Convention and visitor bureaus are not political entities; their job is to attract and welcome travelers. Given that charter, nearly all try to keep hot topics out of their messaging. But when divisive legislation has a growing number of meeting planners opting to go elsewhere, how should they respond? From Northstar Meetings Group…
A slew of new bills signed into law by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has draped the Sunshine State in controversy, spurring protests, lawsuits and travel advisories warning the state is ‘openly hostile’ toward people of color, immigrants, women and LGBTQ+ community members. From CNN…
The Southern Hemisphere’s very first WorldPride held in Sydney, Australia in March, over 17 days extending to 400 events proved an opportunity to galvanise the LGBTQIA+SB community in standing together in a powerful call for equality. The Theme: Gather. Dream. Amplify and Sydney delivered on every level as Robin Mack, Executive General Manager for Commercial…
In a polarized political climate, Pride sponsors are vulnerable to backlash from both the right and the left. How do Pride organizers navigate shifting social currents and bilateral backlash to maintain their corporate partnerships? From DAHLIA+Agency…
Glasgow Convention Bureau has partnered with AccessAble and the Royal College of Nursing to launch the city’s first online resource providing delegates who have access requirements with detailed information on over 60 venues and services, including the Scottish Events Campus and on-site hotels, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, visitor attractions… From Glasgow Convention Bureau…
Business events have always been drivers of change, for participants, industries, and wider global communities; however the world continues to shift in ways that make it both more important and more difficult to execute this level of impact. The continued pandemic recovery coupled with geopolitical pressures are complicating everything… From Skift Meetings…
The 2023 Human Rights Conference staged in Sydney in early March was not only an outstanding success with more than 1,800 in-person delegates from 57 countries participating, it also provided an impressive showcase of the unique way Australia hosts a global conference. From Tourism Australia…
As an event organizer, prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) often means bringing groups of attendees, speakers, and suppliers together from different backgrounds, identities, and experiences. But there is still work to be done when it comes to activating allies both internally and externally. This work includes planning events that enact diverse, equitable, and inclusive…
Destinations International recognizes the importance of cultivating a tourism industry that represents a wide variety of individuals at all levels, celebrating the broad range of human differences among us, while embracing the commonalities we share. Our association is committed to transforming destination communities through thought leadership, best practices and tools based on equity, diversity and…
Around the world, there’s a new course to be plotted as destination organizations look inward at stakeholders and residents and begin to address the organizational changes needed to facilitate that shift: marketing must have a local voice, budgets need to address a wider scope of projects throughout the community with diverse partners… From Simpleview…
Equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and belonging, all terms that have become part of our everyday lives as association executives. We know we need to do more. We know we have responsibilities. But how do we frame our actions unless we reflect on our privileges, biases and assumptions, as individuals and as associations? From Boardroom Global…
Rory G. Archibald confirms the mission of New Intent – a movement designed to galvanise diversity, equity, and inclusion across the business events sector. In an exclusive video, Archibald explains that the ambition is to go far beyond housekeeping, beyond box-ticking, or DEI-washing. “We have a duty to do this or we are doing humanity…
The 61st International Congress and Convention Association Congress was held last month in Kraków, Poland. The four days of content programming concentrated on three key industry topics: diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and legacy. Some of the legacy speakers also contributed to this Iceberg video Feature, here presented together with video of five of the legacy sessions….
Last year, the IBTM World Trends report found itself looking at new frontiers. How had the meetings and events landscape changed in the wake of the pandemic, what behaviours had been adopted, how were other industries looking at this same landscape? Also, how was the global economy dictating the future welfare of our own market…
The 12th annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast is based on a survey of 580 meetings and events professionals from around the world and interviews with industry leaders. The survey ran in May and June 2022. Respondents represent corporations, associations, buyers and suppliers from five continents and 23 countries. The result is a statistically and…
Association meetings are facing tough economic headwinds with renewed sense of purpose, while focusing on legacy, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. That was the unmistakable message from the 61st Congress of Iceberg partner the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), held in the city of Kraków, Poland. From Association Meetings International…
IMEX organisers heralded the eleventh edition of IMEX America “the big comeback we’ve all been waiting for” in regard to the events, meetings and incentive travel sector. The show was 45 percent larger than last year due to the easing of travel restrictions and also returning exhibitors taking more space. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
A group of Edinburgh-based event professionals have launched a new tool to measure the societal impact conferences and meetings have in the city. The BEST (Business Events Shaping Tomorrow) tool has been developed to evaluate the positive outcomes from the business events hosted in the capital each year. From Conference News…
The Events Industry Council has published the results of its 2022 Equity Benchmarking Study, which has uncovered widespread diversity, equality and inclusion dissatisfaction among event professionals, minority groups and women. EIC appointed its Equity Task Force in 2020 to address systemic racism and all discrimination across the sector. From Exhibition News…
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