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Coronavirus: Saluting CVBs and Venues on Pandemic Front Line

From feeding workers on the front line, to making sure that food from cancelled events goes to the hungry and not to landfill, here’s a roundup of how organisations from across the business events industry have offered help during the pandemic, like the Los Angeles Convention Center and Levy Restaurant (pictured). From PCMA…

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Coronavirus: Why Pick Conference Centres as Emergency Hospitals?

In January, the Javits Center in New York was hosting a meet-and-greet for the American Kennel Club. Now the space is housing 2,600 hospital beds. Across the US the story is the same, inside venues like McCormick Place in Chicago and the Michigan Expo Center. But why choose them for this use? From Fast Company…

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Medical Associations: Involving Patients in Medical Congresses

Once they relied on actors or even mannequins, but more and more medical associations now involve real patients in their congresses. Whether as speakers, panellists or co-designers, they add a different perspective. The result is meetings that are engaging, insightful and enlightening. From Association Meetings International…

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Coronavirus: MCI’s Oscar Cerezales on Post-Crisis Strategy

Oscar Cerezales (pictured on right), Global Executive VP Corporate and COO Asia Pacific at Iceberg partner MCI, received the prestigious PCMA Chairman’s Award in January. Today he’s at working from his Singapore home, while pondering the flexible, diversified, and consolidated events industry that will emerge beyond coronavirus. From Event Crisis…

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Coronavirus: Change, Learning and Banging the MI Drum Together

Everything has changed. Meeting and travel are banned. Venues are hospitals. Events are online. We are learning so much about ourselves, but also need the world outside to learn about us and our £70 billion sector. Together we have to keep banging the drum. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Coronavirus: In Crisis Associations Have to Rethink Everything

COVID-19 has struck a blow to many associations by halting their key source of revenue: the massive annual meeting. With the timescales of lockdown uncertain, associations should try out new ways to support and connect members. So says the CEO of Iceberg partner TMG (Talley Management Group), Gregg Talley. From Northstar Meetings Group…

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Coronavirus: Virtual Pivot Dairy Meeting Doubles Reach

As the World Health Organization designated COVID-19 a pandemic, and the US announced more flight restrictions, so PDPW (Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin) was one week away from welcoming over 1,200 attendees to its annual Business Conference in Madison. Converting the meeting to virtual was the only way forward. From PCMA…

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Coronavirus: How the Crisis Has Advanced Virtual Meetings

The coronavirus crisis has led to unprecedented interest in virtual events. For many organisers, this meant seriously looking into their possibilities, in some cases for the first time. But directly transposing the aims of a live event can mean missing the potential benefits of producing relevant and bespoke video content. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Coronavirus: Inside the Javits Center’s Hospital Preparations

New York’s Javits Center has been put to use in crises before. It was a command and control base for the Federal Emergency Management Agency after 9/11, and in 2012 also had minor government operations running after Hurricane Sandy. But the venue has never been used as a hospital until now. From PCMA…

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Coronavirus: Lasting Globalisation Legacy, Association Meetings

Globalisation, the world’s closer integration, is under attack. After nativism, terrorism and of course climate change, now a microscopic pathogen is even stopping us from gathering to meet. If globalisation does have a positive legacy though, international association meetings may be the best of what closer integration gives society. From Association Meetings International…

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Coronavirus: JMIC’s Rod Cameron Discusses Preparing for Recovery

International travel is now all but shut down and meetings are either cancelled, postponed or online. It’s hard to think about rebuilding while still in the eye of the storm, but it’s nevertheless vital. Rod Cameron, Executive Director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, talks sector recovery. From JMIC…

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Coronavirus: How the Current Crisis Should Reshape Associations

There has never been a more vital time for the services and value that associations provide, at precisely the moment traditional business models are falling apart. With a strong focus on societal mission, and by making urgent challenges the top priority, associations now have a unique opportunity to make difference. From Martin Sirk via Boardroom…

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Four Cities Linked: The Global Associations Hubs Partnership

Most ambitious destinations market meetings by targeting key economic growth sectors and by making good use of knowledge economy assets. GAHP, the Global Association Hubs Partnership, links up four such cities with strong association ecosystems and support. GAHP is also a partner of The Iceberg. From Association Meetings International…

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