Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance, the network of international convention bureaux, has launched a range of financial products to woo international association meeting clients. The alliance will now offer discounted secure payment, foreign currency protection, and also VAT reclaim services. From Association Meetings International…
The UK meetings industry turned out in force for a glittering night at the 2019 M&IT Awards, and The Iceberg partner’s record-breaking event has been hailed as the best ever. Glasgow Convention Bureau picked up the Best UK Convention Bureau gong for the 13th year in a row (pictured). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Are openly hostile immigration policies in the UK and US making it harder for delegates from lower income countries to attend scientific meetings? Here’s a round up from both sides of the pond of events that have faced very high levels of visa rejections with delegates attending from developing nations. From Association Meetings International…
London’s meeting industry will see a Brexit boom whatever happens. That’s according to etc.venues MD Alastair Stewart, who is refreshingly optimistic amid the current political turmoil and uncertainty. He sees substantial change as inevitable, and with change comes the need for meetings to address it. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Australian event and conference management company Arinex has worked with several associations ahead of International Women’s Day to empower women. Among the company’s events is the annual awards dinner (pictured above) of Australia’s National Association for Women in Construction. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
2019’s International Women’s Day is aiming to leave behind the legacy of a more gender-balanced world. Jill Manley, Business Development Director at ICC Wales, looks at the role of women in the meetings industry. All of the senior sales directors and managers at ICC Wales are female. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
How hard has the art of putting together panels become in an age more finely attuned to gender inequality? In the run up to International Women’s Day, a conference came under fire for being too sure it was booking panels, not manels. It invited only women scientists to speak. From PCMA…
During a busy European Cities Marketing Spring Meeting 2019 in Edinburgh, meetings professionals debated the successes and failures of city event organisations from all over the continent. Contributors included Iceberg partner ECM’s President, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Prague in the Czech Republic is not only a major meetings destination, but also home of the AIM Group International office of Bob Novak. Novak has written a white paper, “How to Create a Truly Unique Destination Experience and the Latest DMC Trends”, which discusses the current evolution of destination management companies. From PCMA…
The new director of the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation, Adrien Genier, is actively looking to strengthen the Swiss city’s image abroad by uniting stakeholders around issues like sustainability. He is engaging with Iceberg partner the Global Destination Sustainability Index to improve Geneva’s ranking. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
London’s 15Hatfields was set up as a sustainable venue in 2008, avoiding single-use plastics from day one. The venue needed to find a general manager who could embody this environmentally-minded ethos. Warren Campbell has been helping clients embrace sustainability in Central London ever since. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Iceberg sits at the heart of the advocacy that the meetings industry makes to the world outside. But how do those who represent and defend the sector see their role? The views here include those of two Iceberg partners: IMEX Manager Natasha Richards and European Cities Marketing President Dieter Hardt-Stremayr. From Conference & Incentive Management…
What does leaving a legacy really mean for the events industry? As part of a collaboration with the European Society of Association Executives, here are two perfect case studies: the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy Congress held in Glasgow, and Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress. From Boardroom…
Over the past decade the industry of business and professional events has refined its value proposition to policymakers and local communities in terms of its transformative contribution to civil society. The Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, and The Iceberg itself, have together been telling the story. From IBTM…
A history of war or peace, or of injustice or justice, has made four cities ideal destinations for conferences with a conscience: The Hague, global home of conflict resolution, Bogotá, after half a century of Colombian conflict, Belfast, after the Northern Ireland peace process, and Kigali, after Rwanda’s genocide. From Association Meetings International…
Average spend per meeting in the UK increased in 2018, while lead and conversion times came down year on year, according to the latest HBAA Meetings Barometer. The report, developed by HBAA with The MeetingsBenchmark, also reveals a wide range in the average day delegate rate across the country. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Belfast’s official tourism marketing agency, Visit Belfast, has launched a new marketing campaign designed to rapidly accelerate the volume of inbound business conferences and events taking place in the city. The digital-led campaign is the city’s largest-ever dedicated business tourism marketing initiative. From Association Meetings International…
Edinburgh Marketing, the body behind the city’s convention bureau, has been dealt an eleventh hour reprieve after city councillors accepted a counter offer to proposed cuts. The council had sought to slash the organisation’s funding by £567,000 next year and by 89 percent over two years. Now it has reinstated £267,000. From Association Meetings International…
The revamped 2019 Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has taken place in Melbourne. In addition to plenary sessions, a mini hackathon and a series of break-out sessions, industry chiefs also attended an invitation-only Leaders Forum, which examined emerging technology and consumer trends in the Asia-Pacific region. From PCMA…
Messe Frankfurt, which claims to be the “world’s largest” event organiser and exhibition ground owner, will source all of its electricity from a renewable energy provider in 2020. This includes power for the stands and halls at the company’s various Frankfurt venues. The exhibition grounds already have three photovoltaic systems. From Association Meetings International…
Leaders from one of Europe’s most prestigious gatherings of destination marketing organisations have voiced disbelief at proposed budget cuts which could see the end of both Marketing Edinburgh and the city’s convention bureau. Partner of the Iceberg European Cities Marketing’s Spring Meeting 2019 has just been held in the Scottish capital. From Association Meetings International…
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