Australia is a hotbed of business event excellence, the country’s cities and states both competing and collaborating to win events for the destination. In this high-powered video double bill, The Iceberg hears once again from BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith, and also from Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack, about the role of meetings in diversifying destinations’ economies….
Located in the Beijing Olympic Green Area, the China National Convention Center, Phase 2 is on track to open in 2025. CNCC-II will host conferences, forums, and banquets for up to 20,000, as well as exhibition events for over 50,000. Rod Kamleshwaran, pre-opening international consultant of CNCC-II and partner at Iceberg partner GainingEdge, explains. From GainingEdge…
ICCA has released its annual analysis of association meetings worldwide. The latest ICCA Ranking Report examines 8,000 meetings scheduled for the year 2021 and categorises them based on how the meetings were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also compares last year’s affected meetings with ICCA’s analysis of meetings in 2020. After a hiatus in…
Over 35 policy makers from nineteen countries gathered at the IMEX Policy Forum 2022, held on May 31st as part of IMEX in Frankfurt. The meeting takes place annually and provides a collaborative, global discussion platform to encourage policy creation that directly benefits the global meetings and business events industry. The aim of this year’s…
The association of the German trade fair industry AUMA has announced the sector will be fully supplied by green power by 2025 and climate neutral by 2040. AUMA has just declared that sustainability is to be required in agreements with industry partners from 2023 onwards. These goals were set at AUMA’s annual conference in Berlin. From Exhibition World…
The USA performed better than any other country in hosting events of international associations last year, according to the ICCA Rankings 2021. Spain came second, then Germany, France and Italy. The country listings were released after the city results already posted, along with the publication of the report’s public abstract. From Association Meetings International…
Over 40 percent of associations will hold their largest meeting in person this year, according to a survey by ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association). But only 35.6 percent told the Iceberg partner that it was “very important” to “reduce the environmental impact of their event”. From Association Meetings International…
ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) rankings just posted saw destination Vienna reclaim the top spot worldwide for the first time since 2012. The 2021 Iceberg partner survey attributed 92 congresses to Vienna, with Lisbon second (91) and Athens third (66). Barcelona and Singapore are next, then Madrid, Prague, Paris, Berlin and Brussels. From Meetings International…
Iceberg partner ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association) has formalised a collaboration with BESarawak. The venture will see both working jointly on the new International Journal of Business Events and Legacies. GainingEdge, another Iceberg partner, and The Iceberg itself will also lend support to the publication. From Association Meetings International…
Over a hundred parties made a pledge at COP26 to reduce the carbon emissions created by the events industry. The coalition has doubled in size since that time. Kai Hattendorf, the President of Iceberg partner UFI and former Chair of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (which presents The Iceberg), helped make it happen. From PCMA…
International conferences are the most carbon-intensive activity for associations. Here five sustainability experts answer twenty fundamental questions to let organisations begin their journey towards net zero and assess their progress along the way. Included are views from Iceberg partners GDS-Index and Positive Impact. From Association Meetings International…
Jaimé Bennett, PCMA’s Regional Director of EMEA, was taken on a tour during her site visit to Vienna earlier this year. The aim was to find places Convening EMEA participants could explore during the meeting. One was a café which helps older residents augment their pensions and social lives through baking. From PCMA…
Carina Bauer, CEO of Iceberg partner IMEX Group, has been talking about her organisation’s Green Squad and its sustainability impact. The Squad was set up in 2017 to collect the sustainability champions within IMEX and share initiatives across the business. The Group has also signed the sector’s Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge. From Conference News…
During the pandemic, uncertainty was a daily torment for association meeting planners. With the threat of lockdown ended in most countries, the market is approaching business pre-pandemic. But organisers are also caught between a labour and skills crisis plus rocketing inflation. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
After eleven years at the helm of MCEC (the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre), Peter King is leaving his CEO post later this year once a replacement has been hired. As he gets ready to depart, King has been looking back on highlights and challenges he faced during his time at the venue. From PCMA…
The Editorial Director Martin Fullard recently visited Scotland to find out how important business events are to the region. He talked to some of the country’s leading eventprofs, learning about VisitScotland’s new and improved “Policy Driven Model”, its “Journey to Change” project, and how universities are helping to bring in business events. From Conference News…
Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts, the Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, has been discussing the Malaysian state’s approach to recovery and its strategy of promoting business event legacy creation. Subjects covered include ventures with Iceberg partners GDS-Index and ICCA. From Boardroom…
Glasgow will stage seven neurology or neuroscience-related meetings during 2022, drawing up to 10,000 international delegates into the Scottish city. The meetings are testament to Glasgow’s extensive association with neurology, which includes several landmark moments in the field, as The Iceberg has had cause to cover previously. From Association Meetings Intenational…
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