When Marco Oelschlegel became head of Berlin’s Convention Bureau in January 2020, neither he nor the rest of the world knew how difficult and strange the coming few months would be. So just how has the start of his new role ended up being, and what is Berlin’s “new normal” like? From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Bulb, a UK-based sustainable event consultancy, has released a guide to help meeting organisers to navigate the “new normal” and make sure the progress made in creating a sustainable industry is not lost. The increase in need for PPE (personal protective equipment) has seen a rise in plastic pollution. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
While some associations are adapting quicker than others, there remains a general misconception on what is a virtual event. Is it anything as simple as a giant Zoom call, or does it entail more than that? Can simply renting a platform solve everything? What is the role now of event planners? Creating a virtual congress is as…
Earlier this year, the Incentive Research Foundation published the results of a pulse survey fielded between April 2nd and April 16th COVID-19’s Impact on the Incentive Travel Industry (April 2020). Given the continued challenges for the industry related to the pandemic, IRF fielded a study between July 1st and July 15th, 2020 to understand the…
After months of conference calls, webinars and online meetings, we recognise perhaps more than ever the role that business events play in exchanging ideas, building networks and fuelling innovation. So explains Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, Executive Director of Business Events at Destination Canada. From PCMA…
The Events Industry Council just released the “Meeting and Event Design Accepted Practices Guide” (see Research). More guides are to come from the EIC powered APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force. A webcast offered insights and answered audience questions about the new document. From Northstar Meetings Group…
When the United Fresh Produce Association cancelled its annual convention and expo this spring, organisers quickly put the content online. The scramble proved to be so successful that the association has kept it going, turning a one-off event into an online platform with permanent expo, social gatherings and on-demand education. From PCMA…
As associations continue to stage virtual conferences because of COVID-19, many are concerned about replicating the interaction, networking, engagement and hallway conversations that are staples of face-to-face events. During a webcast from Iceberg partner ASAE, presenters shared five tips on how to achieve them. From Associations Now…
Europe’s largest medical meeting in radiology and radiotechnology, the European Congress of Radiology, was held exclusively online for the first time this year. A record 15,265 delegates from over 130 countries took part, an increase of five percent in delegate numbers from the 2019 edition. From Association Meetings International…
In times like the current pandemic, how can associations begin to plan for the years ahead when decisions they are taking today may no longer be valid even in the very near future? Association not-for-profit AC Forum explains how its members anticipate changes in the sector and in their events. From Boardroom…
In July 2020 the Events Industry Council released the Meeting and Event Design Accepted Practices Guide. It is intended to serve as a resource and educational tool for industry professionals to utilise. This guidance also is intended to be global and universal in nature. The work will continue to evolve through regional workshops led by task…
A combined group of members from the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association Event Venues (AEV) and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA), led by the associations, has launched the All Secure Standard, a risk assessment based framework of COVID-19 secure industry best practice and guidance for business events and consumer shows which…
The results of the July COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard survey of 476 planners and 212 suppliers reveal a sharper divide between the two in several key areas. For instance, only one third of planners expect to see smaller local and regional events leading the recovery once the crisis is over (41 percent in the June survey),…
Vienna Convention Bureau was instrumental in hosting Europe’s largest congress for radiology and radiotechnology exclusively online for the very first time in its history. Organisers say 15,000 international attendees from 30 countries took part in the European Congress of Radiology “Virtual Exhibition”. From Exhibition World…
ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association), an Iceberg partner, has opened up the registration for its 59th Congress this November in the city of Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. The event will be a hybrid format being produced with Iceberg partner Maritz Global Events. From Conference & Meetings World…
The UK meetings industry is now launching a campaign to boost confidence in the sector and to prove its worth to the country. Smyle’s Rick Stainton and BVEP Chair Simon Hughes are leading the drive to embed trust in the industry’s safety approach. They are calling for contributions. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Martin Sirk is International Advisor for Iceberg partner GAH (Global Association Hubs). In a sharp reality check for the business events sector, he warns that successful reopening relies on a much wider containment of the pandemic than the industry on its own can ever achieve. The economy and health are not zero-sum trade-offs or parallel-track…
Months now into the COVID-19 pandemic we are awash in sector pronouncements and assertions, even if the route to recovery in this challenging situation remains rather unpredictable. But the recent global manifesto from the Joint Meetings Industry Council is a little different. So says JMIC’s Executive Director Rod Cameron…
In planning a hybrid or digital event, content is key to success. Panelists said as much during the first hybrid webinar of The Hague Convention Bureau. Talking through the viability of such events were a corporate and two association planners, a meeting design expert and a hotel executive. Article includes webinar video. From PCMA…
In the UK many industry associations have produced their own COVID-19 safety guidelines. While a measure showing initiative and real thirst to restart, this has caused confusion among planners over which label to seek out. List compiled before the Government-approved All Secure Standard was launched. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Associations are perfectly placed to reshape the world emerging from lockdown. They are repositories of expertise and best practice. They are trusted curators of information. They connect people all around the world and provide lifelong learning beyond university. But is this an opportunity they will grasp? From Association Meetings International…
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