The creation of La Nuvola Convention Centre, also called The Cloud, has lifted Rome’s appeal as a meetings destination. Despite its much-criticised spiralling costs, construction taking eight years to complete at a cost of €239 million, it’s estimated that the centre could generate between €300 and €400 million annually within five years. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Canada’s capital, Ottawa, is to launch a conference ambassador programme. Together Ottawa Tourism, the Shaw Centre (above) and Invest Ottawa will offer bespoke support to local experts becoming “trailblazers” by helping the city to secure major meetings. ThinkOttawa will work with its ambassadors to prepare bid documents and provide support. From Association Meetings International…
Over nine million guests have visited the Vancouver Convention Centre from across the world in its ten year history, generating more than $2.4 billion in direct spend for British Columbia. The events held at the venue include TED conferences, trade shows, corporate meetings, banquets and fundraisers. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Imagine a place where strong African culture meets modern urban life, and where years of troubled history have given way to cosmopolitan regeneration. Add in a pioneering new venue like the Kigali Convention Centre, and welcome to the capital of Rwanda, “land of a thousand hills”, in central East Africa. From Boardroom…
Delegates attending the Conference and Hospitality Show held at the First Direct Arena Leeds later this month can also attend a Business Visits and Events Focus North conference, bringing together experts to explore how the north of England can gain a larger share of the £43.3 billion UK meetings and events industry. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Funding has been approved for a $500 million expansion that will double the size of Calgary’s BMO Centre to almost a million square feet and transform it into Canada’s second-largest venue. The further funding will create new spaces for hosting conferences, meetings and exhibitions, to help attract larger conventions and events. From Meetings International…
The 17th Aesthetic & Anti-Ageing Medicine World Congress has taken place at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Programmed by the World Society of Interdisciplinary Anti-Ageing Medicine, every year the event attracts over 10,000 participants from more than 120 countries. Over 300 leading international companies are showcased on the five-floor exhibition area. Photo: Evelyscher. From Boardroom…
The International Convention Centre Belfast is hosting the Microbiology Society Annual Conference. The largest annual gathering of sector professionals in the UK and Ireland, more than 1,600 delegates from all over the world will visit Belfast over four days attending more than 30 sessions during a comprehensive scientific programme. From Boardroom…
The Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre is increasing its number of meeting rooms. Two new spaces will open in September, the largest for up to 1,200 attendees. MITEC is the third largest venue in Southeast Asia and capable of hosting “mega-exhibitions” for over 100,000 and conventions of 20,000. From Association Meetings International…
The largest event management and exhibition organising company in Hungary, Hungexpo, has announced record turnover for 2018. Hungexpo had earned more than £21 million by the end of the year, up almost 30 percent on 2017. Major events in 2018 included the Congress of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Edinburgh International Conference Centre has posted record financial results for 2018 as managers wary of a Brexit downturn target growth opportunities outside Europe. EICC is owned by Edinburgh City Council, which last month cut £300,000 from the annual budget of Marketing Edinburgh, the body that runs CVB Convention Edinburgh. From Association Meetings International…
Expoforum, the new congress and exhibition centre in St Petersburg, is trying to raise its profile as a place to host major international association congresses. As well as entering into media partnerships, attending trade shows and focussing on its ICCA membership, the venue has also engaged business development consultants. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
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 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…
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