In a vote of confidence for the positive societal and economic impact of Business Events, C$15 million has been earmarked over the next three years to help attract events in strategically important sectors. Administered by Destination Canada, ICAF has helped secure 116 international conventions, generating C$803.3 million in direct economic impact and supporting 6,692 jobs.
PCMA Insights, a resource for business events leaders has been released, designed to help make sense of an increasingly complex business environment. Also available to download is PCMA’s flagship annual report on how event strategists in companies and associations, and destination leaders in city and national DMOs worldwide are planning, designing and leading through 2026.
60 years young: that’s the spirit of Melbourne Convention Bureau, one of the world’s most successful and innovative DMOs. The MCEC – Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – is a relative youngster with only 30 years under its belt, but the venue laid out its ambitions at birth by achieving a six Green Star sustainable…
From 3 to 4 March 2026, Amsterdam hosted the first edition of the Amsterdam Space Symposium at Beurs van Berlage, bringing together over 500 participants and 100+ speakers from across the global space sector. Organised by SpaceNed in collaboration with the Amsterdam Convention Bureau (ACB), the event combined high-level dialogue with a strong focus on…
Exclusive 3-day masterclass in Luxembourg for association leaders to enhance skills in creating, executing, and evaluating impactful activities promoting social, economic, and environmental progress. Featuring a programme crafted in collaboration with #MEET4IMPACT, GainingEdge and Business Events Sarawak as the Seed Fund Contributor.
Meeting tourism has always been a changing and dynamic industry. The behaviours and the needs of our clients are constantly changing, and our organisations face a much more competitive and demanding market. Learners will: Strengthen key skills to outshine competitors; Reinforce expertise with new strategies and insights; Stay current and competitive in a changing industry.
A more structured and transparent RFP process empowers associations to compare partners on equal footing, identify the destinations that truly align with their mission, and make more intentional, impact-driven decisions. This session will explore how clearer criteria, phased approaches, and mission alignment can transform RFPs from procurement tools into strategic partnership frameworks.
Taking place at IMEX Frankfurt 2026, ICCA Business Intelligence Database Training offers members a quicker, smarter user experience; giving access to data, stats, reports, and analysis to uncover more business opportunities. Key features include: Improved integration, Intuitive modern user interface, Customised meeting search tools, Notification system, Smart recommendation engine.
The traditional pre-IMEX Association Expert Seminar has evolved into the Association Circle, designed to elevate and upskill the meetings and association community, strengthening its ability to remain future-proof and resilient. By focusing on complex, strategy-driven topics, the initiative challenges participants to deepen their expertise and advance their knowledge to the next level.
Exploring practical and creative approaches to embedding wellbeing into how teams work together and how events are designed, introducing simple yet powerful tools that help facilitators, leaders, and event planners create environments where people feel safe, engaged, and connected. You’ll gain insights into how intentional design can improve collaboration, reduce stress, and support meaningful participation
Not all booth conversations are created equal. Some lead to qualified opportunities. Others are polite exchanges that go nowhere. We’ll break down the art of strategic conversation at industry events — how to ask the right questions, listen for the signals that matter, and capture intelligence that informs your bid strategy and destination positioning.
Convene 4 Climate (C4C) is a global platform and movement aimed at accelerating the transition of the Business Events Industry (BEI) towards sustainability and regeneration. A collaborative initiative born in 2024 between PCMA in collaboration with The Strategic Alliance of National Convention Bureaux of Europe (SANCBE), C4C has taken a structured, action-oriented approach, stimulating cross-sector…
The event attracts 600+ business event leaders from over 40 countries to challenge each other and develop ways to move forward together. It is the platform to share knowledge, make meaningful connections, learn, do business, be inspired and to grow as individuals, teams and organisations. This is your opportunity to contribute to building a stronger…
The PCMA Business Events Summit is an advanced, members-only education experience — an immersive, skills‑based summit for business events professionals ready to sharpen their expertise, solve real‑world challenges, and elevate their impact. Formerly edUcon, the Summit has been reimagined as a pinnacle learning environment with longer sessions, hands‑on application, and peer‑driven problem solving.
ICCA is strengthening its commitment to sustainability and advocacy with the appointment of Alexander Alles as Senior Director, Advocacy and Sustainability. Alles, who previously served as Executive Director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council, will join the ICCA team effective 1 April as part of ICCA’s ongoing efforts to advance these two core strategic pillars.
A study by the Barcelona Institute of Economics reveals that Fira de Barcelona generates over 49,000 jobs, contributes a GVA of €2.96bn (≈1% of Catalonia’s GDP), and produces an annual economic impact exceeding €6.1bn, with growth of 28% in the last five years, mainly in commerce, hospitality, transport, and local industry. From Meetings International…
AMI’s James Lancaster examines a peculiar contradiction that sits at the heart of Europe’s convention bureaux: while they spend much of their time handing out money to compete for lucrative association conferences, they often struggle to secure their own funding. Could tourism tax up-end the rules of the game?
Ottawa Tourism and Invest Ottawa highlight their growing partnership to attract high-value international conferences and events, supported by the Think Ottawa program and Destination Canada’s International Convention Attraction Fund. With Ottawa’s strengths across aerospace, defence and security, cybersecurity and AI, the destination team is building a future pipeline of business events aligned with these sectors.
Scotland’s capital is set to become the first city in the UK to fund its convention bureau through a mandatory tourist tax – or ‘visitor levy’ – in what could herald the start of major changes to how cities across the country attract business events and conference tourism. From M&IT…
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