The relationship between major associations and the cities hosting their meetings, although generally happy and fruitful, is beset by the similar issues to any relationship essentially transactional in nature. So, how will things change in the industry landscape redrawn by COVID-19? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
The Iceberg always enjoys meetings described with an iiceberg metaphor. But this time it is not the broader legacy benefits that are harder to see below the surface, but the tacit versus explicit knowledge imparted. German Convention Bureau MD Matthias Schultze discusses face-to-face and his hybrid BOCOM event. From Matthias Schultze via LinkedIn…
The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe has published an update of its 2020 study on The Impact of Coronavirus on Europes Convention Sector. The new report, prepared by Tourism Economics, provides three recovery scenarios to reflect the possible range of developments given the level of uncertainty about how the pandemic situation…
Convention bureaus have operated as key stakeholders in the meetings industry for over a century, assuming major responsibility for marketing their cities, regions and countries as destinations for the hosting of business events, from small corporate gatherings to the vast annual conferences organised by international associations. During all of that time it has been clearly…
To mark Global Meetings Industry Day, Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance and the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) have joined together to help associations articulate their new hybrid congress guidelines. In the wake of the pandemic, associations must rethink the design and delivery of events to make sure they can bring together international…
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has opened the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall’s $1 billion expansion to launch Informa Markets’ World of Concrete. The event is the first big convention to return to the destination and the US after the pandemic. LVCC is now the second largest US facility. From Exhibition News…
Average association meetings were fifty percent bigger in 2020, but only because they pivoted online. So say the latest ICCA Statistics just posted. Average registrations rose from 908 to 1,356 delegates, but associations did take a huge hit on fees, average prices dropping from $525 to $211. From Association Meetings International…
Organisers of the 24th International AIDS Conference will create lasting legacies by helping on site and virtual delegates from poorer countries to attend the 2022 event. An “ambitious” scholarship programme will let more attendees take part either in Montreal or else online. The society will also provide internet data and hardware devices. Association Meetings International…
Business leaders in Hong Kong are joining to promote “the vertical city” as a top meetings and conventions destination. One hundred inaugural ambassadors are being led by the Hong Kong Tourism Board with the aim of revitalising business events and strengthening Hong Kong’s reputation as a destination. From Association Meetings International…
Vienna is allocating its tourist board and convention bureau with another €4 million to support national and international planners of meetings held in the capital until the end of 2023, and offering up to €60,000 per event. For the first time the money is available to corporate conferences and hybrid events. From Meetings International…
One in three European convention bureaux have suffered public sector budget cuts over the last year. That’s according to a new report into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic upon meetings. Over fifteen percent of bureaux had “stopped or severely reduced” bidding as associations grappled with the uncertainties of planning events. From Association Meetings International…
The national convention bureau Business Events Australia has placed AU$3 million more in the subvention pot to support bids for international events. Since its launch in 2018, the Business Events Bid Fund Program has helped attract 40 international events to Australia, worth about AU$411 million to the economy. From Association Meetings International…
One year into the pandemic, meetings industry professionals gathered with leaders in business, government and the media to mark Global Meetings Industry Day 2021. This year the GMID theme is “Meet Safe”, recognising the industry’s top priority of operating meetings and events with health and safety at the forefront. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
While many conferences are still remaining virtual, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is going back in person to Las Vegas, but requiring attendees at its August conference to show proof of their vaccinations. One of the larger healthcare events in the US, HIMSS cancelled last year because of the pandemic. From Associations Now…
The Iceberg always enjoys hearing from Martin Sirk, the International Advisor of our partner the Global Association Hubs Partnership and owner of Sirk Serendipity. In an AMI podcast Martin discusses the future of association meetings in terms of both vaccine passports and also of outcomes measurement. From Association Meetings International…
Singapore is tightening up its COVID restrictions. The UK has piloted large free-of-mask events, but uncertainty remains over resuming international meetings. With the global vaccine rollout still not injecting enough certainty into the industry, four Northstar editors from around the world have collaborated on a global outlook. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Three quarters of CVBs (convention bureaux) have suffered financial cuts over the pandemic year, according to a new report called “The Impacts of the Coronavirus on Convention Bureaux in Europe”. What does this mean for the meetings industry in general and for associations? Report author Rob Davidson explains. From Association Meetings International…
Madrid Convention Bureau’s development of legacy projects includes collaborations with EMS, the European Emergency Medical Services Congress, setting up first aid training stations for the citizens of Spain’s capital. Now comes the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, whose ESTRO 2021 bidding process was focussed all around legacy impact. From Boardroom…
The Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has supported industry advocacy through COVID-19 with resources like the JMIC Global Manifesto and JMIC Advocacy Guide. President Kai Hattendorf now looks at the state of advocacy in the sector, examining also some of the lessons that have been learnt. The past year has generated a…
Alessandro Cortese leads ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) and has put a new notion at the centre of his meeting strategy: local legacy, or how much the hosting city will benefit from the event, measured by improvements in health. Here he discusses what could be the model of the future. From Eventoplus…
Last September, the “Incredible Impacts” programme run collaboratively by Iceberg partners ICCA and BestCities Global Alliance selected three winning associations for the meeting legacy projects they submitted. Each of the three had shown a dedication to creating legacies that went far beyond the conference walls. The three winners were: Ecocity Builders and the BCIT Ecocity…
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