“The new normal” is an irritating phrase that has entered common parlance since lockdown measures began to contain further spread of COVID-19. While the transition to virtual events is a “new normal” we can take seriously, not much else of the “new normal” is “normal” at all. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Adapt, survive, thrive. Not a choice, but a necessity in the future. So says Smyle Founder and Group Executive Director Rick Stainton, here offering a long-range view on assessing the current economic conditions, lower delegate appetite for business travel, and the role in the mix of virtual and hybrid. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The COVID-19 crisis is a great time for associations to rethink the way they function and deliver value. In this third article in a series, Iceberg partner Boardroom’s Advisory Board, a mix of key association voices, talks about “standing stronger together” and offers ideas on partnership and collaboration. From Boardroom…
As the world’s population grows, the percentage of people living in cities is rising steadily. The future success of humanity is therefore more and more tied to, and even defined by, the future success of the city as a model. In that, of course, business events have a critical role to play. Professor Greg Clark has…
Australia’s business events landscape is surveyed here in a rich collection of articles. BESydney’s Lyn Lewis-Smith, ICC Sydney’s Geoff Donaghy, ACC’s Simon Burgess, MCEC’s Peter King, Brisbane Marketing’s Juliet Alabaster, plus the team behind JMIC’s (the Joint Meetings Industry Council’s) case studies, all offer up viewpoints. From Meetings International…
In 2017 Iceberg partner European Cities Marketing, in partnership with Toposophy, published eight bold statements in The Future of DMOs: The ECM Manifest that set out a vision for what DMOs (destination marketing organisations) could and should become. The final of these statements warned of ‘‘The New Normal’’, a world in which ‘‘crises of every kind have…
COVID-19 has disrupted many things, including our sense of time. While the period of quarantining might seem interminable, our current reality and attempts to plan for the future have never been more fluid. The business events landscape used to take months and months to change. With the pandemic, it changed overnight and continues to evolve,…
In the weeks since the coronavirus outbreak has ravaged the industry, event professionals right across the globe have been uniting in the fight against the pandemic. Competitors have grouped together to provide expertise where most needed, like Live for Life and Go LIVE Together in the US, and also Events4Covid19 in Portugal. From EventMB…
38 percent of the UK events industry believes enquiries and bookings will start to surge back in September. So says the recently published Business Events Sentiment survey, created by PR agency Davies Tanner with the Business Visits & Events Partnership. 556 sector professionals across the UK contributed. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
In a move sure to be replicated across all destination marketing, the Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), partnering with the country’s State Tourism and Food Safety Agencies, has launched SAHMAN (Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms). PwC is to audit the initiative, which will cover all aspects of tourism. From Meetings International…
Australia’s economy is on course to lose AU$35.7 billion in direct spend over the next twelve months, while nearly all business events scheduled for 2020 are cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. That’s according to latest figures from the Business Events Council of Australia. 92,000 industry job losses are expected. From CIM Business Events…
Meeting Professionals International has published the first results of an ongoing industry survey. 58 percent of respondents said that employees at their organisation have now been furloughed or made redundant. The suppliers have been hit the hardest, with 76 percent of staff furloughed (42 percent) or laid off (34 percent). From Association Meetings International…
Iceberg partner IMEX Group has announced the creation of a virtual experience featuring 3D interactive islands called PlanetIMEX. Launching on May 6th, the platform will offer free access to a variety of industry content on community, education and networking islands, the first two available on the launch date. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
AIM Group International has turned a face-to-face medical conference into an entirely online meeting. The AIOP (Italian Academy of Prosthetic Odontology) congress was booked at the Riccione Convention Centre (pictured). AIOP sees the switch as a chance to attract a wider audience. From Association Meetings International…
Iceberg partner UFI, the exhibition industry’s global association, has named five winners of this year’s Next Generation Leadership Grant, following deliberation from a jury of industry experts. The UFI NGL Grant promotes emerging leaders across the global exhibition industry, with winners hailing from Mexico to Singapore. From UFI…
A key activity for over 35 percent of eventprofs now working from home is improving their education. Sector recovery may be quite quick, with a venue capacity shortage into 2021. So say a briefing from The Business of Events and a survey from Business Visits & Events Partnership. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The conscription of venues as field hospitals can be seen as one of the grimmer aspects of the COVID-19 crisis, but can also foster optimism and hope. Ana Carrazon, Congress Sales and Logistics Expert at IFEMA Feria de Madrid, has been working as a volunteer at the IFEMA Hospital. From Association Meetings International…
Matthias Schultze, the German Convention Bureau’s Managing Director, has been discussing the future of meeetings with Christina Buttler, the MCI Germany Director of Strategy and Innovation (MCI is a partner of The Iceberg). She is sure virtual and hybrid events will still be revolutionising established formats even after the current crisis ends. From GCB…
The COVID-19 crisis is a great time for associations to rethink the way they function and deliver value. In the second part of a series, Iceberg partner Boardroom’s Advisory Board, a mix of key association voices, talks rethinking your revenue streams in a fast-changing world, as events are redesigned and revamped. From Boardroom…
Hillary Rodham Clinton chose the Javits Center for her election night party in 2016, but in the end didn’t shatter its glass ceiling. Leadership gender equality within the meetings industry was discussed at a Cvent CONNECT Europe panel in October hosted by BBC Director of Creative Diversity June Sarpong (pictured). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
In January two scientists wrote an article asking why conference design for those involved in scientific research has been slow in evolving. While some science meetings are surely guilty as charged, others do have an appropriately innovative approach. Here are ten that break with tradition to design experiences with big impact. From PCMA…
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