Conferences and events are set to play a key role in the West Midlands’ new Regional Tourism Strategy, which aims to grow the area’s visitor economy by more than £1 billion and create 19,000 local jobs. At the conurbation’s heart is Birmingham, a city on the rise. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
The International Convention Centre Wales, the new £84 million venue in Newport, South Wales, has opened its doors to UK and international events, with over 5,500 delegates experiencing the venue in a packed first week. The first event was the Association of Stoma Care Nurses three-day UK Annual Conference 2019. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
In the first half of 2019, MyCEB, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, secured a total of 301 events with an expected 570,741 delegates, 208,555 of them from abroad. These meetings will happen between 2019 and 2028, will create around RM3.9 billion of economic impact, and include four wins of particular significance. From Meetings International…
Ottawa Tourism and The Hague Convention Bureau have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will bring the two cities’ convention offerings closer together over the coming years. The agreement was initially discussed five years ago at the ICCA Congress in Antalya, and both organisations have since then sought ways to cooperate. From Meetings International…
Europe as a Destination for Meetings and Conferences is in the focus of a recent study that looks at challenges and opportunities in a changing environment as a basis for developing hands-on recommendations for action. In an age of complexity creativity and flexibility are key With the aim of analysing Europe’s medium-term to long-term market…
Despite the Hong Kong government giving in to protestors’ demands to withdraw its extradition bill, political disruption has continued across the territory. Organisers are nervous of holding events there, but the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and other local players have been keen to allay all fears. Photo: Studio Incendo. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Denver is the latest city, and the fourth in the US, to join Iceberg partner the Global Destination Sustainability Index. The Colorado capital’s sustainability credentials as both convention city and destination include the LEED Gold certified Colorado Convention Center with its own sustainability programme, green hotels and citywide bike sharing. From Boardroom…
CWT M&E has unveiled its ranking of the top ten cities for meetings and events in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2020, with London holding onto the coveted number one spot. The ranking is based on data in the CWT 2020 Future Trends in Meetings & Events report just out. From Meetings International…
St Petersburg is now doubling its subvention fund for 2019 to 50 million roubles (approximately €700,000), as part of an ongoing strategy to attract to the city major international congresses. The fund is available across all the city’s venues, but will have a significant impact on Expoforum, the Russian city’s main congress centre. From Meetings International…
Plans for the Galaxy International Convention and Exhibition Centre have just been presented at IBTM China in Beijing. Macau is getting the coming 40,000 square metre conference and business event facility, with 10,000 square metre exhibition and convention hall, as the third phase of the Galaxy casino resort completes in 2021. From Meetings International…
London has just hosted the 33rd edition of the European Cities Marketing Summer School. This year’s event graduated 64 students from three continents, including four from the USA and Canada and five from South Africa. Brand new for 2019 was an innovative stronger connection between attendees and the host city. From European Cities Marketing…
Flight-shaming, which many believe started in Sweden, has not reached the US yet, which basks in the glow of a demand boom. Greta Thunberg, the pioneering young eco-warrior (pictured), crossed the Atlantic in a yacht to avoid flying to two major climate summits. How realistic is idealism? From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
In issues 18, 33, 53 and 60 of The Iceberg’s fortnightly Business Events World, the importance of meetings has been discussed in terms of President Trump’s rapprochement with Kim Jong-un. Their summit venue, the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ, is also a fascinating outing for incentive delegates. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Holland’s network of thought leaders plays a key role in attracting international association events and enhancing the country’s reputation as a knowledge hub. Here four key influential figures, instrumental in winning bids for Utrecht, The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, discuss the experience. The group includes Professor Peter Reiss (pictured at AIDS 2018). From Boardroom…
When tourist visitors to a city greatly outnumber the resident population, it’s not hard to understand locals feeling crowded, some to the point of revolt. But is overtourism an issue for the meetings industry? What have selfie-stick wielding hordes that descend seasonally on top destinations have to do with business events? From PCMA…
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