The International Congress and Convention Association President Nina Freysen-Pretorius has issued a statement to members alleviating concerns about the departure of CEO Martin Sirk. In it she says the board has every confidence in acting CEO Dennis Speet and is aiming to appoint a permanent replacement by March 2019. From Association Meetings International…
James Heappey, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the events sector, has floated the idea of a bed tax to help fund both the industry and its promotion. The MP, who is the events champion in Parliament, said he was seeking views on a per room per night tax to assist the visitor economy. From Meetpie.com…
VisitBritain is calling for grant applications for its programme to secure new international business events for the United Kingdom and to grow the economic value of existing events. The Event Support Programme, launched in 2016, has to date assisted 28 events and bids across the country from Aberdeen to Bristol with more than £500,000 awarded. From Meetpie.com…
Planning meetings isn’t easy. So meetings about meetings remain popular and the search for new ways to improve the delegate experiences is never-ending. Meeting design has come a long way, but despite the innovative approaches available it pays to remember that content will always be king. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
If there’s one canon that can be considered unassailable in the meetings and events industry it is this: No two meetings are alike. There is no one size that can fit all, even two, engagements. Every project requires its own plans and those plans, budget in hand, often start with choosing the location. Destinations and…
The rich natural environment of Sapporo has much to offer when it comes to hosting meetings, as it did for the 5th International Wildlife Management Congress of July 2015. Japan’s fifth-largest city boasts academic institutions that lead in the fields of geosciences, organic chemistry, agriculture, forestry, energy, medicine, pharma, animal behavior and veterinary sciences. From Boardroom…
Recently Successful Meetings sent out a survey to its readership about their international events. While most planners responding thought the number they held in 2018 would stay the same, almost a third said it would increase, and only six percent decrease. Cost, travel time and language barrier are still the top challenges. From Successful Meetings…
The growth of experiential activities is set to continue and they will soon feature in most meetings, according to new research by MPI Outlook for the IMEX Group. 87 percent of respondents had seen increased demand in the last three years. C2 International’s aerial Learning Labs (pictured) was a notable example at the recent IMEX. From Meetpie.com…
The University of Hull is investing more than £200 million to launch “Beyond Events”, a new brand for conferences and events. It brings together a range of venues, sports facilities and accommodation with a full event management service. The university offers a choice of more than ten different campus locations for events. From Meetpie.com…
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has announced the shock departure of long-standing CEO Martin Sirk. Sirk, who leaves the organisation at the end of July after 16 years as CEO, will be replaced by ICCA’s Chief Value Officer Dennis Speet as acting chief until a permanent replacement is found. From Association Meetings International…
ASAE’s Association Leadership Forum, Asia Pacific, is preparing to focus on building the association community, skills development and sharing best practice in Singapore this October. The event is the fourth association programme ASAE has held in the region since 2015. and is being guided by a task force of local members. From CIM News Magazine…
Tier 1 cities have much to offer meeting groups in terms of their connectivity and facilities. But all that bang takes a lot of buck. To make a big impact on a smaller budget, meeting planners should consider small and mid-sized cities. So how do you find big-city appeal in an affordable destination? From Successful Meetings…
Lyn Lewis-Smith is CEO of Business Events Sydney. She also devotes her energy to championing women’s rights. Here she answers three questions: about how bidding for conferences has changed and evolved over time, about emerging association meeting trends and creating value, and about hosting and participating in the Global Summit of Women. From Boardroom…
When IACC launched its Meeting Room of The Future report in 2016, it set out to predict and shape the future of events. Three years on, the series says as much about today’s meetings landscape as it says about tomorrow’s. Mark Cooper, IACC’s CEO, examines some key findings in areas like internet infrastructure. From Successful Meetings…
The glorious weather we are now enjoying cannot have escaped your attention. Simply being outdoors is healthy for both body and mind. But do event professionals forget sometimes the basic pleasures and benefits of getting out of the office? One Iceberg partner wants to take things outside. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
Coffee in copious quantity sustains much of the meetings industry. Yet disposable coffee cups are in of themselves a major sustainability issue. As the sector aims to reduce its carbon footprint, one organiser successfully avoided the mountains of cups often left behind at events, while also helping fund clean water projects around the world. From PCMA…
In June officials ceremonially broke ground on the all-new Oklahoma City Convention Center. This is a $288 million venue, scheduled to open in 2020, that will offer acres of modern and flexible meeting space. According to Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, the building is set to become “a modern town hall”. From PCMA Convene…
Holding sustainable events can be hard work, and involve a variety of quite different challenges. The Vice President of Marketing for Oracle, Paul Salinger, discussed how to navigate the business aspects of sustainability during the Sustainable Brands 2018 conference recently held in Vancouver. Here are the four takeaways of his session. From PCMA Convene…
As the Iceberg’s Opinions section has already noted, the 2017 ICCA Statistics Report has revealed that association meetings continue to decrease in size. It also shows that cities holding the most association meetings in 2017, like top-placed Barcelona, were also those holding the largest. And the total number of association meetings is growing. From Association Meetings International…
Oklahoma City has hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new convention center. Scheduled to open in 2020, the $288 million Oklahoma City Convention Center will boast 200,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 30,000 square foot ballroom and 45,000 square feet of meeting space. Oklahoma City CVB has also launched a new website. From Successful Meetings…
Marketing Cheshire has partnered with local organisations to deliver a new concept for business events. “Brilliant Science” is promoting the UK as a world leader in the field for international association events looking to make the most of the region’s scientific heritage and venues. Delegates will be offered tours of relevant facilities and attractions. From Boardroom…
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