Global Meetings Industry Day 2018 around the world.
In this issue of Business Events World and on The Iceberg… the entire global sector stopped on April 12th to mark Global Meetings Industry Day. In New York the Jacob K. Javits’s Crystal Palace turned blue for GMID, as did the new Pier 17 mall… and even the Empire State building.
In Features you can read the fascinating story of the many regional and international legacies left by the China-LAC 2017 Business Summit. It’s the main trade event connecting companies from China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries, and was held at the Punta del Este Convention and Exhibition Center in Uruguay.
In News alongside GMID (click right arrow), how The Iceberg is getting Chile! FIEXPO Latin America is joining our legacy legion. How a Sheffield conference ambassador brought iSchools to The Diamond. The Costa Rica Convention Center has opened. International convention delegate spend is up in New Zealand. The Prague Convention Bureau is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The new DestinationMAP survey shows how planners pick destinations. The Las Vegas Convention Center expansion designs are unveiled. Icelandic universities are trying to win more academic conferences. Startup meeting Collision is about to relocate to Toronto. New South Wales commits AU$300,000 more subvention to regional events. And there’s an extraordinary legacy coming for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games: the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.
There’s lots more on The Iceberg itself (click View all News)… Clarion Events acquiring PennWell, MPI’s planners’ group and the talking points of the IMEX Policy Forum. US convention bureaux react to proposed social media vetting for visas. BestCities Global Alliance launches a campaign and the Association of Association Executives announces an African event. Finally… two astonishing examples of what not to do at an event. Puma holds a drug and gang-themed party, and the UK Rail Industry Awards stages a mock terror attack on the anniversary of a real one.
In Opinions (still clicking the right arrow!), Jeffers Miruka of the African Society of Association Executives, why patients are a virtue at medical meetings, a UK and US perspective on the industry’s gender pay gap, TED’s Audacious legacy crowd funding project, more on proposed US social media vetting for visas, and IMEX’s Carina Bauer lists four industry tipping points to celebrate GMID.
Next year’s GMID is April 4th 2019.
Robert Coren, Curator of The Iceberg
Showing Featured Features
View all Features
The China-LAC Summit is an annual event organised by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It is a key entrepreneurial event for companies from China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Punta del Este Convention and Exhibition Center was honored to host the 11th edition of…
With more than 37 million people living in greater Tokyo, the city is probably the world’s largest metropolitan area. As the 2020 Summer Olympic Games approach, Japan’s capital is growing even busier with the preparation of infrastructure, transport and human resources. Business events are right at the centre of this development fever. From Boardroom…
Australian cities are leveraging medical knowledge and research specialities to secure major events and realise the investment, employment, healthcare and other legacies that result from them. The 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014), which took place in Melbourne after over two years’ extensive planning and preparation, might well be the epitome of this. From Boardroom…
From ICC Sydney, to NZICC in Auckland, from Setia SPICE in Penang, to the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, Rome’s Convention Center La Nuvola, the Paris Convention Centre, ICC Wales, and CRCC in Costa Rica, the construction of new convention centres across the world suggests face to face has a future. From Association Meetings International…
When the Singapore Tourism Bureau invited several international and European associations to come over and visit local societies and conference venues, they did not expect much symbiosis between these different organisations. But the group started to see synergies across its various fields of expertise and even dreamed up a joint congress together. From Boardroom…
In November the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) welcomed a record number of delegates to its 56th annual congress. Almost 1,300 members, including more than 40 association executives, travelled to Prague for four days of education, chapter meetings and networking. During the event, the inaugural winners of the “Incredible Impacts” grants supported by both…
Montreal has become Canada’s cultural capital: not quite North American, but not entirely European either. Already home to top-notch researchers in fields like genetics, aging, economics and life sciences, Montreal’s scientific community is building on its international reputation. It is doing this both by winning scientific awards and by attracting large-scale international conventions. From Boardroom…
The longest inhabited city on the globe, Jerusalem is not only holy to three major world religions but also an evolving association destination. Thanks to the presence of 17 academic institutions, the Israeli capital is also a modern-day knowledge hub. It boasts the largest number of start-ups and venture capital investments per capita anywhere. From Boardroom…
