True to form, the BestCities Global Alliance continued to use its annual Forum to pursue association impact by gathering members of its association community for shared learning. The methodology for developing greater impact strategies came in the form of the 2nd edition of the ICCA Association Impact Masterclass following its inauguration by Founding Funders and…
From Skift Meetings: The shifting political landscape in the U.S. is casting a shadow over WorldPride 2025, with sponsors pulling out and international travelers facing growing uncertainty. While organizers remain steadfast in their commitment to hosting the global event, concerns over all Pride events are mounting. WorldPride 2025, a three-week celebration in Washington, D.C., May…
By Pádraic Gilligan, Co-Founder, SoolNua: We now live in a global society where conflict, in all its forms, has become the new normal. Game-changing decisions that impact entire industries are being made—and unmade—within 24 hours. Global trade, poverty alleviation programs, pathways to peace, and even fundamental values like inclusiveness are being actively weaponized in a…
From Le Devoir: Cities are fighting over international conferences, whose economic benefits and influence are the stuff of dreams. In Canada and Quebec, organizations support municipalities and institutions that are trying to secure such events. In April 2024, the teams from Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des congrès de Montréal created the Collectif Savoir, whose…
From Skift Meetings: A growing wave of meeting cancellations signals trouble for the business events industry. Providence is one destination already feeling the impact. The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau in Rhode Island received its first business meeting cancellation on January 27. The conference, focused on renewable offshore wind energy, included 3,300 room nights…
From Boardroom: Glasgow has reinforced its position as a leader in purpose-driven conferences with the Glasgow Conference Impact Network (GCIN) marking a successful first year. Launched in partnership with the Glasgow Science Festival in March 2024, the initiative has created new collaboration among local stakeholders to ensure conferences leave a lasting legacy. Over the past…
A Reflection on the role of IBTM World in the supporting cast of Business Events: IBTM World has always been a crucial indicator of success within the Business Events Sector. The 2024 edition validated post-pandemic barometer with a notable 15% year-on-year increase in visitor numbers. The Significance of IBTM World Presenting a flagship global event…
The Meeting Room Podcast, by Northstar: What’s next for DEI now Trump is back in the White House? Will 2025 be the year AI comes of age? Who’s getting a budget increase and who’s missing out? Join Holly Patrick and James Lancaster as they discuss what 2025 has in store for event professionals.
From Skift Meetings: The National Institutes of Health, a linchpin of global biomedical research, has abruptly canceled its meetings, raising alarm across the medical meetings industry. As the new administration exerts its influence, planners grapple with uncertainty. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S.’s largest research agency, has canceled dozens of meetings under new…
From Destinations International: Destination Vancouver is a non-profit, member-based destination marketing and management organization that promotes the spectacular city of Vancouver, British Columbia, as a premier travel destination. We support Vancouver’s tourism industry through marketing initiatives, event support, and partnerships with local businesses and institutions to attract visitors from around the world with a mission…
From PCMA: Neil Brownlee, head of business events at VisitScotland and chair of the 2025 PCMA Board of Directors and Trustees, talks about how he thinks his perspective as the board’s first non-North American chair will help set the association up for future growth. Neil Brownlee attended his first Convening Leaders in 2011 in Las…
From Exhibition News: For the hottest buzzword in the industry, very little is understood about data. At the recent IBTM World show in Barcelona, there was scarcely a session that didn’t mention its importance. Vice-president of European sales at Cvent Jamie Vaughan went so far as to say: “An event planner without data is just…
From Fortune: Stephen Carter, CEO of Informa PLC, says he violated a key tenet of his industry by speaking at a recent conference held in Saudi Arabia. Informa, based in the U.K., produces exhibitions and live events, and it works best when it’s in the background. “Our job, as someone said to me many years…
In Barcelona, Chief Strategy Officer at MCI Group, Oscar Cerazales, was put on notice by son Albert Cerazales-Garcia that organisations need to adapt to the generational demands of Millennials and Gen Z or face irrelevance. A compelling session hosted by Cerazales-Garcia and moderated by the impressive Group Learning & Development Director of MCI Group, Avinash…
From M&C Asia: In today’s business event landscape, the most impactful gatherings are those that reach beyond traditional knowledge-sharing and networking to create meaningful and lasting change. MICE planners are now shifting their focus to extend event impacts far beyond the conference walls, creating positive effects on host communities, destinations, and society at large. According…
Yet another country has pivoted ‘beyond tourism’ in its approach to business events, post-pandemic. Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have combined to secure funding support of ‘Ireland’s Business Events Strategy 2030 – For Tourism and Beyond’, approved by Catherine Martin, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, & Media. The investment will see the…
By Colm Clarke, Partner, Consultancy at Exempla Management & Consulting: Episode 1: Battling Business Models Hopefully your leadership transitions are more civilised than in a Game of Thrones episode, and your stakeholder groups are easier to align around common objectives than Tolkien’s elves and dwarves – but don’t ignore the lessons for associations provided by…
From PCMA: The program for the inaugural PCMA Convene 4 Climate, held Oct. 2-3 in Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe, was designed in a way that recognized that we no longer have the luxury of time when it comes to global warming. That reality was…
From E&ENEWS: Researchers attending the American Geophysical Union conference worry their work could disappear when a president who rejects climate science takes office. Censorship. Funding cuts. Layoffs. Those concerns loom over the world’s largest conference of climate scientists as they brace for whiplash at the White House when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in six…
From Skift Meetings: Robert F. Kennedy is promising big changes to the healthcare industry if he is confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. When it comes to medical meetings, plenty is at stake. In 2023, $8 billion was spent on medical meetings, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). There…
From Undark: The COP conference is growing in size, but not in action on climate goals, critics say. Experts suggest major reforms. If speeches and slogans could save the climate, COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, would already be a success. But there are few signs the current round of climate talks will deliver on the only…
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