European city tourism kept climbing in 2025, but the headline figure only tells part of the story. The Central message of CityDNA’s report: Europe’s city destinations are moving from a volume race to a value-and-resilience race. Success is increasingly measured by what visitor economies deliver for residents, businesses, the environment, and the cities themselves.
On September 16, 2026, Destinations International (DI), the world’s leading association representing destination organizations and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), will bring together destination leaders, public officials, policy experts and industry partners for its second global Virtual Advocacy Day, a must-attend global program designed to help destination professionals navigate this increasingly complex environment.
COO of Business Events Adelaide Tony Saulters explains how his bureau focuses on the world-class specialisations in his destination when determining which events to target, assessing their potential importance not just on delegate numbers and expenditure, but on their capacity to drive inward investment and talent acquisition, and the extent to which they can facilitate…
Y.T. Anderson, of Visit Northern Finland & Oulu Convention Bureau, reflects on City DNA’s 40th Summer School, designed for newcomers to business events. He shares insights into the changing models of destination leadership, the shift from bednight-driven metrics to societal impact, and the growing influence of the new generation of future leaders in our sector.
Destination Canada’s Virginie De Visscher calls for the wider industry to adopt the lessons from the first three years of their unique study into international event impact and legacy. The biggest surprise in the research: the power of inclusion and diversity during planning, creating and delivering events. From Conference & Meetings World…
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Alyson Robb is a public relations specialist with over 20 years of experience in the public and private sector. Alyson has worked for different members of government, both at the federal and provincial level, providing communications and strategic political advice. She is also successful in creating positive working relationships with various external partners. Currently, Alyson…
Ihor Chava from Kyiv School of Economics argues that the primary purpose of place branding is not to shape a new image for a destination, but to create a space where all place stakeholders can align themselves around a shared vision, agree on the highest priorities and collectively nurture civic pride. From CityNationPlace…
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GCB Managing Director Schultze argues that while the world of business events has access to more data than ever before, and destination and venue information is widely available, the real value emerges only when different data sources are connected and placed into a meaningful context. Schultze outlines what Germany is doing to illuminate these connections.
Anthony Cassidy from Manchester Convention Bureau dissects the process of identifying targets, building ambassador capacity and bidding teams, and establishing trust with decision-makers in targeted organisations and events – a useful guide for destinations developing a bidding strategy linked to their economic development strategy, or looking to compare and benchmark their approach with others.
Why does The Iceberg consider the just-released IMEX White Paper, “Place Leadership and the Business Events Sector”, to be so important? In almost four decades of monitoring and supporting this sector, The Iceberg Curator, Martin Sirk, has reviewed hundreds of research reports, policy documents, and thought-leadership papers, yet he notes that “few match this paper’s…
Speaking at this year’s Place Leaders Forum at IMEX Frankfurt, future of cities expert Prof. Greg Clark articulates the potential for business events to fulfil a pivotal role within destinations’ strategic thinking, thanks to the emergence of new competitive realities as we enter an era where the Innovation Economy interacts with the Experience Economy. Our…
Destinations International’s President & CEO Don Welsh shares his personal business philosophy and his views on the future role of convention bureaux or DMOs. Leaders of these organisations will need to evolve into “alternative mayors”, ringmasters of the complex institutional relationships that make up modern place leadership in destinations large and small. From GatheringPoint.news…
Northstar’s TMS APAC is the leading tradeshow gathering event organisers and suppliers to connect, contract and forge new partnerships within the global MICE industry. Discover leading destinations, venues, hotels and other key MICE suppliers, complemented by an exclusive hosted buyer programme, bringing senior meetings, conventions, events and incentives buyers to a bustling tradeshow floor.
Join your industry peers for the must attend hosted-buyer event bringing together the most highly-qualified meeting and incentive buyers with top destinations, hotels/resorts, attractions, DMCs, DMOs, technology and merchandise providers, and tourism offices from the Southwest U.S. Meet buyers who are ready to book business in: Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas.
The Summit brings together the most highly-qualified incentive travel buyers with top incentive destinations, hotels/resorts, cruise lines, DMCs, DMOs, technology and merchandise providers, and tourism offices from around the world. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group of incentive specialists.
This is not another forum about what the business events industry already knows. The AP EvolvDestination Forum 2026 is designed for professionals who want to understand where future business will come from, how association decisions are changing, and how destinations, venues, PCOs, associations, universities, and industry partners can create opportunities together.
Northstar’s premier hosted-buyer event designed specifically for small and boutique-sized meetings brings together highly-qualified meeting buyers with destinations, hotels, DMCs, technology and merchandise providers, and other suppliers ready to welcome smaller events. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group.
This is the premier hosted-buyer event for Midwest suppliers to connect with meeting professionals. Join your industry peers for the must attend hosted-buyer event bringing together the most highly-qualified meeting and incentive buyers with top destinations, hotels/resorts, attractions, DMCs, DMOs, technology and merchandise providers, and tourism offices from the Midwest US.
Destination California — Northstar’s destination-specific hosted-buyer event — enables attendees to experience first-hand the most desirable destinations, hotels and activities for successful meetings, while making invaluable business connections. This unique event is hosted by Northstar Meetings Group’s leading brands — Successful Meetings, Meetings & Conventions, and Incentive magazine.
Northstar’s destination-specific hosted-buyer event brings together the most highly-qualified meeting and incentive buyers with top destinations, hotels/resorts, cruise lines, attractions, DMCs, DMOs, technology and merchandise providers, and tourism offices from the Southeastern states. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group.
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