In November the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) welcomed a record number of delegates to its 56th annual congress. Almost 1,300 members, including more than 40 association executives, travelled to Prague for four days of education, chapter meetings and networking. During the event, the inaugural winners of the “Incredible Impacts” grants supported by both…
In November the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) welcomed a record number of delegates to its 56th annual congress. Almost 1,300 members, including more than 40 association executives, travelled to Prague for four days of education, chapter meetings and networking. During the event, the inaugural winners of the “Incredible Impacts” grants supported by both…
Friends, family, and colleagues of the late Paul Flackett joined in celebration of the IMEX and business events industry icon at a memorial event generously hosted by London’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre. Comic, emotional, and musical farewells from all corners of the world were delivered in fond remembrance of “the boy from Birmingham”. These included…
In November the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) welcomed a record number of delegates to its 56th annual congress. Almost 1,300 members, including more than 40 association executives, travelled to Prague for four days of education, chapter meetings and networking. During the event, the inaugural winners of the “Incredible Impacts” grants supported by both…
Showing Featured News
View all News
As the last athlete leaves the Commonwealth Games Village, work will begin on transforming it into the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct. The new district is near two hospitals and a university, and the Games’ real legacy could be one of the most advanced health and knowledge innovation hubs in the Asia-Pacific. From CIM News Magazine…
Following the New South Wales Regional Conferencing Develop-ment Grants pilot programme launched last year, the NSW Government has committed a further AU$300,000 to attract or create business events across the State. 4,600 delegates are expected to attend twelve events already funded, and should inject around AU$2 million into communities across NSW. From CIM News Magazine…
One of North America’s biggest startup conferences, Collision, will be relocating to Toronto in 2019. The move is a sign of the growing tech sector importance of the Ontario capital. The event itself has grown rapidly in recent years, from 1,500 attendees in 2014 to an expected 25,000 this year. From The (Toronto) Global and Mail…
Meet in Reykjavik has teamed up with three of Iceland’s top universities in an effort to increase the number of academic conferences they host. An official partnership agreement was signed between the convention bureau and the University of Iceland, Reykjavík University (pictured) and the Iceland University of the Arts. From Association Meetings International…
More than 100 events celebrating Global Meetings Industry Day have taken place around the world. In New York the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center’s Crystal Palace turned blue for GMID, as did the Pier 17 mall and Empire State Building. Across the globe event professionals swapped photos and greetings on social media. From Meetings & Conventions…
Designs for the $860 million expansion of Las Vegas Convention Center have been unveiled to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors. The district’s Phase Two will add 1.4 million square feet to the current facility. In 2017 the centre’s attendees generated $2.1 billion in economic impact for the local economy. From Meetpie.com…
Destination websites and industry trade shows are the key sources for North American planners in meeting and event site selection, according to a new report from analytics firm STR. Three-quarters of the planners also turned to an industry trade publication in 2017, and 19 percent had attended the most recent IMEX industry conference. From Meetings & Conventions…
The Prague Convention Bureau is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a new campaign, PCBturns10, which it will showcase at IMEX in May. Since its foundation in 2008, PCB has helped host more than 630 events with an attendance of almost 293,000 delegates, generating 620,000 room nights and more than CZK 1.2 billion. From Meetpie.com…
The total spend by international convention delegates coming to New Zealand rose 17 per cent from 2017 to 2016, despite a drop in total delegate spend from NZ$588 million to NZ$506 million. The Convention Delegate Survey from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment shows that international events are a major growth sector. From CIM News Magazine…
The stunning new Costa Rica Convention Center has officially opened in the capital San Jose. Costing $35 million, the attractive centre can host up to 4,000 in its largest plenary hall with many smaller rooms and breakout spaces. Very near San Jose’s international airport, the venue hopes to attract corporate and association meetings. From Meetpie.com…
Sheffield has hailed the success of its ambassador programme for attracting iSchools’ annual international iConference to the UK for the first time. Val Gillet, Professor of Cheminformatics at the University of Sheffield’s Information School, helped bring more than 450 delegates to the event at the city’s Diamond Building. Photo: Chemical Engineer. From Association Meetings International…
The eleventh edition of FIEXPO Latin America is taking place in Santiago, Chile, this June. Billed as the ‘largest platform’ for meetings industry destinations and venues in the region, the show will also showcase the Latin American legacy outcomes of the Joint Meetings Industry Council’s Iceberg project. From Association Meetings International…
