From City Nation Place: Ever booked a trip, only to suddenly feel a nagging doubt as political headlines flare up? You’re not alone. In today’s hyper-connected world, the news doesn’t just inform us; it shapes our choices, especially when it comes to travel. Political instability isn’t just a distant issue anymore; it’s a critical player…
From Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance: ECA, EDPA, IAEE, SISO, UFI, and 160+ trade associations have called on the U.S. Trade Representative to rescind the port fee on Chinese-built ships, scheduled to take effect in October. ECA continues to strongly oppose tariffs that raise costs on event organizers, suppliers, exhibitors, and attendees alike…
It’s been six months since Shaun Davies MP was elected Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events and a lot has happened in that time. View the July 2025 APPG for Events Briefing for highlights of what has been achieved so far this year, details of the upcoming Parliamentary Plan of Work, new policy…
David Adler sets out a Convening Manifesto for the US business events sector whilst explaining the impact and mourning the recent drastic cuts to Brand USA’s budget. Top of the agenda: “Reframe events as national strategy – not tourism perks”! From Gathering Point News…
From AIM Group International: Taking part in global events such as Expo 2025 Osaka offers more than just visibility; it provides a tangible means of strengthening international relations, promoting innovation, and fostering new economic opportunities. AIM Group International‘s involvement in AGEVITY JAPAN 2025, the forum dedicated to the Longevity Economy promoted by Assolombarda and Silver…
Held during the 2025 IMEX Policy Forum in Frankfurt, this high-level interview with urbanist, author and global advisor Prof Greg Clark CBE FAcSS provides essential geopolitical and socioeconomic context for understanding the future potential direction of Business Events and what destinations that wish to strengthen their competitive positioning need to do. “A multiplication of opportunity…
From Thoughts & Observations on Business Events with Kai Hattendorf: We had a packed house for this session at IMEX last week (with Reggie Aggarwal, Carina Bauer, Karen Bolinger, a very active audience, and me), with participants partly listening from the outside through headphones. So I thought it made sense to do a bigger recap…
A thoughtful article by Gary Grimmer on the latest geopolitical changes and their implications for both international business events and the societal cost in the fields of healthcare, science, trade and beyond. Numerous commentators and analysts are concluding that the changes to US policy and in power relationships between countries and regions will generate far…
From Skift Meetings, by Andrea Doyle: A temporary U.S.-China tariff rollback is offering short-term relief for the global events industry, which has suffered under trade tensions that disrupted supply chains, cut budgets, and cast a shadow over international shows. Greater Pacific, a 31-year-old U.S.-based promotional products supplier, had paused all projects after the tariffs took…
From Skift Meetings: President Trump’s second term began with a series of executive orders that immediately impacted the meetings industry. On Inauguration Day, January 20, Trump signed the Executive Order, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.” It eliminates federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. All federal DEI staff were also placed…
From Irish Examiner: Academics are cancelling planned conferences and seminars in the US because of the risk of harassment and interrogation by immigration officials. That is the warning from Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. It comes as immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill revealed he had “never been quizzed…
From M&IT: In this latest episode of The Meeting Room, Neil Brownlee, head of Business Events Scotland and the first non-North American chair of US-based meetings association PCMA, gives us his take on Trump’s impact on the international meetings and events sector. He also provides a withering analysis of the main challenges facing those who…
From ASAE: ASAE’s latest Insight Update report highlights how shifting federal policies are reshaping association meeting attendance, particularly international participation. Based on survey data from over 200 association CEOs across diverse sectors, the report examines the ripple effects of these changes, and the strategies associations are employing to adapt. This research is part of an…
From Quest Means Business: “We do get the impression that the beef here is really with the Trump administration, not the American people necessarily.” Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit found that many travelers staying away from the U.S. due to Trump are happy to come once his presidency is over…
From Reuters: Candice Li says that after Washington raised tariffs on Chinese goods by 145%, U.S. orders for the medical devices her firm is making have vanished. “It’s a matter of life and death because 60-70% of our business is with American clients,” said Li, marketing manager of Conmo Electronic Co. “Goods cannot be exported…
From Skift Meetings, by Andrea Doyle: The Trump administration’s tariff policies are sending ripples through global trade, and in the process, they are impacting the global trade show business, said Kai Hattendorf, CEO of HTF Business Events Expertise, and the former CEO of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. “If permanent, this isn’t…
From AMI: The UK’s ambition to become a world-leading destination for international business events has been dealt a significant setback following a 41 per cent cut in funding to VisitBritain from the government’s GREAT programme. The announcement, made on 1 April, will see VisitBritain’s ‘GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland’ destination promotion programme budget cut from…
From Skift Meetings: As U.S.-Canada tariffs take hold and cross-border meeting attendance dips, one veteran planner is helping associations rethink US-Canada event strategies. Some associations are moving events from the US to Canada, where favorable exchange rates, easier visa processes, and lower costs make it an appealing alternative. As the US dollar weakens under new…
From Skift Meetings: Featuring Nicola Kastner, CEO of Event Leaders Exchange (ELX), and Kevin Hinton, managing director, group travel, at U.S. Travel Association, this week’s Skift Meetings webinar had one overriding theme — uncertainty. It took Skift Meetings Executive Editor Andrea Doyle several minutes just to describe the numerous repercussions of Trump administration changes so…
IAPCO, in collaboration with IFES, AIPC, AMCI, and the IAPCO National PCO Association Task Force, invites you to participate in the Global Socio-Political Impact Survey. This survey is designed to gather valuable data from a global network of meetings and events professionals to better understand the short- and long-term impacts of recent global policy changes….
From Skift Meetings: President Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs on dozens of nations, including a new 34% tariff on Chinese goods. Many countries have announced countermeasures, escalating trade tensions that could have significant ramifications for the global meetings sector. In response, the Live Events Coalition, originally formed during the Covid crisis but later put…
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