Aberdeen’s economy may once have been powered by oil and gas, but Scotland’s third city is now becoming an all-energy hub, with major investment in renewables, especially wind. It’s a life sciences hub as well, with coming new infrastructure in that sector, plus in transport, digital and the P&J Live venue (pictured). From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Venue operator AEG Ogden has welcomed the formal Queensland Government announcement of the Cairns Convention Centre’s AU$176 million upgrade. The plans will see existing facilities refurbished, plus an expansion built creating a further 3,000 square metres of meeting, banquet and exhibition space. Work is due to start in June 2020. From Meetings International…
A study by the Austrian Institute of Economic Research has analysed the economic impact of Congress Messe Innsbruck on both the region and its people. The venue generates around €360 million in gross value added. It secures around 5,800 jobs, delivers tax revenue of €120 million, and contributions to social welfare of €62 million. From Meetings International…
The 12th European Pain Federation Congress in 2021 is to be hosted by The Convention Centre Dublin. The meeting will bring together 3,000 clinicians and researchers, and will generate over £3.7 million for the local economy. The bid from the Irish Pain Society was supported by both the Dublin Convention Bureau and Fáilte Ireland. From Association Meetings International…
Event industry professionals across the globe are being asked for their comments and commitments on how the sector can support UN Sustainable Development Goals. Survey responses will be analysed by Iceberg partner Positive Impact, and those completed before 1st September 2019 will form an “acceleration action” shared with the UN. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
At Meetings Africa 2017, South Africa launched a bidding fund to target international association meetings. Now at the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry congress, Deputy Minister of Tourism Fish Mahlalela has discussed its 2018-19 submissions. These total 108 event bids, with an economic impact of around R2.5 billion. From the Event…
Three big industry associations, all Iceberg partners, are dovetailing resources available to members: the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC), the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), together with the global association of the exhibition Industry (UFI). AIPC President (and UFI Board Member) Aloysius Arlando talks collaboration, standardisation and advocacy. From UFI…
Edmonton Convention Centre (formerly the Shaw Conference Centre) in Alberta, Canada, is one of North America’s top performing convention centres. It hosts over half a million guests annually and generates more than $30 million in economic impact. The culinary offering is a big part of the venue’s appeal, and between Edmonton’s two convention centres (Edmonton Convention…
Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to evaluate the socio-economic impacts created by business events. Project learnings will be shared across BestCities’ networks within and outside the industry. Recommendations will be provided on how meetings legacy activities can be encouraged, developed, implemented and measured. From BestCities Global Alliance…
Brisbane is the latest city to join up with Iceberg partner the Global Destination Sustainability Index, becoming GDS-Index’s 50th signing. The Queensland capital is now part of a global sustainability movement, benchmarking the sustainability of both destinations and their events, and promoting adoption of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals. From HQ…
A major Asia-Oceania medical event is returning to Australia after forty years away. The five day Asia Oceania Otorhinolaryngological Head and Neck Surgery Congress will take place at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2023. Brisbane and Queensland figure prominently in the sector, with a cancer vaccine being developed by Professor Ian Frazer. From Meeting International…
As Boris Johnson was appointed new Prime Minister of the UK, Events Industry Board Chair Michael Hirst was speaking about Brexit and government involvement in the meetings and events industry. He also discussed how advocacy always has to start over again, engaging with new ministers after Cabinet reshuffle turnover. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
With members in 49 countries, EURAM was founded to advance the academic discipline of management across Europe. Last year it held its conference at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. Around 2,000 papers were reviewed in advance, and over 1,700 delegates took part. The legacy was a stronger society. Photo: Háskóli Islands. From Association Meetings International…
The Iceberg has always been dedicated to identifying and celebrating the greater mass of hard-to-see business events legacies lying hidden under the all-too-visible tip of travel and hospitality spending. So now it’s time to examine what lies beneath in a bracing new way. It’s time to take a deep breath and plunge “Below the Waterline”. In…
Hamilton in New Zealand has hosted a record-breaking Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference. The event, held at the University of Waikato, was being staged for the first time outside the United States or Canada. It attracted a record 1,872 registrations from countries as far afield as Scandinavia and South America. From Meetings International…
Support from a who’s-who of top Australian scientific minds has just secured ICME15 for Sydney in 2024. The International Congress on Mathematical Education is the largest event in its field, and was won by advocates including Australia’s Chief Scientist, one leading mathematician, and a YouTube sensation maths teacher. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Italy has seen a jump in international events it stages with major overseas participation, up from 7.9 percent in 2017 to 8.1 percent in 2018. Overall conferences and events held in Italy rose by 5.8 percent in 2018, with delegates down by 2.4 percent after a fall in international association conferences. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The London Convention Bureau has asked UK hospitality tourism players during London Climate Action Week to sign up to commitments in the Mayor of London’s environment strategy. The week was launched by Mayor Sadiq Khan as a drive to make the UK capital a leader in tackling climate change. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
What will the meetings industry look like in 2029? New tech, spiralling travel costs, legislation about the environment and “flight guilt” will transform the sector. The industry will still thrive. The need to “meet” will not go away. But “meeting” will more often be through a screen. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
“Business Events Legacies”, the Joint Meetings Industry Council’s recent report, reveals “significant” failings in the way governments measure the true value delivered by conferences, congresses and trade shows. But further sharing of sector impact stories could give the report weight in the battle to convince the world of the industry’s worth. From UFI…
After enduring record temperatures at sector meetings, the CEO of UFI, global association of the exhibition industry, muses on its recent report about supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Joint Meetings Industry Council is doing similar work, plus Iceberg partners UFI, ICCA and AIPC have launched a Global Alliance. From Kai Hattendorf via LinkedIn…
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