Showing Featured Case Studies
View all Case Studies
London Tech Week is a festival of live events taking place once a year across the United Kingdom capital. Having been held now for four years, it has become a key gathering for the ICT industry in London. It connects the entire tech ecosystem both within the city and beyond, shapes the future of the…
Many international convention centres use sophisticated methods to measure the economic impact of business events in their host cities. Others recognise the importance of food in customer experience and promote programs like paddock to plate or food miles. ICC Sydney marries these two concepts together and takes them to a new level by measuring the…
Growing its business events sector is part of Malaysia’s strategy to achieve status as a developed nation by 2020. This case study presents the contribution made by the 55th ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Congress towards developing the business events sector in the country. ICCA’s event engaged political leaders and the local community to raise awareness of the needs…
The Geneva Convention Bureau has adopted a policy of promoting Geneva not only as a destination but also as a center of economic, knowledge and innovation excellence. It does this by marketing meetings and events in relation to local key clusters of industry. As a result, a dynamic and virtuous feedback loop is established between Geneva’s economic or knowledge…
This research by Business Events Sydney (BESydney) demonstrates that business events offer delegates unrestricted exposure to innovative ideas and opportunities to develop new knowledge and skills. Part of the Beyond Tourism Benefits series, the new study by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) – Conferences: Catalysts for Thriving Economies – provides further evidence showing that…
Showing Featured Research
View all Research
Have a look Pacific World’s Destination Index, a unique tool to provide corporate, association and agency planners with an advanced indicator of destination popularity for international meetings, incentives and events. The index is based on over 5,000 international enquiries received worldwide, actual meeting and event results and highly valuable feedback from attending delegates from around…
“2017 was a good year for UK meetings industry sales growth” reports Louise Goalen, Chair of HBAA, as the HBAA Meetings Barometer results for 2017 are revealed. The average spend per meeting and average spend per delegate in the UK both grew significantly year on year in 2017, despite a slight decline in the average…
Ashfield Meetings & Events is pleased to announce a 2018 follow-up study to the 2016 “Future Of Meetings” white paper. “The Science Of Healthcare Professional Meetings” compares and contrasts the perceptions of healthcare professionals (HCPs) across a wide variety of speciality areas, and dives deeper into the ongoing evolution of the medical meetings landscape. By looking…
A new research report examining “The Rise of Midsize Cities in the Meetings Industry” in North America and Europe, commissioned by the IMEX Group and developed by Skift, has been published. The free 40+ page report carefully examines why and how some midsize cities (historically known as second-tier cities, a label they’ve now shaken off) have managed…
This Economic Significance Study (ESS), conducted by Oxford Economics, quantifies a vital industry that contributes billions of dollars to the US economy, while creating millions of jobs in almost every community in the country. The data in this study provides a clear and credible statistical base on which to gain recognition for this vast and…
The IRF 2018 Trends Study highlights ten key trends that will affect organizations, their products and services, and the workforce in 2018. From market optimism to concerns about risk and safety, the study identifies key areas of change and their implications for workforce engagement, incentive travel and recognition. IRF 2018 Trends Study (IRF website version)
This study is based on a global survey, concluded in January 2018. It represents up to date information on the development and the outlook of the global exhibition industry as well as on 17 specific countries and geographic zones. Global Exhibition Barometer 20th Edition (January 2018)
The United Kingdom is a preferred host for international meetings, conferences and events because of its economic, academic and industry sector strengths. That applies equally to the major gateway cities and the many regional cities spread across every corner of the UK, each with extensive clusters of expertise in advanced and creative industries. This sector…
Positive Impact has marked the end of its campaign during the UN Year of Sustainable Tourism with the launch of a report at IBTM World “Telling the Story of the Power of Events”. The report which has had input from five academics and had a three month period of accepting contributions from across the global…
UFI’s World Map of Exhibition Venues (November 2017) reveals that the total venue space available for exhibitions has grown 7.4 percent in the last six years, from 32,500,000 to 34,900,000 square metres (gross indoor exhibition space, venues over 5,000 square metres). The fastest growth is in venues offering more than 100,000 square metres, a rise of…
This report gives an overview of the experience and intentions of exhibitors at trade shows across the world. It aims to give event organisers a deeper understanding of the patterns and trends that drive positive and negative exhibitor experiences and the objectives and behaviours that underlie them. This report has been created in two stages….
