The IBTM World Trends Watch Report by Rob Davidson and Ali Turner is an insightful compendium of data that crosses business, industries, economies and geographies within the global meetings and events industry. The IBTM World Trends Watch Report 2019 (IBTM World website) Virtual Experience Economy Set to Grow, Says IBTM Trends Watch Report (Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Monaco’s meetings industry goes from strength to strength with a rise of 5.4 percent in business events during 2019. The principality has focused on continually improving services in the sector, which makes up 25 percent of the economy. The growth is also thanks to the Grimaldi Forum, which is set to be extended. From Boardroom…
Silicon Valley start-up “wordly”, which uses voice recognition and artificial intelligence to translate between 15 languages, has won the Iceberg partner IBTM World’s Tech Watch Award. The interpretation app was praised by judges for helping event planners reduce costs by eliminating the need to hire translators in sound-proof booths. From Association Meetings International…
The virtual experience economy is set for big growth, according to the annual IBTM World Trends Watch Report. The complete study, which analyses the future of the events industry, was compiled using over 25 existing data sources and was unveiled on the first day of Iceberg partner IBTM World in Barcelona. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Marketing Cheshire’s “Brilliant Science” programme has helped it win the Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology September 2020 40th anniversary event. “Brilliant Science” makes the most of the region’s scientific heritage and links, to develop the North West as a hub for international association congresses. From Association Meetings International…
The impact of the meetings, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) industry on the Canadian economy has always been significant, relating to short-term delegate expenditure and long-term job growth and economic development. These types of business events are also an ideal way to counteract seasonality because international business events take place throughout the year, ensuring a…
Business Events Luxembourg was created at the end of 2018 by the Ministry of the Economy of the Grand Duchy and the City of Luxembourg. It is the convention bureau for a destination striving to attract meetings in the government defined key sectors for economic growth: automobility, ICT, space, cleantech and life sciences. From Boardroom…
Florian Gerdes is Marketing Manager Conventions at HCB, the Hamburg Convention Bureau. He describes here HCB’s approach to subvention during low demand, the relationship Hamburg has with UK, what the city has to offer the planners organising within prioritised knowledge sectors, its competition with Berlin and its recent secured bid wins. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
South Africa boasts the most advanced broad-based economy in the continent, and meetings business across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban which includes the 5th BRICS Summit, COP17 and the recent World Economic Forum on Africa. Clusters include healthcare and ICT, the $233 million MeetKAT radio telescope also leading in astronomy. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Companies offering event artificial intelligence, virtual reality and facial recognition technology feature in this year’s Tech Watch Award, with seven finalists now announced by organiser and Iceberg partner IBTM World. One company will be named overall winner by the judges, with another taking home the People’s Choice Award (voting now open). From Association Meetings International…
Seoul’s recent debut hosting of the International Bar Association Annual Conference is the latest example of global groups using the city’s PLUS SEOUL support service for meetings. The event follows in the footsteps of the International Organization for Standardization’s TC258 Plenary Meeting in September, which also made use of PLUS SEOUL. From Boardroom…
Gina Glantz is the co-founder of the advocacy campaign GenderAvenger, and the global lead champion of meetings booking panels and not manels. Already recently profiled in these pages, she has just filmed an interview for the video series PCMA Ascent Luminaries, which promotes diversity and inclusion in business events. From PCMA…
While some destinations fail to invest in reaping the rewards of business and professional events (the current example being the Scottish capital and the public sector funding cuts devastating convention and visitors bureau Marketing Edinburgh), meetings are increasingly being acknowledged by city authorities across the board for the economic and social legacies they leave. Iceberg…
Seoul and wider South Korea have much to offer planners of meetings and incentives, and are competing strongly against other key Asian destinations like Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Big wins of late include the 31st World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Seoul now lies tenth in ICCA rankings. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
With successful sectors like life sciences, technology, agribusiness, aerospace, clean technology, natural resources and advanced manufacturing, Canada is becoming an increasingly “alluring” destination for global meetings and events. Planners can reach into local industry and academia to shape their meeting agendas, grow their attendances and create legacies. From Boardroom…
With five different formats spread across two co-located meetings, Basel Life and Intelligent Health, a festival of life sciences events has just taken place at the same time in the Congress Center Basel. 2,000 delegates from 68 countries visited Intelligent Health, which focussed on the use of artificial intelligence to solve world health problems. From Boardroom…
The fourth meeting of Dubai’s City Readiness Committee, which brings together the major parties involved, has declared all the preparations for Expo 2020 to be on track. The body coordinates both local and federal entities. It is now just a year before the six month event, with 25 million visits expected. From Meetings International…
The flying saucer of Palacongressi di Rimini (pictured), part of the Italian Exhibition Group, has become a strong contender for hosting high-profile international association events. In 2020 the venue is staging conferences that will create significant legacies in child protection, cardiology, organic chemistry, social work… and strawberry farming. From Boardroom…
For the first time ever the UN has received commitments from the event industry at the Sustainable Development Goal Summit in New York. 7,000 pledges were collected from 58 countries, and the resultant “acceleration action” from Iceberg partner Positive Impact is promoting events as a form of lifelong learning (SDG 4). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
During August, Iceberg partner Positive Impact conducted a survey of event industry commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Over 7,000 pledges from 58 countries were received, like using only plant-based food to reduce carbon footprint. In a video from outside UN HQ in New York, CEO Fiona Pelham explains. From Positive Impact via YouTube…
The first time Gina Glantz used social media to call out the lack of women on a conference panel, she was “rebuked”. This ultimately led to the foundation of the campaigning nonprofit GenderAvenger, and later a change in how meetings respond to the naming and shaming of sessions which only schedule “manels”. From PCMA…
Powered by 
