When a US academic recently asked on Twitter whether our professional organisations should have vaccine and mask requirements at their on site meetings this autumn, the result was unexpectedly definitive. It also sets the stage for a challenging few months ahead, for the organisations, for destination local authorities, and also for attendees. From PCMA…
Much is said about serendipity at events. A recent gathering of the Membership Committee for the African Society of Association Executives, attended by Gary Grimmer of Iceberg partner GainingEdge, saw a chance encounter develop into a legacy collaboration helping Girl Guides to learn beekeeping. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
When a healthcare meeting chose to require verification of COVID-19 vaccination for attendees, it had to figure out how to do so in practice. The HIMSS21 conference just held used CLEAR Health Pass Validation and Safe Expo Vaccine Concierge Validation to verify status of staff, vendors and attendees. From Associations Now…
The new Society for Incentive Travel Excellence in Great Britain President, Chris Parnham, has urged UK event professionals to get fully COVID-19 vaccinated and to see the act as an extension of their passport. In a call to echo globally, Parnham suggests they choose to help or hinder sector recovery. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
As more meetings return fully in person or as hybrid with in person components, there is the chance that someone will test positive for COVID-19 following attendance. Having a plan to deal with this is crucial, and that plan begins by helping delegates understand to whom to report the information. From Associations Now…
On paper, travelling to meetings is less friendly to the environment than meeting virtually. But events face-to-face have value add hard to quantify. Human interaction is vital for challenging entrenched ways of doing business. To tackle climate change, we must surely collaborate in person as well as online. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were the most expensive to date, and too big to fail, despite ongoing challenges from the pandemic. Gary Grimmer, the Executive Chairman of Iceberg partner GainingEdge, says they make a timely case study for planners and destinations in the new paradigm of broadcast-friendly hybrid events. From Meetings & Conventions Asia…
The event sector is being urged to take more and earlier action over climate change, in advance of this November’s COP26 conference at Glasgow’s SEC. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UK government and SME Climate Hub were part of the special event at which the call was made. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
BestCities Global Alliance has just celebrated twenty-one years since its founding. Managing Director Lesley Williams reflects upon the Iceberg partner’s past and future, and upon the role collaboration has played in the journey. She also pays tribute to the BestCities’ member destinations and to more recently formed alliances. From BestCities Global Alliance…
Sherrif Karamat is the President and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association. He claims here that the pandemic is raising the need to focus now on why we meet and why events like congresses are held. He also has some interesting ideas about The Iceberg’s favourite subject of legacy. From Meetings International…
Convention bureaus have operated as key stakeholders in the meetings industry for over a century, assuming major responsibility for marketing their cities, regions and countries as destinations for the hosting of business events, from small corporate gatherings to the vast annual conferences organised by international associations. During all of that time it has been clearly…
To mark Global Meetings Industry Day, Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance and the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) have joined together to help associations articulate their new hybrid congress guidelines. In the wake of the pandemic, associations must rethink the design and delivery of events to make sure they can bring together international…
Chapter IV of Beyond Food looks at the devastating effect of the pandemic on the conference and events market, and at how the industry is addressing a new way of working post-COVID. Beyond Food: Beyond COVID-19 (Lime Venue Portfolio website, registration required)
Organisers of the 24th International AIDS Conference will create lasting legacies by helping on site and virtual delegates from poorer countries to attend the 2022 event. An “ambitious” scholarship programme will let more attendees take part either in Montreal or else online. The society will also provide internet data and hardware devices. Association Meetings International…
The scale of the challenges facing event planners were again laid bare with the World Economic Forum announcing the cancelling of the Special Annual Meeting that was set for Singapore. Amid a spike in local cases of COVID-19, WEF cited the uncertain travel outlook and also variations in vaccination rollout. From Association Meetings International…
The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe has published an update of its study “The Impact of Coronavirus on Europe’s Convention Sector”. The report proffers three recovery scenarios to reflect possible futures given the level of uncertainty about how the pandemic will evolve over coming months. From Meetings International…
One year into the pandemic, meetings industry professionals gathered with leaders in business, government and the media to mark Global Meetings Industry Day 2021. This year the GMID theme is “Meet Safe”, recognising the industry’s top priority of operating meetings and events with health and safety at the forefront. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Iceberg always enjoys hearing from Martin Sirk, the International Advisor of our partner the Global Association Hubs Partnership and owner of Sirk Serendipity. In an AMI podcast Martin discusses the future of association meetings in terms of both vaccine passports and also of outcomes measurement. From Association Meetings International…
Singapore is tightening up its COVID restrictions. The UK has piloted large free-of-mask events, but uncertainty remains over resuming international meetings. With the global vaccine rollout still not injecting enough certainty into the industry, four Northstar editors from around the world have collaborated on a global outlook. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Madrid Convention Bureau’s development of legacy projects includes collaborations with EMS, the European Emergency Medical Services Congress, setting up first aid training stations for the citizens of Spain’s capital. Now comes the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, whose ESTRO 2021 bidding process was focussed all around legacy impact. From Boardroom…
The Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has supported industry advocacy through COVID-19 with resources like the JMIC Global Manifesto and JMIC Advocacy Guide. President Kai Hattendorf now looks at the state of advocacy in the sector, examining also some of the lessons that have been learnt. The past year has generated a…
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