The Board of Directors of Iceberg partner UFI, global association of the exhibition industry, has elected Anbu Varathan (left) President for 2020 – 2021. He is the first person from India to hold the role. The decision was made at a Board meeting that began the UFI European Conference in Birmingham, United Kingdom. From the Event…
At the swansong of IMEX Frankfurt 2019, IMEX Group has reported, almost 70,000 individual and group appointments between attendees had taken place over the show’s three days. 72 percent of these had mini requests for proposals (RFPs) attached to them. The event hosted 250 education sessions. 47 percent of speakers were women. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Five Canadian convention bureaux recently attended London Tech Week’s AI Summit at ExCeL. Their aim was to attract tech-related business events across to their own destinations, along with the inward investment that follows. Among them was Virginie De Visscher, Director of Business Development for Economic Sectors, Business Events Canada (third left). From Association Meetings International…
As IMEX Frankfurt wraps up for another year, the events industry is already looking foward towards IMEX America this September in Las Vegas. “Imagination” is IMEX’s talking point for the year, and this theme will inform content throughout the meeting, bringing with it exciting new experiences, exhibitors and educational sessions. From Boardroom…
A legacy of awareness around visual impairment was created during IMEX in Frankfurt with the holding of a “Dialogue in the Dark” workshop. Hosted by industry association IAPCO, and the business events teams of both Dubai and Melbourne, it all started with a blindfold. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
The head of tourism association Destinations International says his organisation spends a lot of its energy and resources doing battle with politicians around the world on behalf of members facing financial and legislative challenges. CEO Don Welch was speaking out at IMEX about issues like “over-tourism” and womens’ and LGBTQ rights. From Association Meetings International…
At the recent CEO Summit held in London by Iceberg partner UFI, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism Saif Saeed Ghobash explained how international business events and exhibitions play a key role in diversifying the emirate’s economy away from petrochemicals. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
There is widespread disagreement over what legacy means when it comes to international meetings, and no consistency in terms of how either associations or destinations approach the subject. So says a new study by various Danish convention bureaux, and meetings consultancy and Iceberg partner GainingEdge, released at IMEX in Frankfurt. From Association Meetings International…
A thunderstorm delaying flights failed to deter meetings industry professionals in their thousands from gathering at IMEX in Frankfurt on Tuesday May 21st. Association congress organisers were already in the city having taken part at the ICCA Association Experts Seminar over the weekend and at IMEX Association Day on Monday. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Corne Koch, the head of the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau, a division of Wesgro, has been elected Board Chair of the BestCities Global Alliance. Koch made her first appearance in the new position at the BestCities media breakfast at IMEX Frankfurt, and takes over from Jeannie Lim of Singapore. From the Event…
After IMEX 2019 opened in Frankfurt with EduMonday and Association Day (pictured), the Alliance of Brain Cities, a group of four Scandinavian destinations, held a breakfast for twenty international associations. Attendees at the meeting expressed enthusiastic support for choosing second-tier cities for their events, and for destination transparency and sustainability. From Meetings International…
Hangzhou has held the largest ever China International Tea Expo, a 70,000 square metre exhibition bringing together government delegations from 30 well-known tea plantations. The show was organised by Shenzhen HJC Industrial Group, and co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Expo 2020 Dubai will boost the United Arab Emirates’ economy by AED122.6 billion ($33.4 billion), and will also support 905,200 job-years between 2013 and 2031. So says an independent report from global consultancy EY. During its peak six months the event is predicted to add the equivalent of 1.5 percent to UAE GDP. From Meetings International…
Geoff Donaghy, ICC Sydney CEO, AEG Ogden Director Convention Centres and Iceberg Ambassador, just joined a panel at IMEX Frankfurt on placemaking (pictured). Here he discusses how an event precinct can sit at the heart of any destination’s placemaking strategy to drive its economic, cultural and social growth. From Geoff Donaghy via LinkedIn…
At IMEX Frankfurt last week the usual sector promotion and celebration was clearly on display. Concern about the industry’s future, though, was also common in discussion, particularly on sustainability and the health of group bookings overall. The former has become an area of increasing focus, with the aim of reducing future political risk. From Skift…
Matthias Schultze, the Managing Director of the German Convention Bureau, is adamant that meetings and events’ environmental impact on the world needs to be addressed in their design. Here he discusses Germany’s approach to sustainability and findings on its importance in GCB’s Meeting & Event Barometer. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Harrogate Convention Centre in Yorkshire has hosted more than 320 suppliers from UK and Ireland at the ExploreGB event, together with at least 250 international organisations from 31 countries. Peter Dodd, the Commercial Director of Welcome to Yorkshire, offers a north of England events perspective. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
UFI’s annual Global Congress is known as the “must attend” event for all industry professionals. With travel restrictions expected to continue over the coming months, instead of holding the event in one place, we will adopt a ‘glocalised’ approach – Dubai, UAE 15-16/11/20 | Basel, Switzerland 18-20/11/20 | Hong Kong (dates tbc) | Online 15-20/11/20
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