Has the war on plastic blinded us to other problems we face? Jemma Peers, Commercial Director at Top Banana, explores sustainability issues and shares the top three quick wins the industry can start practicing for long-lasting impact: watching air miles, reducing waste and creating sustainable menus. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The flying saucer of Palacongressi di Rimini (pictured), part of the Italian Exhibition Group, has become a strong contender for hosting high-profile international association events. In 2020 the venue is staging conferences that will create significant legacies in child protection, cardiology, organic chemistry, social work… and strawberry farming. From Boardroom…
Conferences and events are set to play a key role in the West Midlands’ new Regional Tourism Strategy, which aims to grow the area’s visitor economy by more than £1 billion and create 19,000 local jobs. At the conurbation’s heart is Birmingham, a city on the rise. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Looking into 2020, sector professionals are “very optimistic” about the meetings and events industry. This global survey’s respondents are predicting that the industry will remain steady with moderate growth across all meeting types, with modest increases in spend, and with a continued focus on the attendee experience and experiential events. 2020 Global Meetings and Events…
Manchester venue EventCity has just submitted a request to relocate to a new site in TraffordCity. The project aims to bring city centres closer together and to grow business tourism. Marketing Manchester recently announced the goal of increasing tourism by 40 percent, bringing in a further £345 million over five years. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
ICC Wales has hosted members of government, industry and academia from across the country for the UK Space Conference 2019. Over 1,800 delegates attended the three-day meeting, the first big international event held at ICC Wales, including representatives from space agencies around the world and astronaut Tim Peake (pictured). From Meetings International…
The International Convention Centre Wales, the new £84 million venue in Newport, South Wales, has opened its doors to UK and international events, with over 5,500 delegates experiencing the venue in a packed first week. The first event was the Association of Stoma Care Nurses three-day UK Annual Conference 2019. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
ExCeL London has hosted Sibos, the world’s premier financial services event, for the first time. With over 9,000 business leaders attending alongside 300 banking and fintech exhibitors, it was Sibos’ largest-ever audience and exhibitor participation. A host of fringe activity also took place around London, delivering significant economic impact. From Association Meetings International…
Construction work has just begun on a new trade fair and convention centre in Bruges. The new venue is located in the historical centre of the Belgian city, within easy walking distance of most hotels and tourist sights. It will open its doors at the end of 2021, and cost around €40 million. From Boardroom…
City leaders hope to fund a major expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (pictured) by selling off another of the city’s big meeting venues. The Governor’s administration intends to sell the Hynes Convention Center in the Boston Back Bay neighbourhood, and to “consolidate” convention business in one location. From Association Meetings International…
Ottawa Tourism and The Hague Convention Bureau have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will bring the two cities’ convention offerings closer together over the coming years. The agreement was initially discussed five years ago at the ICCA Congress in Antalya, and both organisations have since then sought ways to cooperate. From Meetings International…
The ninth edition of IMEX America came to a close in Las Vegas after an “imaginative” week that saw a three percent increase in pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and exhibitors, with 76,000 recorded. Industry firsts during the exhibition included the launching of the Event Industry Council’s new Centre for Sustainable Events. From Association Meetings International…
For the first time ever the UN has received commitments from the event industry at the Sustainable Development Goal Summit in New York. 7,000 pledges were collected from 58 countries, and the resultant “acceleration action” from Iceberg partner Positive Impact is promoting events as a form of lifelong learning (SDG 4). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
During August, Iceberg partner Positive Impact conducted a survey of event industry commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Over 7,000 pledges from 58 countries were received, like using only plant-based food to reduce carbon footprint. In a video from outside UN HQ in New York, CEO Fiona Pelham explains. From Positive Impact via YouTube…
The first time Gina Glantz used social media to call out the lack of women on a conference panel, she was “rebuked”. This ultimately led to the foundation of the campaigning nonprofit GenderAvenger, and later a change in how meetings respond to the naming and shaming of sessions which only schedule “manels”. From PCMA…
Davos is perhaps best known for staging the World Economic Forum, which gathers around 3,000 leading figures from business, politics and science every year. As such, it also has the expertise and capacity to host association events, as Professor Geoff Richards, Director of the AO Research Institute Davos, can testify. From Boardroom…
Iceberg partner Positive Impact has been campaigning for the meetings industry to align its activity to the framework of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. An industry survey that was conducted during August is being submitted to the UN itself. In a further video recorded at IMEX America, CEO Fiona Pelham explains. From IMEX via YouTube…
Glasgow will be welcoming 30,000 delegates, among them 200 world leaders, to discuss climate change at COP26 next year. The Glasgow Convention Bureau has also just reported best ever year-end results for conference business, attracting as well incentive and motivational events like KFC’s RGM Fest. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
A recent conference hosted by Tropic Skincare at The Vox was the first fully plant-based event held at the Resorts World Birmingham venue. As a developer of freshly made, cruelty-free products, the cosmetics brand had wanted to reflect these values through its conference menu. Meals included an “indulgent” gala dinner. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
France’s Art Nouveau capital, Nancy, has jumped on the sustainability agenda and is emerging as a premier locale for green meetings. The Prouvé Congress Center boasts a roof covered in solar panels and a bee farm. The trend towards green initiatives trickles through the rest of the city, and its convention bureau as well. From Boardroom…
This is the third year in which IMEX has had an annual “Talking Point”, a thread and a story that runs through both shows and all year long. In 2017, the concept was “Purposeful Meetings”, which was followed by “Legacy” in 2018. To help demonstrate this year’s idea of “Imagination” in concrete and practical terms, IMEX…
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