Manchester Central saw 31 percent growth in exhibition revenue during 2018, thanks to a rise in the total number of shows hosted (37) and a repeat rate of 86 percent from 2017. High-profile new events included The Northern Business Exhibition. Repeat clients included IP EXPO. 2018 also saw investment in new facilities. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
It’s been a busy year for James Rees, Executive Director of ExCeL London. Following election as ICCA President in November 2018, Rees reveals his approach to the US market, to diversity at both ExCeL and ICCA, and how being in a New Romantic pop band helped him thrive in the events industry. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Annual Meetings Market Survey just added two new questions about whether or not corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability are usually part of event planning. More than half of respondents did not make CSR part of their event, and the environment was top of mind (in RFPs) for only eleven percent. From PCMA…
The TED Radio Hour just interviewed Yassmin Abdel-Magied, an Australian author, TV personality, and founder of Youth Without Borders. In April 2018 Abdel-Magied traveled to the US to speak at an event, but was denied entry because her country of birth, Sudan, was on President Trump’s original travel ban. From PCMA…
This year marks a milestone for SACEOS, the Singapore Association for Conventions Exhibitions Organisers and Suppliers. It is both celebrating its 40th year, and a new President, industry heavyweight Aloysius Arlando, took over the reigns in February. Here he shares his vision for the future and explains why associations must be “future-ready”. From Boardroom…
While the Edinburgh Convention Bureau’s future funding lies under threat, so the city has also voiced the idea of a £2 per person nightly “room tax”. Some see this as a welcome source of new revenue, but will any get back to marketing, and what about competitiveness? From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
An Iceberg partner’s first ever mental health survey received responses from event professionals struggling to stay afloat. The results reinforce the much-referenced CareerCast survey from 2017 that ranked event planner as the fifth most stressful job in the world, beaten only by roles in the emergency services and military. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Iceberg partner Boardroom has announced its collaboration on the ambitious but pioneering #MEET4IMPACT Project. Initiated by Caravelle Strategies and its founder Geneviève Leclerc, along with a coalition of partners, #MEET4IMPACT will create a legacy framework and comprehensive process for generating, managing and measuring the positive societal impacts of association conferences. From Boardroom…
Despite its reputation of centuries-old tradition, London is the mover and groover of the technology universe. 80 percent of venture capital invested in UK tech firms since 2016 has gone to the capital. This investment is drawing, indeed being facilitated by, venues and events sharing in the sector’s strength. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Dubai World Trade Centre has secured bids to host ten new global congresses from 2019 to 2022. The high-profile events will bring into Dubai around 37,000 delegates, and include two space congresses set to be hosted by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the UAE’s hub for space science and research. From Boardroom…
The Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability arms fair has been moved from the NEC Birmingham to Farnborough International after a protest campaign against the event. The decision to hold it in Birmingham was only made in November, with DPRTE having originally been scheduled for Cardiff before similar objections from local people. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
This year’s edition of Meetings Africa is set to be the greenest ever, with more event greening in place than ever before. Africa’s foremost industry trade fair has pioneered the practice since 2011. The show takes place at the end of February in the International Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Professional Convention Management Association is expanding education and outreach opportunities throughout Europe in 2019 with sessions in the UK, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland. As well as its annual European Influencers Summit and Knowledge Exchange programme, PCMA will continue collaborating with other major industry associations as education partner. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Olympia London has received planning permission for a £1 billion renovation. The new vision of the 132-year-old exhibition centre is a diverse quarter, with events space, communal areas and leisure facilities. Work will start this year, with the first tenants moving in by 2023, and Olympia will continue to operate during renovation. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The IMEX Group is championing the power of imagination as its talking point for 2019. The theme has been chosen in response to the growth of digitalisation, and the team will be focusing on three core aspects across its events: transformation and collaboration, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The legacy of events is best pictured as an iceberg, as this website should certainly know! Design Indaba, held annually in Cape Town, is extending the legacy it creates for participating SMMEs through four simulcasts of its conference. Natasha Skoryk looks at the impact of business events on destinations and the meetings industry itself. From the Event…
Iceberg partners BestCities Global Alliance and GainingEdge recently published a report on accessibility in meetings (see Research). It featured real-life examples of events, hosted in BestCities’ destinations, that make inclusivity for those with disabilities a key focus. The True Colours Festival held in Singapore last March was one such case study. From PCMA…
Events industry guru Christian Mutschlechner (above right) has now retired as head of the Vienna Convention Bureau after 27 years. 250 people attended a farewell event in Vienna, some from as far afield as the USA and Uruguay, both to celebrate his career and welcome successor Christian Woronka. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
During the European Banking Federation annual summit at the National Bank in Brussels, an alarm went off. Then another. And then another. In an exclusive interview, EBF senior events coordinator Tina Marolt describes the steps taken in dealing with every event planner’s worst nightmare. Photo: Tiger Rus. From Association Meetings International…
The Iceberg is publishing a series of interviews about the globalisation of large associations. These are jointly produced by partners Boardroom and the Global Association Hubs Partnership. This time we hear from another partner, the International Congress and Convention Association, which is spreading its wings in Dubai. From Global Association Hubs Partnership…
Washington DC has staked its claim as a leader in sustainability, passing the most aggressive, fastest-acting climate change legislation in the United States. Destination DC, the district’s destination marketing organisation, is pitching for more meetings within the sector off the back of these strengths. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
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