With the majority of all U.S. businesses (84%) now using non-cash awards and the majority of top performing businesses (those with the highest revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction) saying their executives support their non-cash recognition and reward programs as a competitive advantage, the eminent need to understand how to create effective programs becomes…
Showing Featured Opinions
View all Opinions
This Global Meetings Industry Day IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer has been reflecting on how the events and meetings industry has been evolving. In a press release marking GMID, Bauer shared four major tipping points that have transformed the sector over the last decade: globalisation, the emergence of innovation hubs, technology, and the TED factor. From BizBash…
Proposed Trump administration legislation, if approved next month, will require most US visa applicants to relinquish all their social media identities from the previous five years. Convention bureaux across the country have already reacted, but what will the move mean for visiting international delegates? From editor’s blog at Assocation Meetings International…
In the US April 10th is Equal Pay Day. The date chosen reinforces a point. It takes women nearly four months longer to catch up to a man’s annual salary. Last year Convene’s Annual Salary Survey reported that female respondents earned 22 percent less than male respondents. This year’s survey has now closed. From PCMA Convene…
TED has just announced The Audacious Project, which will apply a startup funding model to bold, new philanthropic legacy projects every year. According to the press release, it is a “joint endeavor housed at TED, to surface and fund critical ideas that have the potential to impact millions of lives”. From PCMA Convene…
As UK firms must now submit gender pay gap data, it is clear that women working at large event agencies are on average paid less than men. But gender pay gaps and staffing makeup are separate issues. If there are still more men at the top, is this for men to address? From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
Medical conferences that invite patients onto their stages and into their planning committees are finding out that patients are a virtue. Over the last decade there has been a slow-moving revolution in leveraging the legacies that can accrue to both healthcare professionals and to patients when the latter play a meaningful role. From PCMA Convene…
Jeffers Miruka is President of the African Society of Association Executives, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has over ten years of experience across association management and the meetings industry, and shares his views on how Africa is fast developing, both as an association and a meetings destination. From Boardroom…
Corporate social responsibility initiatives are becoming an increasingly important element of incentive programmes. They drive employee engagement and build corporate culture. From ordering 800 garments for a gala evening, helping locals to buy an industrial sewing machine and start a business, to rebuilding a school, creating such legacies can be powerful, authentic and transformative. From motivate…
The events and meetings industry is hardly short of its own professional associations. A good many of them are even Iceberg partners! You join for the networking, education and advocacy, then get much more. But which are right for each of the different tribes within our overall sector? From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
It is not unusual for conventions to include recreational options for significant others and children. It is more enticing to register if the business trip is also a family vacation. But Destinations International Annual Convention organisers took the idea to the next level by holding an education session for the whole family. From PCMA…
The decision of Marriott International to reduce group-intermediary commission rates has already made a major impact on the North American independent planners, many of whom have business models built entirely around commission. Now Hilton is doing the same. What will this mean for both the planners and the wider industry? Photo: Daderot. From Meetings & Conventions…
Port Covington in Baltimore, Lake Nona in Orlando, Hudson Yards in New York, and Quayside in Toronto are all being built or rebuilt from the ground up to promote mobility, connectivity and livability. In 2018 both the Consumer Electronics Show and South by Southwest launched tracks dedicated to smart cities for the first time. From Skift…
Showing Featured Education
View all Education
The Women Executives Forum explores the challenges and opportunities facing women leaders—executives in and aspiring to the c-suite—and how men and women can take action to support gender equality. The series of workshops features notable speakers from the association, nonprofit, and public sectors. Each edition of the Women Executives Forum features a thought-provoking keynote presentation…
PCMA Education Conference – Where New Ideas and Event Design Converge. As learning styles rapidly evolve and experience expectations continue to rise, do you find yourself in need of idea butane to stay ahead of the curve? Activities include conversations with thought leaders who bring fresh outside perspectives. Together we will celebrate dialogue as we reimagine the…
The CIS, Certified Incentive Specialist, is an entry level certification program from SITE. Professionals from around the globe will acquire in an efficient manner a broad comprehension of the incentive travel industry. All emerging professionals, faculty members and students aspiring to enter this specialized segment of the meetings and events industry may use CIS as a…
This training is full of demonstrations of the latest technological tools to get the most out this day of intensive learning. The technologies addressed are: Digital Content Management; Mobile Apps; The basics of hybrid meetings and the latest innovation; Co-creation; Participant involvement: how to make it really work. Discover practical techniques, formats, processes and tools that you can easily…
AIPC’s most important annual event brings together CEO’s, senior level industry professionals and provocative keynote speakers in a focussed exchange dedicated specifically to the educational, networking and strategic planning needs of international convention centres. It is widely recognized for the priority it places on practical, insightful and industry-specific content on a global scale.
