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Shaping the Narrative of Business Events in Africa

From Meetings International: Few names resonate as strongly in business events as that of Rick Taylor, who has played a pivotal role in shaping Africa’s business events industry. With a career that spans decades, his contributions have left a permanent mark on the industry, shaping the narrative of business events as powerful catalysts for economic…

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Australia Sets Blueprint for Advocacy

The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) broke new ground when it successfully brought all industry organisations and stakeholders under one umbrella organisation. In so doing, its CEO, Melissa Brown, has the mandate to craft the message conveyed to government – across all departments. As its chair, Peter King, reminded The Iceberg when the association was…

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Emerging Opportunities in a Transformative Events Landscape

By Matthias Schultze, Managing Director, German Convention Bureau: How Business Events Can Adapt to Megatrends and Unlock Future Business Potential Business events remain vital arenas for innovation and strategic dialogue. Yet, in a rapidly changing world shaped by technological, societal and environmental shifts, these platforms are undergoing transformation themselves. In its most recent research phase,…

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The Future of Destination Management: Balancing Tourism, Community, and Sustainable Growth

From 1TourismWorld: Jane Cunningham, Director of European Engagement at Destinations International, highlights a pivotal shift in destination management toward community-focused stewardship. She emphasizes prioritizing citizens’ interests, ensuring tourism contributes positively to local life rather than becoming a burden. Cunningham advocates engaging communities in tourism planning and aligning visitor experiences with residents’ values, promoting sustainable growth….

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Legacy isn’t What’s Left Behind—it’s What’s Built from the Beginning

From Centre for Events & Festivals: What if we’ve been measuring the value of the Olympic Games all wrong? For decades, critics and champions of mega-events have sparred over their economic and social impact. Are they a catalyst for sustainable change—or just a two-week spectacle with ballooning costs? But maybe we’re asking the wrong question….

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What’s in a Name?

MICE/BE/CVB/LINK veteran Gary Grimmer reinvigorates an age-old challenge: we may understand and are able to communicate the scale and range of impacts that our events deliver for destinations, organisations, attendees and society at large, but what is the best way to present our sector to policymakers and other non-insiders? Is it possible or even desirable…

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The China Tariffs Were Crushing Global Events – 90-Day Truce Offers Relief

From Skift Meetings, by Andrea Doyle: A temporary U.S.-China tariff rollback is offering short-term relief for the global events industry, which has suffered under trade tensions that disrupted supply chains, cut budgets, and cast a shadow over international shows. Greater Pacific, a 31-year-old U.S.-based promotional products supplier, had paused all projects after the tariffs took…

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The Return to the Office: Rebalancing the Future of Work

From Boardroom, by Dr Ole Petter Anfinsen: The COVID-19 pandemic drove a shift in how organisations manoeuvre, with many transitioning from traditional office settings to fully remote work almost overnight. What started as a substitute or interim measure soon revealed unexpected benefits—greater flexibility, cost savings, and access to a broader talent pool. Yet, as remote…

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Te Pae Christchurch: Sustainable Focus Good For Business

From Boardroom: New Zealand’s world-class convention centre, Te Pae Christchurch, is proving a focus on sustainability, cultural connection and community engagement is not only good for the environment, but also good for business. Since opening in May 2022, Te Pae Christchurch has played a key role in reinvigorating Christchurch city, while delivering a sizeable boost…

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What’s Going on in the Audiovisual World? Sustainability Reflections from Prolight + Sound 2025

From Global Destination Sustainability Movement, by Guy Bigwood: I am just back from participating at Prolight + Sound – one of the world’s most important entertainment tech shows all about audiovisuals (AV), sounds, lighting, and more. Organised by and at Messe Frankfurt, Mira Wölfel, the Director of Prolight + Sound, kindly invited me to deliver…

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Iceberg Ambassador Anna Look Launches Association Event Insider Series

From Connection Awaits: In this new video series, we’re dropping golden nuggets we wish we’d known earlier or wish we’d practiced more — and you won’t want to miss what’s coming. We’re joined by none other than Rodney Cox, a true insider with 30 years of experience and insights from the International Association Events industry…

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CO₂ Budgets & the Future of Academic Events

From Boardroom: As climate change climbs the global agenda, academia is being pushed to rethink how it conducts research, collaborates, and shares knowledge. In this timely piece, Mickael Benaim, Associate Director & Head of Research at SFA Connect, explores how CO₂ emission budgets are reshaping academic travel, conference formats, and institutional sustainability strategies…

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Beyond the Closing Day: How to Ensure an Event’s Impact Lasts

From Identity, The Human Experience Agency: Events may have a closing date, but their impact shouldn’t. From global agreements to everyday brand moments, this feature explores how to design experiences that leave a lasting legacy, with insights from Identity’s Simon Dunnell and Helen Wright. By their very nature, events feel fleeting. There’s a date, a…

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How Tariffs May Redraw the Global Stage

From Skift Meetings, by Andrea Doyle: The Trump administration’s tariff policies are sending ripples through global trade, and in the process, they are impacting the global trade show business, said Kai Hattendorf, CEO of HTF Business Events Expertise, and the former CEO of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. “If permanent, this isn’t…

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