The Iceberg, the platform and metaphor for business & professional events advocacy, presented by the Joint Meetings Industry Council, is to be transferred from The Fred Production Company Ltd to The Iceberg Trust, a non-profit UK-based Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) from January 2026.
The Iceberg was founded in 2017 by James Latham with the support of Founding Partners featuring global industry associations, organizations, and practitioners including ICCA, UFI, AIPC, ASAE, EIC, PCMA, IAPCO, Destinations International, CityDNA, SITE, IMEX, IBTM Events, BestCities Global Alliance, and MPI, as well as the world’s leading industry publishers, influencers, and regional event owners.
Nearly all Founding Partners remain but more recent additions include AIME, AC Forum, TMS Asia Pacific, and FIEXPO in LATAM.
The Trustees of The Iceberg will oversee the future governance of The Iceberg and be further tasked with confirming the appointment of association management organisation, Talley, to oversee the strategic and operational delivery of The Iceberg Movement. In addition, Talley assumes responsibility for expanding The Iceberg global Partner & Ambassador outreach.
“The time has come,” Latham acknowledged, “for The Iceberg to become a collective industry asset – and effort – rather than one man’s pilgrimage.”
Talley will further oversee the completion of ‘Iceberg IQ’ – an AI tool currently under development by Gevme.
Iceberg IQ will enable The Iceberg Ambassadors to search and select content from the extensive video & research archives embedded in the platform. “This tool will greatly assist The Iceberg Ambassadors in making the relevant case for our sector to local, regional, and national policymakers,” confirmed Gregg Talley, President & CEO of Talley.
“But we need boots on the ground where voices need to be heard. If we arm these voices with a consistent message that we’re transformational, not just transactional, then we’re on the cusp of realising a truly great movement which we know to resonate with the growth, social, and other priorities of all government departments, anywhere in the world! As we break out from the echo chambers of our own industry, this strategy offers the final step of the journey to effective, continued, local advocacy that James and his team of Partners & Ambassadors set us upon post-GFC,” concluded Talley.
The Iceberg Trustees confirmed to date, pictured above clockwise, include: Caroline MacKenzie (ISHA), Martin Sirk (Sirk Serendipity), Sarah Fleming (SFA Connect), Ben Hainsworth (EASL), Amelia Roziman (BESarawak), Oscar Cerezales (MCI), Geneviève Leclerc (#MEET4IMPACT), Gregg Talley (Talley), and James Latham (The Fred Production Company Ltd), pictured centre.
About The Iceberg:
Launched in 2017, The Iceberg presented by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), is a crowd-funded advocacy platform curating the value derived from business and professional events. Supported by Partners from the world’s leading Business Events Industry associations, organisations, publishers, and event owners and complimented by local Ambassadors, The Iceberg is the metaphor for both the high value visitor economy (the tip of the iceberg) delivered through events, but also the long-tail impacts, outcomes, and legacies created as a result of events that advance social and economic transformation.
View The Launch of The Iceberg here:
https://www.the-iceberg.org/launch-of-the-iceberg/
View Business Events: Change Agents or Travel Agents? here:
https://www.the-iceberg.org/features/business-events-change-agents-or-travel-agents/
View Many Voices, One Message here:
https://www.the-iceberg.org/features/many-voices-one-message/
