Applications are now being accepted for the ASAE Foundation’s Innovation Grants Program. The charitable branch of the American Society of Association Executives – an Iceberg partner – is awarding five bursaries of up to $10,000 each for innovative association projects in travel, exploration or hybrid (travel and exploration). The closing date is October 1st. From Association Meetings International…
Following the boycott of another legal association last month for different reasons, the American Association of Law Libraries has decided not to stage future events in Texas. The AALL cites a new state law allowing publicly funded agencies to deny services for children in care on religious grounds, and also the proposed “bathroom bill”. Photo: LoneStarMike. From Meetings & Conventions…
A federal judge in Hawaii has expanded the list of family relationships with US citizens that permit successful visa applications from countries proscribed in President Trump’s Travel Ban II. US District Judge Derrick Watson ordered the administration not to bar citizens’ grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. From Meetings & Conventions…
Evolve from ideation to implementation with the help of association leaders at the 2018 Great Ideas Conference. You’ll get inspiration by sharing with others, attending forward-thinking idea labs, and leaving your comfort zone. Bring your ideas to the table March 11–13, 2018.
Program participants will learn critical skills that will enable them to design events based on stakeholder needs and then prototype event designs using the #EventCanvas, a strategic management template for developing new or documenting existing events and conference models. The #EventCanvas training has been accredited by the Convention Industry Council (CIC). You will learn via three…
The US Department of Homeland Security is lifting the ban on large electronic devices in passenger cabins on flights from ten proscribed Middle East and North African airports. Enhanced security protocols and passenger screening – both technological and canine – on all inbounds flights to the US will be introduced in its place. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US Supreme Court has allowed a limited reinstatement of President Trump’s Travel Ban II. Pending a hearing in October, judges have upheld the ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen where there is no “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the US”. From Meetings & Conventions…
A major proposed expansion to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando has been unveiled. The project – to be financed through a tourist development tax – would cost nearly $500,000 and add 800,000 square feet to the centre’s footprint. Officials say it could attract 25 extra events a year and 250,000 people. From Meetings & Conventions…
Innovative technology start-ups are now increasingly visible alongside the more established energy sector across Calgary’s business landscape. The destination is home to the largest number of fledgling tech businesses per capita in Canada, and the recently refurbished Calgary TELUS Convention Centre likes to see itself as a facilitator of this entrepreneurial trend. From PCMA Convene…
As European Union officials meet to discuss the threat of the US expanding its ban on large electronic devices in certain flight cabins, and as the travel industry says the ban has seen Middle East business drop by 2.8% and cost the sector $198 million, the US Homeland Security chief has clarified US policy on any potential widening. From Meetings & Conventions…
San Diego City Council has rejected the call for a special vote this November to increase hotel tax. The revenue generated was to have funded – amongst other things – the previously endorsed expansion of the San Diego Convention Center. The move puts the project on hold, despite the Council acknowledging the economic impact events generate. From Meetings & Conventions…
After more twists and turns in the saga than on any of its legendary theme park rides, Florida’s legislature has in the end voted to restore Visit Florida’s current annual budget of $76 million. This leaves the agency and state once again able to continue breaking visitation records. We can all now retire to Miami! From Meetings & Conventions…
The Iceberg exists to champion the legacies business events bring to destinations. But sometimes the approach is not that of the carrot, but the stick. The American Immigration Lawyers Association is pulling its conference out of Texas after the state passed a law the AILA says “is so blatantly contrary to our mission”. Photo: Phil Roeder. From PCMA…
After the 10-3 ruling of a federal appeals court that Trump Travel Ban II probably violates the Constitution and “drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination”, the Justice Department has asked the US Supreme Court – the nation’s highest legal authority – immediately to reinstate it. The Trump administration says the US will be safer under Executive Order 13780. From Meetings & Conventions…
After a rollercoaster ride, Visit Florida and the saga of its budget allocation may in the final reel be getting a fairytale ending. Governor Rick Scott and Florida legislators have hammered out an agreement to continue with the current funding of $76m. If there are any further shocks before the credits roll we’ll let you know. Photo: Dancorona21. From Meetings & Conventions…
To audible sighs of relief from much of the international meetings industry, the US Department of Homeland Security has announced that America will not extend to flights from Europe its ban on carrying large electronic devices in passenger cabins. A bar is currently in force on flights from ten Middle East and North African airports. From Travel Weekly…
More on the fight for Brand USA! MPI President and CEO Paul van Deventer has attacked the proposed cutting of its federal funding. He points out that meetings contribute 15% of the overall US travel and tourism dividend. Also campaigning on the grounds of economic contribution, Katie O’Neill of the Power of Travel Coalition. From Meetpie.com…
The fight for Brand USA continues. A loud voice of opposition to the proposed cut to the organisation’s federal funding, US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow, has made a video calling for a rethink and encouraging Congress to keep funding in place. Congress has the final say, and has previously supported Brand USA. From Meetings & Conventions…
Brand USA – the organisation promoting the US as a welcome destination for visitors – is to lose its federal funding under a proposed new budget from President Trump. The move has been attacked by US Travel association President Roger Dow as throwing away an $8.9 billion contribution to the economy and 28-to-1 return on investment. From Meetings & Conventions…
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) community is mourning the loss of its former president and legendary industry advocate Jane E. Schuldt, who has died of pancreatic cancer aged 63. During Schuldt’s presidency in 1991, she focused on globalizing SITE by launching local chapters and designing local education with a global message. She vociferously championed SITE’s code of ethics,…
How does President Trump’s proposed withdrawal of funding for Brand USA – the Obama-created organisation which promotes the US as a welcoming destination for visitors – square with his commitment to putting American jobs first? Two key president CEOs – the US Travel Association’s Roger Dow and PCMA’s Deborah Sexton – lead the meetings industry call to arms. By David McMillin at PCMA…
Powered by 
