The fifth annual Exhibitions Day drew a record 125 attendees to Capitol Hill in Washington DC. The two-day event included a one-day update on legislative issues to be discussed in Congress. Those who carried the industry’s message to elected officials the following day included representatives from over twenty industry associations. From Meetings & Conventions…
Dr Sue Black is a British computer scientist, academic and social entrepreneur. She also helped save the World War II codebreaking site Bletchley Park from falling into ruin. Recently Black was interviewed on a famous BBC radio programme, and told an interesting story of gender and the power of conferences. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
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…
With an ever-increasing focus on the environment and growing demand for sustainable practice, green event and conference planning is now an established trend within the global meetings industry. Here are six areas to consider for a greener approach: the venue, carbon offsetting, the accommodation, the catering, technology and lighting, and the materials used. From the Event…
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, Incentive Research Foundation and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals have now opened up submissions for their new joint survey of the incentive travel sector. The resulting crowdsourced evidence-based study will provide insights into the current and future direction of incentives. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
Events have the potential to make a lasting impact on organisations that plan and own them, participants attending them, and communities hosting them. A focus on legacy at every stage is therefore essential. Karen Kotowski, CEO of the Events Industry Council, offer five criteria for creating the right community impact. From PCMA…
In the second of three insights on the value of business and professional events, GainingEdge CEO Gary Grimmer and Gregg Talley, President and CEO of the Talley Management Group, analyse the crucial role professional associations and the broader “civil society” play across the whole of scientific and industrial development. Association meetings deliver the platforms and…
Exhibition professionals from around the world participated in record numbers during the third Global Exhibitions Day on June 6th. GED 2018 both showcased the industry’s major contribution to destination economies, and was the largest exhibitions advocacy event to date, with some 85 countries taking part according to UFI, the industry’s global association. From TSNN…
Some of the biggest names from the global technology and business community have joined more than 50,000 delegates at London Tech Week 2018. The event is Europe’s largest festival of technology and innovation, where major tech brands like Google, Twitter, and Facebook are joined on stage by some of London’s leading sector stakeholders. From PCMA…
The PCO community is mourning the loss of Gonzalo Perez Constanzo who has died aged 61. The past President of the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers passed away in Buenos Aires after a long battle with cancer. During his tenure as IAPCO President he launched the Albert Cronheim Scholarship. From Association Meetings International…
Conventions and Incentives New Zealand has called for the removal of the Goods and Services Tax disadvantage the country’s international conferences face compared to other destinations like Australia. Currently GST is charged at 15 percent on registration fees in New Zealand regardless of whether or not attendees are residents. From CIM News Magazine…
The Rehabilitation International World Congress (pictured), held in Edinburgh in 2016, fundamentally advanced approaches to accessibility and inclusion. The event’s legacy – and indeed the distinction between legacy and impact – was one of three case studies discussed at an IMEX 2018 session hosted by Iceberg partner GainingEdge. From Boardroom…
When most people think about international meetings they think about bed-nights and tourism expenditure. But hidden below the iceberg surface are the impacts that really count: knowledge creation and transfer, new solutions to societal issues, and opportunities for inward investment, partnerships and business deals. From ICCA CEO Martin Sirk via TTG Mice…
On Global Exhibitions Day the international sector joined in force to advocate for its future and also catch the attention of young professionals considering the industry. Every year tens of thousands of exhibitions are held worldwide, serving 4.4 million exhibiting companies and attracting 260 million visitors. From UFI Managing Director Kai Hattendorf via LinkedIn…
According to ICCA, almost two-thirds of international association meetings attract 250 or fewer delegates. Only seven percent welcomed more than 1,000 people, and just a tiny fraction (1.3 percent) attracted 3,000 or more. Small events can indeed be beautiful, but we hear little about them. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
During IMEX, Copenhagen described the image problem academia is facing: endless conference invitations alongside carbon footprint concerns and straining public budgets. Industrial PhD student Thomas Trøst Hansen has been researching how delegate academics work and receive recognition through the value chain used as a basis for evaluating academic events. From Boardroom…
Sydney has just hosted over 6,500 members of Jeunesse Global, the largest corporate incentive group ever to visit during the city’s Vivid festival. The huge meeting should contribute almost AU$40 million to the NSW economy. The Chief Executive of Business Events Sydney reflects on the value and legacies of such incentives. From Lyn Lewis-Smith via LinkedIn…
Nine industry organisations, including partners of The Iceberg, have formed a coalition to combat sexual harassment. The partnership includes the American Society of Association Executives, the Events Industry Council, the IMEX Group, the Joint Meetings Industry Council, Meeting Professionals International, the Professional Convention Management Association, and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence. From Meetings & Conventions…
BestCities Global Alliance has announced a joint study project in partnership with Rehabilitation International and GainingEdge. The goal is to produce a reference guide for organisers and the supplier community to make events more inclusive for delegates with special needs. The hope is that knowledge sharing and robust case studies will improve accessibility. From Boardroom…
The importance of legacy and the many ways it can be achieved was the focus of the IMEX 2018 Gala Dinner Awards. The social legacy of Karen Bolinger, Melbourne Convention Bureau CEO, won her the JMIC Unity Award. And the legacies of Jane E. Schuldt and Paul Flackett were also remembered. From Meetpie.com…
Delegates from South Africa, Argentina and South Korea were among thirty national or regional politicians and officials engaging with eighty meetings industry leaders at the IMEX Policy Forum. ‘The Legacy of Positive Policy Making’ was the theme of the event, formerly known as the IMEX Politicians Forum, at the InterContinental Hotel Frankfurt. From Meetpie.com…
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