From GDS-Movement: In mid-October, the historic city of Bruges hosted the second edition of the GDS-Forum & CityDNA Autumn Conference, organised by the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) and CityDNA (City Destinations Alliance) in collaboration with Visit Bruges. Held under the theme, “Let Pigs Fly,” the event took on the playful yet ambitious challenge to…
BestCities Global Alliance and the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) are thrilled to award the 2024 Incredible Impacts Programme (IIP) Grant to European Academy Childhood Disability (EACD). The Incredible Impacts Programme uses a global platform to celebrate the “beyond tourism” value of meetings and advance their positive societal impact. Incredible Impacts offers two cash…
Connect with global destination organisation and convention bureau leaders in a series of meaningful conversations designed to drive impactful outcomes. This exclusive invitation only event offers the chance to be part of pioneering discussions on sustainability, social inclusion, and the future of global tourism. Experience unparalleled insights from world-renowned speakers, including Greg Clark, CBE, FAcSS,…
Conferli – The conference matchmaking platform’s latest podcast features Beatriz Ibañez, Impact Specialist at #MEET4IMPACT. In this episode, Beatriz unpacks the critical difference between impact and legacy in the events industry, discussing the concept of legacy washing; barriers to creating true, lasting impact; why focusing on long-term change is essential for meaningful progress. Ready to…
From WiT: The World Tourism Day 2024 theme of “Tourism and Peace” presents a chance to reflect on the transformative role women-led tourism can play in post-conflict recovery. Rwanda offers a powerful example. Tourism has become a pillar of the national economy in the decades following the 1994 genocide, with tourism revenue rising from very…
From BBC: The rapid spread of mpox – what used to be called monkeypox – in parts of Africa has been declared a global emergency. A new form of the virus is at the heart of concerns, but there still remain huge unanswered questions. Is it more contagious? We don’t know. How deadly is it?…
By Anna Abdelnoor, CEO & Founder, isla: The shock and horror being expressed as a result of the riots in the UK is normal, but we can’t ignore they’ve been fuelled by decades of economic depravation, misdirecting racist political rhetoric and media-stoked ‘culture wars’. This rhetoric doesn’t exist because media and politicians actually believe the…
From BestCities: In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity across the planet. At its heart are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) urging all countries to implement strategies to improve health and education, reduce inequality, spur economic growth, and tackle climate…
From Skift: Thousands of protestors marched in Barcelona over the weekend against overtourism. Nearly 3,000 people took to the street on Saturday. More than 140 organizations, including neighborhood associations, ecologists and housing activists marched under the slogans, “Enough, let’s put limits on tourism” and “Tourists go home,” reported Catalan News. Some protestors sprayed tourists sitting…
By Gili Back, Corporate Team Building Facilitator & Sustainable Events Manager at TEAM SPIRIT THAILAND: The MICE industry holds immense potential to drive positive change in local communities. When done right, MICE events (and student group travel programs) foster economic growth, cultural exchange, and sustainable development. Here’s why focusing on responsible and sustainable practices in…
From Barcelona City Council: A new package of 48 projects has been approved with a budget of €11.1 million from the tourist accommodation tax. These projects are aimed at strengthening the measures introduced to improve tourism management and boost the sector’s positive impact on the public. Of the 48 projects approved, 29 are direct requests…
From BESydney: As part of Business Event Sydney’s (BESydney) Change Starts Here agenda, it has engaged a Social Impact Specialist to drive the Social Impact strategy from the bidding stage all the way through, with a focus on measurement. Tina Demetriou will be joining the team from 21 November bringing a strong background in event…
From BBC: “ESG” was supposed to be a clear way for companies to explain their business decisions around environmental, social and governance considerations. How did the term go off the rails? In 2015, Paris was buzzing with anticipation as world leaders gathered for the UN’s annual Climate Change Conference (COP21). After weeks of intense debate,…
From Skift Meetings: While serving water from a paper box, using cutlery made from bamboo or digitizing materials impacts the amount of event waste created, the overall challenge of reducing the carbon footprint of events remains. Ultimately, associations can make a more significant impact by supporting organizations committed to sustainability and promoting social responsibility initiatives….
From ICC Sydney: In a demonstration of its commitment to philanthropy and social impact, International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), managed by ASM Global, has recognised its charity clients at its inaugural appreciation luncheon yesterday. The event follows a bumper year for ICC Sydney where charity and not for profit organisations declared at least A$7.1…
By Maraika Black, Advocacy, Policy, and Public Health Coordinator, European Association for the Study of the Liver: Health conferences have traditionally focused on actors directly involved in the field – specialists, medical experts, general practitioners, researchers, nurses, and allied health professionals. It has long since been a source of prestige and professional mobilisation for delegates…
By Simon Anholt, Independent Government Advisor & Good Country Index Founder: How good is your country? There are so many country rankings today, with dozens of new ones published every year. Rankings of happiness, corruption, justice, mortality, productivity, freedom, emissions, conservation, economic growth and education, to name but a few. Whatever you want to know…
Events have the power to build inclusive communities and better places to live, highlighting the extent to which meetings and conferences can contribute to a destination’s societal impact. This was one theme explored in a webinar hosted by GDS-Index, a sustainability benchmarking and improvement programme for destinations around the world. From Meetings & Conventions Asia…
The 61st International Congress and Convention Association Congress was held last month in Kraków, Poland. The four days of content programming concentrated on three key industry topics: diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and legacy. Some of the legacy speakers also contributed to this Iceberg video Feature, here presented together with video of five of the legacy sessions….
The 36th edition of the CityDNA Summer School was hosted in late August. This year the Iceberg partner educational meeting graduated 43 students from Europe and South Africa. As well as video about the Summer School itself from Turin, Italy, this feature looks at participating medical associations and their meetings, sustainability and also hybrid meetings….
Washington may be the oldest, largest and busiest global hub of associations working in different professions, trades and social endeavours. Associations are at the heart of city strategy, both in hosting meetings in the capital, and in locating headquarters there. In this video feature, Destination DC explains how change is being made through business events….
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