In August, the Louder Together “congrestival” will take place in Antwerp, combining a conference and festival where children, young people and teaching artists from around the world convene in a lively mix of theatre festival and scientific conference, with a clear ambition to create societal impact. From Flanders Convention Bureau…
Copenhagen’s life science congresses are being asked to do more than convene international specialists. Through Valuable Meetings, a MeetDenmark project supported by the Danish Board of Business Development, the city is exploring how congresses can become active platforms for sector development, connecting global associations with Danish research, healthcare, companies and innovation networks. From Boardroom…
At the recent edition of The Meetings Show Asia Pacific, held in Singapore, Northstar Travel Group’s CEO Jason Young reported healthy growth in buyer attendance, pre-booked business meetings and exhibition space booked, along with strong positive sentiments from all sectors of the industry. Young pointed to the growing importance for show organisers of offering high…
The recent unveiling of Hongqiao Tech Week is the latest sign that the global technology events landscape is becoming closer tied to the Chinese market. Taking place in Shanghai in November, the event will bring together enterprises, startups, investors and leaders across sectors including AI, future mobility, digital infrastructure, and life sciences. From M&C/ASIA…
According to the results of a recent Cvent survey, while 87 per cent of event professionals are more confident in using AI-generated content, 85 per cent believe their audiences are growing increasingly sceptical of whether content is genuinely created by humans and whether information is accurate.
The value of a congress is increasingly assessed beyond attendance figures or immediate economic return – its significance lies in its capacity to reshape ecosystems, accelerate knowledge circulation, and anchor territories within global networks of influence. The SRS Annual Meeting 2025, hosted in Strasbourg, offers a particularly instructive example of this shift.
Global Destinations Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) revealed the winners of Innovation, Impact, and new Changemaker Awards, recognising leading destinations driving positive transformation across the tourism and events sectors, during the GDS-Awards Ceremony, held as part of the GDS-Forum and Impact Day in Szczecin, Poland.
Destination Canada’s three-year Legacy & Impact Study highlights the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of major events hosted in Canada. This case study examines how the 11th International Conference on Isotopes (ICI) leveraged Saskatoon’s nuclear expertise to respond to instability in global isotope supply, vital to healthcare and food security worldwide. The…
The MACRO World Polymer Congress 2022 brought together the global polymer science community for the first time in Canada. The goal of the gathering was to advance international research collaborations, strengthen the profile of Canadian polymer science, and create valuable career development opportunities for graduate students and early career researchers.
The AquaCulture Canada and World Aquaculture Society North America event showcases how business events can deliver substantial value across multiple domains when it is strongly linked to sectoral development. The conference amplified visibility for the local industry and provided momentum for long-term positioning in ocean tech and sustainable seafood development.
AI is increasing the need for human meetings, not reducing it, according to new research commissioned by The Meetings Show. Challenging assumptions about the role of technology in improving efficiency, almost two-thirds of business leaders (62 per cent) say AI is increasing the need for human discussion and alignment. From M&IT…
Whether extending trade from exhibition halls into production floors, or grounding conference insights in real-world settings, factory access is playing a bigger role in MICE programmes. In sectors such as electric vehicles, robotics, aerospace and precision engineering, access to factories is important in driving programme differentiation, providing privileged insights and cementing economic positioning. From M&C/ASIA…
Lena Miranda, CEO of Linköping Science Park in Sweden and board member of the International Association of Science Parks & Areas of Innovation makes the case for events that bring together professionals from life sciences, technology, academia, healthcare and investment, and why destinations need to strategically partner with science parks in their cities and regions.
The 19th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes took place in Barcelona in March, gathering 5,300+ participants, in-person and online. The conference showcased the latest innovations and connected endocrinologists, diabetes care providers, researchers and industry professionals from around the world to drive forward the future of diabetes treatment. From Kenes Group…
Kai Hattendorf documents a fundamental shift in the way AI will influence the future of events: rather than primarily being a suite of tools for organisers, AI’s most impactful role will be in how younger delegates use it long before the event starts to guide their entire decision-making on whether and how to participate.
Lakshman Rathnam, Founder and CEO of Wordly, the AI-driven, 60+ language meeting interpretation company, had a revelation early in the company’s seven-year journey: “Clients were saying to us, ‘What are you doing to hear us?’ — not asking for passive access to (usually English-language-using) presenters.” Essentially, they were asking for multilingual tools to offer engagement,…
From 3 to 4 March 2026, Amsterdam hosted the first edition of the Amsterdam Space Symposium at Beurs van Berlage, bringing together over 500 participants and 100+ speakers from across the global space sector. Organised by SpaceNed in collaboration with the Amsterdam Convention Bureau (ACB), the event combined high-level dialogue with a strong focus on…
Kai Hattendorf sets out the data that prove we are experiencing an accelerating degradation of digital business environments, and argues that this dramatically revalues the utility of the exhibition hall, conference hall and networking spaces: Across the business events industry, we have long argued that trust is built through physical presence…
Traditionally, tourism and economic development were treated as two distinct functions, but this model has evolved over recent decades, as destinations recognise that these are two sides of the same coin. Visitors, investors, talent and residents are responding to the same fundamentals: quality of life, connectivity, innovation, culture, sustainability, and opportunity. From City Nation Place…
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has announced a new 30th Birthday initiative in partnership with Life Sciences Queensland (LSQ) to support Queensland and Australia’s research and commercial uptake in across health, biomedical and agritech bio-innovation. LSQ is the Queensland peak body for medical and agricultural science and investment attraction in one of Australia’s fastest…
From AI abuse scandals to collapsing trust, X is no longer just “controversial” – it may be fundamentally broken. And that matters for meetings, events and destination marketers. With the use of the Grok AI tool to manipulate images by removing clothing, the demise of X as a credible social media platform feels complete.
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