Gregg Talley, President and CEO of Iceberg partner Talley Management Group, believes Africa’s attraction as a business event destination should remain clear-cut after the pandemic. The continent is still “an incubator for innovation and an incredible cultural experience that connects us all to the cradle of humanity”. From Conference & Meetings World…
Events might have disappeared during the pandemic, but climate change hasn’t. We want to live in a world where events can take place, but also want to have a world to live in. Leading industry voices discuss sustainability, including two from Iceberg partners Global Destination Sustainability Movement and IMEX Group. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
A partnership between the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and local scientific and industry leaders has secured 127 conferences for the city over ten years. BCEC’s conference ambassadors are recruited to win important meetings for the Queensland capital, including immunologist Professor Ian Frazer, who offers thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
The pandemic has questioned the role of the meetings industry and the function destinations now play. Five European convention bureaux, part of an informal alliance, share perspectives on how emerging as intellectual capitals may be key to staying relevant beyond the crisis: Glasgow, Copenhagen, Vienna, Brussels and Barcelona. From Boardroom…
Melbourne will be showcasing scientific know-how after winning bids for two major congresses. The city will host the International Mass Spectrometry Conference 2024 and also the International Symposium on Lepton and Photon Interactions in 2023. The two events will deliver AU$13.2 million to the state. From Association Meetings International…
The “new normal” notwithstanding, the preference across the industry for holding in-person meetings is clear. So what do both venues and destination marketing organisations need to focus on to maximise their attendance in-person now as hybrid meetings proliferate? Sarah Fleming, Managing Director of Sarah Fleming Associates, has some ideas on the subject. From Sarah Fleming…
The pause of face-to-face events has left a void of connection not fully filled by the switch to digital. Designers have to help guests feel more connected as they meet again. Iceberg partner Maritz Global Events’ Chief Behavioural Officer Charlotte Blank and Enterprise VP for Design Studio Greg Bogue explain. From Maritz Global Events…
COVID-19 has slammed the brakes on the international expansion of associations, their big conferences having been essential to delivering such goals prior to the pandemic. International Advisor Martin Sirk, of Iceberg partner Global Association Hubs, says that association-friendly regional destinations are the answer. From Boardroom…
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…
The 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals is heading to Perth in December 2023. The event is set to bring thousands of experts into the city and deliver AU$10 million to the local economy. The win was supported by Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program. From Association Meetings International…
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…
Singapore Tourism Board is piloting two hybrid events, which will allow 50 delegates to attend in person, to stress-test its new risk management framework before gradually scaling up to larger meetings. Both events will have up to 50 attendees on site and about 1,000 online. 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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