Join fellow senior executives in advancing your career to blend theory with experience and application of knowledge to help industry leaders thrive in a constantly changing environment. The CDME program focuses on vision, leadership, productivity and implementing business strategies.
The Association Meetings Programme is designed to informally network with ICCA Members and Association Executives and learn from each other and the top faculty of experts about bidding, designing, organising and promoting int’l association meetings.
An IAPCO EDGE embraces all sectors of the Meetings Industry. The target audience is PCOs/Meeting Planners; National/International Organisations/Associations; Convention Bureaux/Tourism Bodies; Congress Centres/Conference Hotels; Exhibition Managers; Pharma and Medical Device Companies; DMCs; AMCs; Travel Agencies.
Maritz Global Events’ resource library gives industry professionals the latest insights about solving their greatest challenges; experts share their insights on the value of face-to-face meetings and events, the journey to take your event global, and the power of experience design thinking.
Capturing valuable insights and conversations: Be immersed in engaging live or virtual technologies with MCI proven expertise to be aware of the latest trends. Explore the key topics that affect your business environment through the unique insights of MCI’s industry experts.
Showing Featured Events
View all Events
The 2018 Marketing, Membership & Communications Conference is the can’t-miss event for association professionals looking to improve their marketing, communication, and membership strategies and learn about technologies and trends to enhance their business. Over two information-filled days, MMCC attendees will learn about the latest strategies for effective marketing and branding, membership recruitment, and member retention. Come prepared…
The World Education Congress is MPI’s signature event through which it delivers premier education, business and networking opportunities for meeting and event planners. Every programming decision MPI is making for #WEC18 is toward the goal of revitalizing you and the events you plan. From the keynotes to concurrent sessions; from the networking functions to the…
Global Exhibitions Day is a chance to celebrate the exhibition industry and highlight its positive impact on jobs, business, innovation and local investment. Online, and through an array of national and local events, people on every continent are expected to join the GED18 campaign, from venues and organisers to students, local partners and public authorities.
City Fair is a one day event of pre-scheduled appointments dedicated to the lucrative and growing sector of city tourism organised by ETOA and ECM. City Fair gives European destination suppliers the opportunity to meet selected travel buyers in a productive business environment. One-day B2B event of up to 32 pre-arranged one-to-one meetings. Unique format of targeted business workshop with marketing opportunities
European Cities Marketing will present a toploaded program for the ECM International Conference where Europe’s city marketers and tourism professionals meet industry thought leaders to debate and strategise the new normal in urban travel and tourism.
ibtm america is a 3 day event in North America focused on uniting US and international travel industry suppliers with highly qualified meeting and event planners. The turn-key pod format offers 1-to-1 meetings between suppliers and buyers, with appointments mutually matched to ensure all meetings are highly relevant.
The highlight of the Central European Chapter of ICCA is the Summer Meeting in Wiesbaden, June 20-22. Dozens of industry professionals from about 15 different countries will come together to make new contacts, share ideas, and enjoy their stay in Germany. The central theme of this year’s event is “Industry Challenges: Are you prepared for…
Co-located with Asia’s largest business platform for MICE, experiential marketing and destination weddings industry, attend expert sessions featuring 100 global industry leaders as speakers; network with over 200 top marketers/corporates/brand representatives from Inida and Asia; meet 1000 top MICE and destination wedding planners; gain exclusive access to the glitziest awards ceremony in the experiential industry!
No other event offers the same opportunity for client and supplier to meet face-to-face and discuss future co-operation in a tailor-made Workshop environment. Participating bureaux can promote their company and services to senior decision-makers who are actively looking for destinations.
Destinations International’s Annual Convention provides an exclusive opportunity to connect peers and thought leaders from inside and outside the industry; an integrated approach to learning regardless of your budget size or discipline focus; recognition for our leaders and their accomplishments on behalf of the industry; relationship-based exchanges among industry providers, destination organizations and CVBs; diversity of thought by assembling the best minds…
World Meetings Forum is a dedicated space open for discussion and analysis of global trends, statics and the path for the Global MICE Industry including business exchange and networking moments. WMF puts all the effort to bring events that helps our industry to educate on all levels.
A special program to experience the best of the Rocky Mountain state. Attendees engage in a relaxed environment to discover new venues as they meet Colorado’s most prominent hotels/resorts, CVBs and unique venues.
Showing Partners
View all Partners
