The hybrid multi-site event BOCOM saw players from across Germany’s meetings industry demonstrating readiness for future event formats. Several hundred participants met on-site at the central conference venue in Berlin and at the hubs in Amsterdam, Essen and Vienna, as well as virtually from all continents. From GCB…
Seoul cautiously resumed business events in June, starting with exhibitions and congresses. Dental meeting SIDEX was the first large-scale example with 4,860 attendees over two days. After their firm focus on sanitation protocols, organisers confirmed two weeks later that no COVID-19 cases had arisen after it. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Nostalgia inhibits our imagination, according to Martin Sirk, Iceberg partner Global Association Hubs’ International Advisor. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, says The Iceberg. Here Martin offers some innovative brainstorming of future meeting concepts in which associations could play leading roles. From Association Meetings International…
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…
Academic events such as congresses, conferences, symposia and meetings are part and parcel of most academic careers. Endless hours are spent for both attendees and chairs on travelling, logistics, socialising and many other activities not directly related to core tasks such as teaching, research and knowledge dissemination. Despite the entrenched nature, and the general wave…
The Scottish Event Campus has secured new conference business during lockdown in partnership with Glasgow Convention Bureau and the city’s academic institutions. The business won amounts to 189,944 participant days for the city and will bring £144 million into Glasgow’s economy. From Association Meetings International…
RAI Amsterdam is one of first venues in Europe to reopen without visitor number restrictions. The relaxation of further measures by the Dutch government on July 1st means the centre can again host major events. The RAI had already made its spaces COVID-secure and fully in line with health and safety guidelines. From Meetings International…
A step-by-step guide to creating meetings with long-term societal benefits has just been published by MeetDenmark, an association of the country’s convention bureaux. The study Meeting Legacies: Innovating for Enhanced Value Creation was co-authored by MeetDenmark and consultancy and Iceberg partner Gaining Edge. From Association Meetings International…
A “groundbreaking” Phd study into the academic benefits of attending and hosting meetings has now been published by the convention bureau Wonderful Copenhagen. The thesis by Thomas Trøst Hansen, 148 pages long, has identified specific benefits academics can reap by hosting or attending academic events. From Association Meetings International…
The Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has released a manifesto that sets out arguments as to why business events can and should be utilised to drive economic recovery and renewal in the post-COVID-19 era. The document was assembled with the advice and input of a broad range of industry leaders. This was…
Jane Cunningham (second left) is Director of Community Engagement for Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance, and Global Ambassador for the Joint Industry Meeting Council. In this new Deep Dive podcast, AMI Editor James Lancaster asks Jane how associations and destinations best collaborate. From Association Meetings International…
Medical and scientific meetings came to a sudden halt when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world. Kenes Group kept cancellations to a minimum, postponing most events, but there was one event in particular that took a leap of faith to turn into virtual with less than three weeks’ lead time: the 2nd AAT-AD/PD™ Focus Meeting…
Governments have differing ideas about how meetings should return safely during the pandemic. Industry bodies advocate different plans. But what of the science? Dr. Brian Labus, epidemiologist and health sciences expert at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, prepares organisers for the months ahead. From Event MB…
Early this year a new event launched for associations. GIAF, or the Geneva International Association Forum, was hoping to draw together the sector and “tackle common challenges”. The meeting was scheduled for June, and at the moment is still going ahead face-to-face. From Boardroom…
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…
The recent staging of Iceberg partner AIME (the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event) was not only a platform to showcase the strength and resilience of the region’s events industry, but also as always of destination Melbourne itself. Last October Melbourne Convention Bureau posted record results for the financial year 2018 – 2019, with over…
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…
Once they relied on actors or even mannequins, but more and more medical associations now involve real patients in their congresses. Whether as speakers, panellists or co-designers, they add a different perspective. The result is meetings that are engaging, insightful and enlightening. From Association Meetings International…
Māori culture gives New Zealand its distinct identity, but is also moving centre stage at meetings hosted in the country. This was very evident during the 2019 International Union for Health Promotion and Education Conference, which drew to Rotorua 1,185 attendees from 73 countries. From Association Meetings International…
Iceberg partners AIPC (International Association of Convention Centres), ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) and UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) are jointly now backing a campaign “This show is open for business” first launched by UFI and SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers). From Association Meetings International…
Julia Sonnemann, PR Manager for ITB Berlin, was all smiles during a press conference on February 19th. On February 28th, days before its opening, the travel and tourism trade fair was forced to cancel because it couldn’t meet local health authority requirements on COVID-19. Sonnemann now picks through the difficult decisions that were faced. From EventMB…
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