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…
The new Paris Convention Centre helped make this year’s edition of the European Society of Cardiology Congress “an exceptional vintage”, according to one of the organisers. The event, which attracted 33,000 delegates, also featured the ESC’s first patient forum, and a joint public awareness campaign, a playful and informative “Heart Village”. From Association Meetings International…
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 has been spotlit as a leading knowledge hub in minimally invasive urological surgery through securing the 2022 40th World Congress of Endourology. The event will bring around 2,500 specialists from 90 countries to the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center in Gangnam. Another Seoul sector event relayed live surgeries from local hospitals. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
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…
Can venues help bridge the divide that often lies between international associations and their local hosts or chapters in the event destination? Angeline van den Broecke, Director of Global Business Development and Marketing at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, believes they can, and in the process ensure the success of major congresses. 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…
Building on UFI and Explori’s 2016 Global Visitor and 2017 Global Exhibitor Insight reports, this study investigates: How the trade show industry has evolved since 2016 in the eyes of its visitors Visitor experience of individual shows and the industry as a whole How the trade show industry compares to other channels How the visitor…
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 Palais des congrès de Montréal is opening its CITE Event Innovation and Technology Centre, in order to help organisers with reinventing the experience they offer through the expertise of local startups. A dozen firms have joined or will be joining the centre, ultimately in a full-scale co-working space. From Boardroom…
Meet Bristol, the SW English city’s convention bureau, has launched a conference ambassador initiative to promote itself better as a destination for business events. By establishing greater collaboration between local sector experts and event suppliers, the programme is aiming to make strong and competitive bids to host international meetings. Photo: Chris Lathom-Sharp. From Association Meetings International…
Magazine London, one of the largest event spaces in the capital, has now opened for business. The facility in Greenwich Peninsula has capacity for up to 3,000 people standing indoors and 7,000 outdoors. It has already attracted a wide variety of high-profile, public and private events ahead of 2020. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
Jeremy Rees, ExCeL London CEO, has been revealing his plans for the future of the venue. Topics covered include measuring event success, budgets, safety, changes inside the industry, and the sector’s wider recognition. Ahead of Sibos, the centre upgraded its W-Fi, and also installed a living wall of more than 9,500 plants (see picture). From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
Looking into 2020, sector professionals are “very optimistic” about the meetings and events industry. This global survey’s respondents are predicting that the industry will remain steady with moderate growth across all meeting types, with modest increases in spend, and with a continued focus on the attendee experience and experiential events. 2020 Global Meetings and Events…
ExCeL London has hosted Sibos, the world’s premier financial services event, for the first time. With over 9,000 business leaders attending alongside 300 banking and fintech exhibitors, it was Sibos’ largest-ever audience and exhibitor participation. A host of fringe activity also took place around London, delivering significant economic impact. From Association Meetings International…
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