German trade fairs have already been hit hard by COVID-19 crisis cancellations and postponements. Organisers and service providers are already suffering significant financial losses. AUMA, the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry, has now forecast a total loss to the German economy of around three billion euros. From UFI…
Coronavirus event cancellations are wiping AU$2.5bn off the Australian economy every month. So say new figures from a major industry body. Shutting down large gatherings has effectively shut down the country’s meetings sector, with devastating results, according to the Business Events Council of Australia. From Association Meetings International…
Iceberg partner UFI has updated its earlier economic impact assessment of international exhibitions and trade shows due to the coronavirus crisis. At least €134 billion ($145 billion) of contracts have not concluded with shows not taking place as planned through Q2. The industry economic output in total is down €81.6 billion ($88.2 billion). From UFI…
The Iceberg exists to celebrate the legacies of business events. Sadly, sometimes the chance to create social legacies is strikingly missed. It’s a salutary lesson to look back at a TED talk from 2015 given on the subject of pandemic preparedness by philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates. From Boardroom…
Meeting planners should be working with hospitality partners to donate leftover food from events cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis or for any other reason. The non-profit Food Rescue US works in seventeen of the fifty United States, facilitating the logistics of meetings donating their excess food. From PCMA…
The torrent of business event cancellations precipitated by the coronavirus crisis has seen planners all over the world examining the small print of their insurance contracts. Indeed many have had to reassess their entire approach to purchasing coverage. Terry Waller is Managing Director of event insurance specialist Arc International. In this Iceberg exclusive video, Waller…
The owner of Scandinavia’s largest convention centre is making 350 people redundant due to “a brutal slowdown” caused by the COVID-19 crisis. BC Hospitality Group, which runs the Bella Center Copenhagen, as well as the Comwell Conference Center and several hotels, has not said where the cuts will fall. From Association Meetings International…
Iceberg partner UFI has released the first economic impact assessment on global exhibitions and trade shows of COVID-19. At least €23 billion ($26.3 billion) total worth of contracts have not concluded with shows not taking place as planned. The industry’s economic output in total is down €14.4 billion ($16.5 billion). From UFI…
Edinburgh International Conference Centre has created a sustainability programme called “Step Change”, which it claims as a “world-first” for the events industry. From now each meeting taking place at the venue will receive a detailed and tailored Event Impact Report, designed to focus on the environment, society and the economy. From Association Meetings International…
Toulouse is the fourth French city to join Iceberg partner GDS-Index (the Global Destination Sustainability Index). The Toulouse Convention Bureau intends to use membership to map and showcase its business tourism partners’ initiatives around sustainable development. Bordeaux, Lyon and Nantes have already joined the GDS-Index. From Boardroom…
The decision to cancel a conference in Denver over COVID-19 fears has left some of its more than 10,000 delegates perplexed and angry. The 55,000-member American Physical Society, a professional association for physicists, cancelled its largest meeting of the year less than 48 hours before it was due to open. From Association Meetings International…
What’s the number one challenge facing business events? When this question was posed in November 2019 by Convene as part of its 29th Annual Meetings Market Survey, just a few answers talked about dealing with the unknown. One respondent alone cited the management of risk, and specifically of epidemic risk, as a challenge. From PCMA…
Iceberg partner IMEX has just taken the “devastating decision” to cancel IMEX Frankfurt. Citing the danger of the German health ministry forcing a last minute shutdown very close to the trade show’s opening this May, the meetings industry stalwart has just given the sector a textbook lesson in how to make a difficult call. From PCMA…
Geneviève Leclerc is Chief Executive Officer of #MEET4IMPACT, and the best person to ask the difference between “legacy” and “impact”. This Iceberg partner is now working with Tourism New Zealand on the project “Enrich New Zealand – Conference Impact”. This will measure outcomes of three meetings held over two years. From PCMA…
Action to fight climate change is a growing part of CSR. But companies are starting to align activities around all the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Meetings contribute to quality education, or SDG 4. The industry’s engagement on SDGs has now been surveyed by Fiona Pelham, CEO of Iceberg partner Positive Impact. From PCMA…
Associations sit right at the heart of the legacy debate in business events. During the recent Dubai Association Conference, sessions focused on both the societal legacies they can leave and the strategies necessary to leave them. The emirate itself is a major hub for the sector, having set up the Dubai Association Centre in 2014….
With social impact moving ever higher up the business events agenda, ICC Sydney’s Legacy Program has set out to inspire conference organisers to make wider a contribution in the Australian host destination and beyond. Five streams of legacy creation guide associations and event planners towards the best fit for their own organisation. From Boardroom…
You are what you eat! But food isn’t just about physical health, it’s about mental health as well. So, in an industry where mental health is increasingly being scrutinised, how can food control mood? Beyond Food: Food and Mental Health (Lime Venue Portfolio website, registration required) Top Five Tips to Munch Your Way to Good…
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), an Iceberg partner, opened in Melbourne with the Hosted Buyer Breakfast served by New Zealand celebrity chef Justin North. For each of the 140 present, Tourism New Zealand committed to the legacy of planting a native tree with conservation charity Trees That Count. From PCMA…
Many DMOs (Destination Marketing Organisations) have started to realise the true value of meetings and are tracking the social outcomes they deliver. Some governments include business events as part of policy. Karen Bolinger, Strategic Advisor at Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance, talks “beyond tourism” legacies. From City / Nation / Place…
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