Organised by the Association of Association Executives, the Associations World Congress took place in Portugal this year, setting up camp at the Lagoa Congress Centre and the Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve Resort for three days of debate, collaboration, and an industry doing some serious reckoning with its own future. From Boardroom…
At the recent edition of The Meetings Show Asia Pacific, held in Singapore, Northstar Travel Group’s CEO Jason Young reported healthy growth in buyer attendance, pre-booked business meetings and exhibition space booked, along with strong positive sentiments from all sectors of the industry. Young pointed to the growing importance for show organisers of offering high…
Founder and Chair of the Centre for Events and Festivals, Dr Mike Duignan provides academic credibility to the recently released Canadian Legacy & Impact Study Final Report, stating, “This is a simple but rigorous framework of legacy drivers.” Duignan argues that there is a critical need for alignment between governments, DMOs, event owners and organisers,…
At PCMA’s recent Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore, Chair Kelly Ricker and CEO & President Sherrif Karamat called for stronger alignment amongst all players in the industry if we are to be heard more clearly by policymakers and others outside our sector. PCMA’s Vision 2030 aims to unite these diverse voices, anticipate global challenges, and ensure…
Copenhagen Convention Bureau launched the Copenhagen Risk Navigator at this year’s IMEX, and explained that this comprehensive, practical collection of 14 different risk management tools has been custom-developed and made available freely to the entire business events community: destinations and organisers / owners, as well as industry suppliers. Developed by CCB in partnership with GainingEdge…
At their IMEX press conference in Frankfurt, Destination Canada and #MEET4IMPACT presented this extended summary of the findings from the multi-year, multi-event Canadian Legacy & Impact Study, focusing on the key drivers of long-term impact, the critical success factors that determine whether impact strategies will be effective, and the wide range of tactical legacy drivers…
In the latest PULSE Survey, planner optimism has increased dramatically: The percentage of planners who are more optimistic than they were two months ago has nearly doubled since the March PULSE Survey. The research indicates meetings demand is strong — and that planners must navigate significant cost-related and geopolitical challenges to execute those business events.
When the 76th International Astronautical Congress convened at ICC Sydney in 2025, Sydney became host of one of the world’s most strategically charged sectors. Space agencies, governments, scientists, engineers, commercial suppliers, students and the public gathered in Darling Harbour at a congress that reflected the ambition and complexity of the global space economy. From Boardroom…
This paper summarises the Legacy Event Advocacy Policy Summit 2025 and explains the significance of the Borneo Legacy Declaration as a strategic framework for advancing sustainable development, legacy creation, and policy integration through business events, highlighting how the Declaration aligns with sustainability and legacy theories, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and Sarawak’s long-term development agenda.
The recent unveiling of Hongqiao Tech Week is the latest sign that the global technology events landscape is becoming closer tied to the Chinese market. Taking place in Shanghai in November, the event will bring together enterprises, startups, investors and leaders across sectors including AI, future mobility, digital infrastructure, and life sciences. From M&C/ASIA…
Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance has put out a call for industry action to oppose proposed US legislation that would have a significant negative impact on the business events sector. OMB wants to make wholesale changes to the rules that govern more than $1 trillion in grants made by the federal government annually…
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Silvano joined Congrex Switzerland in 2010 and is a member of the company’s senior management team. He leads the Marketing, Sales, Communications and Sustainability divisions. His career began in the hospitality sector, and he has since accumulated more than twenty years of experience in the business events industry. Congrex Switzerland is one of Europe’s leading…
The recent cancellation of a prominent African financial conference comes as confirmed Ebola cases surge, raising questions about whether more meetings will be impacted, not just within Africa itself, but at events in destinations such as India and the Middle East which have traditionally relied on large numbers of African delegates.
‘Influence Architecture: The 15 Laws of How Washington Actually Works: A Field Guide for the Leaders Who Pay for Outcomes.’ ECA’s Tommy Goodwin strongly recommends this new book written by Austin O’Boyle as an essential guide for anyone in the Business Events sector whose organisation is planning or participating in a US advocacy campaign.
AMI’s James Lancaster urges caution when making all-inclusive economic expenditure claims that collate such items as flights and accommodation as well as meetings-specific spend. Instead, our arguments have a better chance of influencing policymakers if we focus on the societal value generated, and frame our industry as an enabler of other sectors’ activity.
David Adler, GatheringPoint.News, explains why big investors have decided the most valuable asset in an artificial age is a room of people who showed up, and have spent US$5 billion in five weeks to prove it. The events business has become a veracity business, and veracity is in short supply in the age of AI.
The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and FIEXPO Exhibitions Group have announced the launch of the FIEXPO & IAPCO Emerging Leaders Programme – LATAM and Jorge Castex Scholarship, a new regional initiative designed to identify, develop and support the next generation of leaders across the meetings and events industry in Latin America and the Caribbean.
ECA’s Tommy Goodwin argues that events bringing together policymakers, business leaders, media and lobbyists to discuss key issues offer far more transparent platforms than other forms of policy influencing activity. He encourages more media companies to embrace the importance of high-quality events as part of their respective journalistic missions.
The value of a congress is increasingly assessed beyond attendance figures or immediate economic return – its significance lies in its capacity to reshape ecosystems, accelerate knowledge circulation, and anchor territories within global networks of influence. The SRS Annual Meeting 2025, hosted in Strasbourg, offers a particularly instructive example of this shift.
ICCA CEO Dr Senthil Gopinath argues that business events leaders must move beyond operational excellence and embrace advocacy. Sitting at the policy table is not about politics; it is about partnership. It is about ensuring that those who shape the rules understand the real value we deliver.
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