After months of lockdown, many countries are just now gradually reopening events. This is not just countries that have suppressed the pandemic, but also many where the situation remains uncertain during a second wave of cases. So how do events look in a COVID-19 world? From Rod Kamleshwaran of the Iceberg partner GainingEdge via LinkedIn…
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…
When ASN (the American Society for Nutrition) decided to switch its live event set for late May in Seattle to all-virtual just sixty days before the meeting, the organising team of ten didn’t know what to expect from the pivot. Nutrition 2020 typically draws 3,500 delegates, but about 30,000 attended the virtual version. From PCMA…
In the rush to pivot strategies for the new normal, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters for an association and its members. Here is a guide to this transformative shift for associations and their congresses, including the delegates, sponsors and technology: the myths, facts and opportunities around virtual events. From MCI…
As the pandemic wears on, respondents to the latest COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard have become more clear-eyed about its economic repercussions, but are still uncertain how best to plan for events in 2021. The new survey compares results from one month earlier and two previous bi-weekly surveys. Planners and suppliers have had another month under their…
Since 2018 GainingEdge has led two major projects for MeetDenmark on meeting legacies. The purpose has been to identify how Danish destinations can create significant added value for visiting congresses while also increasing the value for Danish society beyond the traditional economic benefits. Now MeetDenmark has released the second study completed in 2020 which explores the processes, mechanisms and…
In late May, Talley Management Group President and CEO Gregg Talley served as a panelist on a webinar TMG co-hosted with EventBank. The event discussed ways associations, both nationally and globally, can reposition themselves after the pandemic. Associations across the United States are facing unprecedented challenges because of COVID-19. From adapting to working from home…
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…
Unprecedented times mean unique collaborations. The Joint Meetings Industry Council has held a global webinar, delivered by The Iceberg and presented across four regional satellite events by four trade shows (AIME, IBTM, IMEX and Meetings Africa). JMIC was crowdsourcing ideas for an advocacy manifesto. From Conference & Meetings World…
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives has ceased operating and is to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after 32 years, according to a note on its website. ACTE had not only cancelled its April New York Global Summit because of COVID-19, but also its August 2019 Global Summit in Macau due to Hong Kong protests. From Meetings International…
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…
Large trade fairs hosting thousands of visitors are already taking place in South Korea, which stemmed the spread of coronavirus and thus has one of the lowest death rates in the world. Until June 2021, funding is available for safety measures. Piece includes video from 5,000 delegate dental conference SIDEX. From Association Meetings International…
Over 80 percent of associations have had to cancel one of their flagship meeting due to COVID-19, says a survey. Worryingly, almost 18 percent said the resulting effects on the organisation had been “severe”, causing “major implications” for the finances, staffing and organisational structure of the association. 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…
The Iceberg has just hosted a webinar built around the JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events. This review says the packaging may have been “inflated”, but that the content was “laser-focused”, and that the main speaker Prof. Greg Clark (left) was “supernaturally articulate”. How unified is the sector? From Association Meetings International…
Iain Bitran, Executive Director of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management, shares the challenge of transforming a physical conference into a digital meeting. In just eleven weeks and with around 400 contributions, the XXXI ISPIM Innovation Conference succeeded in “Innovating in Times of Crisis”. From Boardroom…
Iceberg partner IMEX Group has just been forced to cancel IMEX America 2020, after the cancellation of IMEX Frankfurt earlier this year. IMEX CEO and also Iceberg ambassador Carina Bauer explains how the decision was taken, and reflects upon politicians’ appreciation of the value of events. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The many contributions on video for The Iceberg webinar about the JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events included one from Martin Lewis, former Managing Editor of Iceberg partner CAT Media, and Iceberg ambassador. The photo is of Martin in lighter mood at the 32nd M&IT awards last year. But in this longer extract from his…
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