Jeremy Rees, ExCeL London CEO, has been revealing his plans for the future of the venue. Topics covered include measuring event success, budgets, safety, changes inside the industry, and the sector’s wider recognition. Ahead of Sibos, the centre upgraded its W-Fi, and also installed a living wall of more than 9,500 plants (see picture). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Convention centres are great places to exhibit the largest pieces of art. In Singapore, Sydney, Washington DC and Paris, four venues have placed significant works on display, from contemporary legends like Anthony Gormley and Anish Kapoor, to First Nations’ art in Australia, to Europe’s largest fresco (pictured). From Association Meetings International…
The London–based World Obesity Federation recently certified the Milano Convention Centre as the world’s first Gold Level Healthy Venue. MiCo management is very keen to talk about what this means in practice, and also about the role venues can play in creating wellness legacies for their stakeholders. From PCMA…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The American Express Meetings and Events 2020 Forecast reports that industry professionals are “looking aggressively” towards next year. All meeting types are expected to see steady growth for the fifth year in a row. But planners across Europe are facing specific challenges in relation to GDPR and the uncertainty around Brexit. 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…
We’re told that the events industry is one of the most stressful sectors in which to work. It doesn’t have to be. Will Glendinning, event producer, director, designer and adventurer, lays out four key issues behind most of the stress workers deal with on a daily basis. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The shame and stigma of mental illness need to be addressed within the events industry. That was the call at UK Event Wellbeing Week 2019 in London. One idea raised was that clients might foster change, as they increasingly ask about work culture in RFIs (requests for information). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
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