IMEX America has been cancelled due to COVID-19. Iceberg partner the IMEX Group has confirmed that the show, set for Las Vegas during September, will no longer run. CEO Carina Bauer with Chairman Ray Bloom cited issues with securing hosted buyers, long lead times and ongoing travel restrictions. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has released a manifesto that sets out arguments as to why business events can and should be utilised to drive economic recovery and renewal in the post-COVID-19 era. The document was assembled with the advice and input of a broad range of industry leaders. This was…
During COVID-19 the meetings industry has pivoted to serve the community. Venues have become field hospitals, logistics networks have shipped personal protective equipment, and surplus food has also been donated. A new social contract is being written, explains Geneviève Leclerc, CEO of Iceberg partner #MEET4IMPACT. From European Cities Marketing…
The Iceberg has just hosted a webinar built around the JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events. This review says the packaging may have been “inflated”, but that the content was “laser-focused”, and that the main speaker Prof. Greg Clark (left) was “supernaturally articulate”. How unified is the sector? From Association Meetings International…
Martin Sirk, of both Sirk Serendipity and Global Association Hubs, an Iceberg partner, has thoughts on how some countries will be more successful at reopening business events than others. International events can only reopen at the pace of the slowest participating country to get their COVID-19 under local control. From Association Meetings International…
The many contributions on video for The Iceberg webinar about the JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events included one from Martin Lewis, former Managing Editor of Iceberg partner CAT Media, and Iceberg ambassador. The photo is of Martin in lighter mood at the 32nd M&IT awards last year. But in this longer extract from his…
Jane Cunningham (second left) is Director of Community Engagement for Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance, and Global Ambassador for the Joint Industry Meeting Council. In this new Deep Dive podcast, AMI Editor James Lancaster asks Jane how associations and destinations best collaborate. From Association Meetings International…
The death of George Floyd, and of many others before him, prompted black meeting professionals in the US to share thoughts on their own experiences, the protests and the need for diversity in the industry. Those speaking out include Elliott Ferguson (pictured), President and CEO of Destination DC. From Northstar Meetings Group…
As authorities around the world are increasingly clearing business events to run again, organisers of conventions and exhibitions, as well as venue and centre operators need to put respective measures in place that create safe environments for participants. A new guide on the matter identifies and promotes globally emerging standards, protocols and good practices. Good…
As events begin to open in Asia and Europe, and regulations in Germany make the distinction between mass gatherings and business events, we see a glimpse of a post-COVID-19 future for our industry. Naturally attendees are concerned about health and safety and want assurances that the right measures are taken to maintain personal safety. Freeman’s…
IFEMA, the consortium behind Spain’s largest exhibition complex Feria de Madrid, wants to reopen in September and host over 60 events in the last four months of the year. After use as an emergency hospital during the crisis peak, the fairground aims to host the events postponed as a result. From Association Meetings International…
BECA, the Business Events Council of Australia, has delivered a set of safety and hygiene procedures to the Australian government. These guidelines make the argument that business events are different from other mass gatherings and should open up as soon as possible. They also show how to keep events safe and hygienic. Photo: Thennicke. From Exhibition World…
A measure has been introduced by US Congress Democrats aiming to make associations eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program and also other aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $3 trillion package expands access to the scheme for such organisations, but faces stiff opposition in the US Senate. Photo: Martin Falbisoner. From Associations Now…
South Korea’s largest exhibition and convention centre, KINTEX, has just hosted the 2020 MBC Architecture Expo. The venue’s safety protocols included stringent screening and biosecurity, including disinfection mats, thermal imaging cameras, as well as the compulsory wearing of masks, gloves and in some cases full face shields. From Exhibition World…
Prior to the UK outlining plans for lifting lockdown in the hospitality industry, Jennifer Houlihan, Events and Operations Specialist at Dotted Lines, took an in-depth look at how meetings could start to come back and spur post-COVID-19 recovery. She discusses pre-event, onsite and post-event planning issues. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Certification from the Global BioRisk Advisory Council, part of worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA, could help to restart face-to-face events and assuage any attendee concerns. The USA’s two largest convention venues, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and McCormick Place Chicago, have signed up. From Northstar Meetings Group…
Expo 2020 Dubai will now shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future from October 1st 2021 to March 31st 2022. While the vote technically remains open until May 29th, already two-thirds of all of the Bureau International des Expositions member states have opted to delay the event by a year. From the Event…
The 2023 Gateshead Quays arena, conference and exhibition centre has passed a major milestone with Gateshead Council’s development partner Ask:PATRIZIA submitting a planning application for the venue. The £260 million build is hoped to add over 1,000 jobs and £29 million GVA to the regional economy every year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Many of COVID-19’s implications, not least restrictions on travel and social distancing, cut to the heart of what incentive travel is and pose the question: will the pandemic in fact end incentive travel? It will not, and for now here are five avenues for the market to pursue. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
“The new normal” is an irritating phrase that has entered common parlance since lockdown measures began to contain further spread of COVID-19. While the transition to virtual events is a “new normal” we can take seriously, not much else of the “new normal” is “normal” at all. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
As the COVID-19 crisis has persisted, so has came the slow realisation that its impact will linger a very long time indeed. What does this mean for the exhibition sector in the future? Reed Exhibition’s former Chairman and CEO Mike Rusbridge, and former Commercial Director Nick Forster, offer thoughts. From UFI…
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