Dubai is growing its knowledge-based, diversified economy almost as quickly as it grows its skyline. Aiding this ambition is Expo Dubai 2020, an “accelerator and amplifier” in attracting associations and their meetings. When organisers first won the bid, they created two masterplans, one for Expo itself and one for its legacy. From Association Meetings International…
This global census covers all exhibition venues with a minimum of 5,000 square metres of gross indoor exhibition space. Regionally, Europe is home to 39 percent of the world’s total venue capacity, followed by the Asia-Pacific region (32 percent) and North America (20 percent). In terms of size, the number of “mega venues” (those with…
Re-imagining the future of events during a global pandemic is one of the industry’s biggest challenges. During the 2020 ICCA Congress, Iceberg partner ICCA delivered the Kaohsiung Protocol as a strategic recovery framework to guide the global meetings and events industry forward. Now, thanks to the guidance and input of its global community, ICCA is…
COVID-19 has accelerated the delivery of events in a digital environment, thus impacting the way participants make the decision to attend and engage in events. Best practices are rapidly changing with few benchmarks to guide success for organisations delivering business events across various factors and formats. PCMA and the AC Forum embarked on a research…
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…
Three German cities are among the top ten destinations chosen for large international meetings, according to new figures in Northstar Meetings Group’s Convention Cities Index. Frankfurt tops the list, with Cologne fifth and Hanover eighth. The update is the third publication of the index, which was launched in 2020. From Association Meetings International…
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, whose ceremonial launch has now taken place, already has fifty “multi-day conferences” on the books with further events also in the pipeline, from exhibitions to smaller meetings and seminars. The venue replaces the original Christchurch Convention Centre badly damaged during the 2011 earthquake. From Association Meetings International…
A new report into the economic impact of business events to the UK’s West Midlands has revealed that delegates spent £2.3 billion in the region in 2019. Around 105,000 meetings took place, contributing 14.5 million delegate days in the West Midlands. 65,000 full-time equivalent posts are supported by the region’s business tourism. Fom Conference News…
Organiser Reed Exhibitions has said that its 2021 edition of IBTM World in Barcelona, the first face-to-face event in the Iceberg partner IBTM portfolio in two years, drew 7,000 attendees together onto site with 30,000 pre-scheduled one-to-one business meetings taking place. The IBTM World Association Programme was also created. From Conference News…
“MICE” is a term long-associated with the meetings sector. But now the small and wily mouse-deer of Malaysian folklore has become a metaphor for how Business Events Sarawak has crossed the river after the pandemic and resumed business events activities through its Legacy Impact Initiative. Photo: Dave Curtis. By Jane Vong Holmes, Senior Manager Asia, GainingEdge….
PCMA Editor-in-Chief Michelle Russell drew our attention to this discussion of how the model of scientific conference should be changing in the wake of the pandemic. It contains a fantastic example of serendipitous legacy, a chance meeting at a conference in Puerto Rico leading to some Nobel prize-winning CRISPR gene editing. From Chemistry World…
The UK events industry as a whole is a vastly fragmented animal, before the pandemic worth £84 billion to the country every year. This leading article from Martin Fullard is a direct message for the UK’s Government, which calls for the industry now to be shown the respect it deserves. From Conference News…
Anna Abdelnoor, Co-founder of the event sustainability body Isla, took a different journey to IBTM World in Barcelona this year. To show her commitment to slow travel, Anna opted for rail over air, and producd 97 percent lower carbon emissions than she would have had she flown. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Net Zero Carbon Events pledge from the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has just been delivered at COP26. At the 60th Congress of our partner ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), The Iceberg spoke to Aileen Crawford of the Glasgow Convention Bureau and to Guy Bigwood of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. Speaking…
The Net Zero Carbon Events pledge from the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has just been delivered at COP26. Iceberg founder James Latham talks to former JMIC President Kai Hattendorf and Miguel Naranjo and Laura Lopez of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change about what it means for the sector….
Meeting professionals say they are feeling more confident and well-equipped to plan high-quality meetings and events and adapt to any ongoing uncertainties. This is according to the 2022 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, the 11th annual report produced by American Express Meetings & Events, a division of American Express Global Business Travel (GBT). The report’s…
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has released the 17th edition of its annual report on the Trade Fair Industry in Asia, providing a snapshot of an industry reeling from an ongoing crisis. The report, compiled by Business Strategies Group in Hong Kong, provides a best estimate for the actual performance of the…
The GDS-Index is a performance improvement programme to make the business and leisure tourism industry more sustainable. In a collaborative effort it supports destination management organisations and convention bureaux to adopt, promote and recognise responsible and regenerative practices. Iceberg partner the Global Destination Sustainability Movement evaluates four key areas that it believes are vital to…
Most destination marketing organisations are not measuring environmental impact of business events, or even including meetings in their “climate strategy”, an Iceberg partner report says. The GDS-Index for 2021 found 86 percent of cities had a climate strategy, but only 36 percent included “business events” specifically in it. From Association Meetings International…
Following months of planning, research and consultation, JMIC’s Net Zero Carbon Events, an initiative to radically reduce sector emissions, was presented at Glasgow’s COP26. At the time the pledge already had 109 actual signatories, including COP’s venue the SEC Centre, and 211 additional supporters. The Joint Meetings Industry Council presents The Iceberg. From Association Meetings International…
UFI’s 88th Global Congress held in Rotterdam saw the association’s return to face-to-face gatherings. The Iceberg partner event drew 350 participants from about 40 countries and regions. The main theme of the congress, staged at the Rotterdam Ahoy and co-hosted by Rotterdam Partners, was “together again”. From Exhibition News…
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