam Altman as CEO after a mysterious firing – a power reinforced by its $13bn investment in the artificial intelligence firm. Then, Microsoft finally acquired Activision…

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The Pursuit of Harmony

From Association Meetings International: Liesbeth Switten was a lawyer before she became secretary general of the Association for Issuing Bodies (AIB). Now she thrives on bringing people and policy together. Interview by James Lancaster…

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Reclaiming the Third Space: Bridging the Gap in Conferences & Meetings

By Paul Bailey, MBA, HMCC, SES: In our rapidly evolving professional landscape, the concept of the ‘third space’ – a term coined to describe social surroundings separate from home and work – has gained significant importance. This space, traditionally manifesting in cafes, libraries, or community centers, has long been a crucible for spontaneous interactions, intellectual…

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How to Awaken Your Inner Child and Find Creativity

On the second day of IBTM World 2023, Gorazd Cad and Jan Orsic were joined by Christine Renaud, the CEO and co-founder of e180, a B-Corporation founded in Montreal in 2011, whose mission is to reinvent how humans learn around the world. Her brainchild – Braindate – has over a million users and has been…

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COP28 Like a Trade show? That’s Not a Bad Thing

From The Japan Times: There is a common lament echoing through the halls of Expo City Dubai, the 400-hectare conference venue where the COP28 climate conference is being held: The event feels more like a slick trade show than an environmental summit. About 100,000 attendees — nearly three times those who attended COP26 in Glasgow,…

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Kai Hattendorf – 5 Trends to watch in 2024

From UFI: It took our face-to-face industry only two years to essentially recover from the most serious pandemic in more than a century. In addition, the industry has managed to deal with global inflationary pressures not seen in a generation. On top of that, we have faced new wars and growing geopolitical tensions. Despite all…

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PCMA Convene Podcast: A Positive Sustainable Narrative for Events

In this episode, recorded during Convening EMEA 2023, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Magdalina Atanassova, Convene’s digital media editor, talks to Ben Goedegebuure, who leads Maritz Global and Industry Presence efforts (www.maritzglobalevents.com). Goedegebuure represents Maritz with specific responsibility for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and its overall global coordination.

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Why Words Matter and How They Change our Perceptions

From Meetings International, by Sherrif Karamat: The wrong choice of words, no matter how well-intentioned, can have a powerful and unintended effect. We have a striking example of that in the business events industry with the recent resignation of Paddy Cosgrave, former CEO of the Web Summit, Europe’s largest tech conference. Cosgrave stepped down from…

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PSYCHOLOGICAL MEETINGS | People Who Hate

From Meetings International: “The bourgeois era, with its false and misleading concept of humanity, is over. A hard century has dawned. No one can master it with meekness but only with manliness and strength. The world is divided into lovers and haters. Only he who stands on solid ground knows exactly when to love and…

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Grit: The Art of Never Giving Up

From Meetings International, by Roger Kellerman: Grit is a character trait that combines perserverance, inner drive and the ability not to give up in the face of adversity. It is a crucial factor in achieving success both at school and in professional lift. Grit can also be developed and reinforced by ourselves and through support…

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The Joy of a Promiscuous Partnership Philosophy

Global Association Hubs’ International Advisor Martin Sirk argues that associations would benefit from a more uninhibited and broadminded approach to their strategic relationships: Of all the conference formats I’ve facilitated, none is more eye-opening and intellectually humbling than a “wisdom of crowds” workshop. The collective knowledge of a group of competent professionals… From Boardroom…

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Is Carbon Passporting Inevitable?

From The Conversation, by Ross Bennett-Cook: The summer of 2023 has been very significant for the travel industry. By the end of July, international tourist arrivals globally reached 84% of pre-pandemic levels. In some European countries, such as France, Denmark and Ireland, tourism demand even surpassed its pre-pandemic level. This may be great news economically,…

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Advocating for Sustainability

From the Meeting Professional: Natasha Richards, a longtime advocacy leader and director of impact and industry relations for the IMEX Group, admits that when it comes to sustainability and social responsibility, the events sector is often seen as more of a problem than a solution. “We really have an identity crisis—where do we fit in…

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Essential, Absolutely Necessary, and Very Important, Part 2

From Destinations International, by Jack Johnson: Back in January, I wrote a blog post titled “Essential, Absolutely Necessary, and Very Important, Part 1.” This is the promised sequel. In the first blog I referenced an article in Wired Magazine titled “Humans Walk Weird. Scientists May Finally Know Why.” which pointed out that humans have an…

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Skift Take | Transparent and Authentic Leadership

From Skift Meetings: Jaimé Bennett leads PCMA’s ambitious growth strategy in Europe with her distinctive style of transparent and genuine leadership. She is dedicated to organizing impactful events that foster safe and inclusive environments, fearlessly addressing significant industry challenges such as talent and consolidation. Jaimé Bennett is the managing director of EMEA at PCMA and…

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Mike Williams: Unlocking the Future of Business Events

Mike Williams, Senior Consultant & Partner at GainingEdge and AIME Ambassador, talks to AIME about current industry challenges and trends, engaging with the next generation of delegates through immersive experiences and new technologies, partnering with Government entities with shared economic goals, and creating legacy programs, and tracking and evaluating their economic and social outcomes…

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