The Hotel Management School Maastricht (HMSM) was appointed by IACC to research the impact that having a decentralised workforce may have on demand for external business events, specifically after COVID-19. With the rise of remote work in recent years, employees were forced to exchange meeting in person for virtual interaction. The research findings have been…
Global convention industry consulting firm GainingEdge has released its fourth annual Competitive Index of international convention destinations. The 2021 edition ranks the world’s top cities in terms of key draw factors for meeting planners. Competitive Index 2021 (GainingEdge website) 2021 Destination Competitive Index Offers Advanced Tools for Business Recovery (GainingEdge press release)
Given the importance of recruitment, retention and engagement, incentive programmes are more important than ever. Dramatic hiring shifts are driving companies to examine how to be even more competitive in the job market, and a robust incentive program is an important part of an organisation’s full benefits package. The IRF 2022 Trends Report (IRF website)
Daegu Metropolitan City and the Daegu Convention and Visitors Bureau have released a report on the legacies of five business events, starting with the International Solar Cities Congress 2004, which placed the South Korean city on the world renewable energy map. Research was reviewed by Gary Grimmer, Executive Chair of Iceberg partner GainingEdge. From Boardroom…
A large number of meetings industry groups have now made statements condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are raising awareness or funds, or have barred Russian state participation in meetings. More and more convention venues in Europe have now converted their facilities to house the millions of Ukrainians escaping the ravages of war. From PCMA…
Ukrainian scientists have called for an international boycott of scientific conferences inside Russia and asked for Russian institutes and scientific leaders to condemn the invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile international associations and other academic bodies are scrambling to cancel conferences in Russia and find alternative venues or pivot their meetings to virtual events. From Association Meetings International…
The sixteenth edition of Iceberg partner Meetings Africa has taken place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. The flagship trade show of SANCB (South African National Conventions Bureau) drew together some 161 buyers and 216 exhibitors from 13 African countries, to focus on sector recovery. From Conference & Meetings World…
Iceberg partner UFI, the global association of the exhibition sector, has released the latest edition of its flagship Global Barometer. Figures highlight the quickening pace of the industry’s recovery in 2022 after the continuing impact of the pandemic throughout 2021. The results vary between locations, primarily driven by reopening dates for exhibitions.. From Exhibition World…
Three industry associations have published a white paper calling on governments to harness the power of business events to stimulate their economies. “Business Events are the Fast Track to Recovery” documents support for the return of the sector and is the work of AIPC, ICCA and UFI, all Iceberg partners. From Association Meetings International…
Australia’s recent reopening to the world, and the lifting of domestic border closures and restrictions, makes this an important moment in the county’s business events sector. Andrew Hiebl, the CEO of AACB (the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux), discusses the upcoming pipeline plus Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund. From Association Meetings International…
Early in the pandemic, Quebec City Convention Centre’s Director of Building Management and Event Support Marc Poirier was shocked at how many masks were ending up in the venue’s rubbish. He set to work finding a partner to reuse them. Also in Quebec, Go Zero Recycle has developed the process. From PCMA…
The recent BestCities Global Forum explored how legacy-building with every conference can quickly lead to dramatic change. A trio of videos from the Iceberg partner event examines the ESTRO Madrid Project which yielded a €700 million legacy for cancer patients, the new Madrid PLUS tool for creating legacy, and the personal legacy of BestCities’ Jane Cunningham….
This report does its best to lean on both empirical evidence and highly credible opinion, that give a glimpse into both the immediate and long-term futures the industry faces. It looks at the past to predict the future, but also finds “grass root” trends that may grow to dominate how the sector goes about its…
Malaysia’s MyCEB, with help from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Economic Planning unit, will soon introduce a 3R (Reset, Restart and Responsible) recovery programme for business events. MyCEB will reduce travel costs to Malaysia for international delegates, and provide full COVID-19 insurance and PCR test costs. From TTGmice…
The CTA’s (Consumer Technology Association) CES 2022 has run as a live show of over 45,000 attendees in person, along with a virtual event. The show’s organisers deemed it a success, despite some well known participants, among them Amazon, Google and Microsoft, pulling out of the live show because of Omicron. From Associations Now…
Iceberg partner the IMEX Group has posted new dates for IMEX Frankfurt 2022. Organisers say they are now intending to run their trade show from May 31st to June 2nd and to give the global meetings, incentive travel and events industry a further five weeks to prepare after Omicron chaos. From Conference News…
The dawn of 2022 saw organisers of international association meetings grappling with more restrictions as governments tried to curb spread of the new Omicron variant. Across the world countries tightened their rules about who could travel and where people could meet as the highly infectious strain caused a massive surge in cases. From Association Meetings International…
The spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is causing havoc for meeting planners, with major events being cancelled or postponed right across Europe. The World Economic Forum has postponed its high profile meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The in person event, scheduled for mid January, has been pushed back to the Summer. From Association Meetings International…
The tourism trade fair ITB Berlin has announced it will not take place in March 2022 as was planned, due to increasing Omicron infection rates. A dedicated Digital Business Day will be held on March 17th, plus during 2022 ITB will be staging a European roadshow for buyers and suppliers. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The bad experience of an Israeli minister, unable to enter a COP26 venue because she is a wheelchair user, reveals the distance planners still have to travel on accessibility and inclusivity. Lizzy Eaton, the Founder of Oddity Events and Marketing, remembers her own mistake on accessibility. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
When a staffer from one Iceberg partner, ASAE, flew to Colombia to attend the annual global congress of another, ICCA, it was both her first time on a plane in two years, and her first event in the same period. Amy Hissrich learned COVID had changed both her and some of the logistics. From Associations Now…
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