Karen Bolinger, tireless CEO of the Melbourne Convention Bureau, has announced her departure after more than seven-and-a-half years at the helm. She steps down in what is expected to be another record year for the bureau in terms of economic contribution, adding around AU$500 million to the region’s coffers. From Association Meetings International…
The Seoul Convention Bureau has rolled out its 2019 PLUS SEOUL initiative to boost business events. As well as expanded core benefits of up to KRW 250,000,000 (previously KRW 150,000,000) for international conferences, PLUS SEOUL will cover developing event apps and VR, and the bureau has also designed new customised experiences for meetings. From Boardroom…
The looming threat of climate change poses huge questions for the international meetings industry, particularly for high profile global events under intense media scrutiny like COP24, the World Economic Forum and the UN Climate Change Conference. But does the sector itself have the answers, and how is it approaching the problem? From Association Meetings International…
Don Welsh, CEO of Destinations International, once headed up individual convention bureaux in Seattle, Indianapolis and Chicago. Now he’s the leader of the entire CVB community. Here he describes how the roles differ, and also how the function of a convention bureau has evolved in recent years. From PCMA…
Many healthcare and STEM meeting participants can justify attendance because an abstract of theirs has been accepted. But rather than holding conferences of speakers speaking to speakers, perhaps there is space for a “flipped” model, where the event environment is a place for peer review and improvement of works in progress. From PCMA…
The financial health of a medical association convention can depend on whether its exhibition floor is or isn’t sold out. Attending doctors though aren’t usually buying drugs directly but prescribing them. So measuring the return on investment of exhibiting at medical meetings has become a science in its own right. From PCMA…
The Iceberg is publishing a series of interviews about the globalisation of large associations. These are jointly produced by partners Boardroom and the Global Association Hubs Partnership. Matthew D’Uva, CEO of the Washington DC-headquartered International Association for the Study of Pain, describes reaching 100 chapters around the world. From Global Association Hubs Partnership…
The Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has organised the world’s fifth conference in the field to further its aim of taking a leading global role. KSGE established the International Digestive Endoscopy Network and its event to overcome the limitations of national academic meetings. Photo: Galenus Medical. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
The latest Meetings Market Survey from the Professional Convention Management Association has revealed a growth in meeting attendance with a further rise expected next year. Considered to be a barometer for the industry, the survey found attendance for 2018 up five percent. It had risen by 3.6 percent in 2017. From Association Meetings International…
The City of London – the capital’s historic financial district – could be set for a Brexit boost, with more than three quarters of City venues expecting an increase in revenue over the next 12 months, according to a new survey. 70 percent of respondents were optimistic about the coming year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The UK Events Industry Board has launched a survey to help assess the value of EU grants, infrastructure funding and service-related projects that have benefited the business events industry. The EIB is urging destinations to complete a survey identifying EU funding for projects like ICC Birmingham in 1989. Photo: Roy Hughes. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The International Convention Centre of Barcelona broke its previous high turnover record whilst welcoming more than 500,000 visitors in 2018. The CCIB, managed by GL Events, announced turnover of €37.2 million last year, an increase of 11.5 percent over 2017 and of 3.1 percent on the 2007 record. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Michael Hirst has been appointed chair of the Events Industry Board by UK tourism minister Michael Ellis MP following the resignation of Nick de Bois last year. Hirst has served as deputy chair since the body’s 2016 creation. He is also chair of BVEP (the Business Visits and Events Partnership). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO, has spoken about the show’s focus on diversity, it being key to the future of the events industry. “That’s why it forms a core part of our offering at IMEX in Frankfurt this year”, she said. IMEX includes an opening session called “She Means Business”. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The publishers of a planned report into the size and value of Britain’s events sector have made a call for contributions from the industry. The study from the Business Visits and Events Partnership, due out this Autumn, will be used to profile the sector to politicians, the media and wider business community. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance, the network of international convention bureaux, has launched a range of financial products to woo international association meeting clients. The alliance will now offer discounted secure payment, foreign currency protection, and also VAT reclaim services. From Association Meetings International…
Now entering its seventh year, the European Association Summit has taken place at SQUARE – Brussels Convention Centre. The annual gathering for those representing international associations brought together around 200 attendees, including several Iceberg partners, under the theme “Share and Co-create”. From Boardroom…
The Belgian Federal Parliament in Brussels has approved a new Code of Companies and Associations. The aim of the new law is to modernise and simplify existing frameworks. It also offers international associations opportunity for direct transfer to Belgium from abroad. Photo: Edison McCullen. From Global Association Hubs Partnership…
Powered by 
