Business Events World – Issue 60

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FORTNIGHTLY ROUNDUP

June 30th 2019. The profound power of a face-to-face meeting.

So back again to those drab blue conference blocks in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ): the “truce village” where South Korea comes face-to-face with the North.

This time (see issue 18, issue 33 and issue 53) it’s President Trump himself standing with Kim Jong-un, and he’s actually being invited to step into North Korea. It feels historic, even if no goals have been set other than to resume talks. But February’s summit in Hanoi broke up early with no outcome at all, and it’s not exactly clear what happened to Chairman Kim’s negotiating team after that failure.

If you’re looking for a lesson in how to define meeting outcomes, then look no further than the JMIC Case Studies section below. This issue of Business Events World and on The Iceberg there’s a new study of an event previously covered as a Feature: the 11th China-LAC Summit held during 2017 in Uruguay. There’s also the new Business Event Legacies: JMIC Case Study Project Report. This summarises all case studies to date with six “golden rule” recommendations on legacy goal-setting. Please read them! Then please tell the President and Supreme Leader all about them. Go on, I dare you.

An article about this summary report is this issue’s lead in Features as well. Plus, find out how Taiwanese tech is attracting major meetings.

In News this issue, Barcelona, not Paris, hosted more international association delegates than any other city last year. That’s according to the latest rankings from Iceberg partner the International Congress and Convention Association. Iceberg partners AIPC (the International Association of Convention Centres), together with ICCA and UFI (the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) have formed an alliance. Food waste is a concern for more than six of every ten planners, according to the latest annual IACC Meeting Room of the Future report. The £260 million Gateshead Quays will create over 1,000 new jobs in the UK’s North East, and the country’s first-ever tourism sector deal will focus government strategy on growing UK conferences and meetings.

In event News, The Hague is using its hosting of the 2019 European Geothermal Congress to encourage further geothermal deployment. Sheffield has hosted the first International Child and Adolescent Knee Congress, organised by two local surgeon ambassadors. The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis is gearing up to hold its 50th anniversary congress in Melbourne. IBTM World has announced its 32nd edition in Barcelona this November, and the Iceberg partner will also stage IBTM Asia Pacific in Singapore during 2020. Tokyo has secured two major international meetings: the 29th Harvard World Model United Nations in 2020 and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy General Meeting and Congress in 2023. Paris will be hosting the European Society for Medical Oncology’s annual congress in 2021, with 30,000 cancer specialists expected. Calgary will welcome 5,000 oil and gas professionals for the World Petroleum Congress in 2023. The city beat Baku to the event by just 21 votes to 20!

There’s still more on The Iceberg itself (click View all News). The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau has launched a “Meet Special Bonus” to secure major events. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company has secured a VAT waiver for foreign organisations holding events at its UAE venues. A Belfast professor has secured a big archaeology conference for the city in 2022. Around £20 billion of direct spend was generated by UK event delegates in 2018, says a survey. The Meetings Show has taken place in London with best-ever exhibitor sales figures.

In Opinions, hear from Dr Lance O’Sullivan of New Zealand. At 17, this twice-expelled disruptive child was taken to a Māori medicine meeting by his aunt which changed the course of his life. There are also thoughts on how exhibitions change lives, and what the IACC’s latest Meeting Room of the Future report has to say about food waste. Donation of excess food was one of the legacies just created by the World Tunnel Congress 2019 in Naples, Italy. Finally, Hong Kong is still safe and stable for meetings, according to a local exhibition and conference organiser (writing before yesterday’s storming of the Legislative Council).

In Research, the IACC Meeting Room of the Future™, 2018 ICCA Statistics Report: Country & City Rankings Public Abstract, and Maritz Global Events 2019 Global Event Trends Report are all new.

Finally, and as always, The Iceberg reiterates its call for you to join our Global Ambassador Program. You can see Ambassadors listed on The Iceberg homepage, Ambassadors page, and in Business Events World below. Visit Call for Ambassadors 2019 & 2020 to find out more.

Until our next outcome…

Robert Coren, Curator of The Iceberg