An officer of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has called on the meetings industry urgently to speed up action on climate change. Miguel Naranjo warned there “would be no events industry” if the challenge is not met. Event professionals, he said, had a responsibility to contribute. From Conference News…
The UK Government has made it mandatory to wear masks which cover mouth and nose when inside conference and event venues. The call comes a few weeks after it was announced that England’s exhibition and conference facilities are allowed now to host business meetings and events for up to 30 people. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The World Economic Forum has pushed back its Annual Meeting in Davos because of COVID-19. The high-profile gathering, booked for January in the Alpine ski resort, will now run either “early next summer” or when WEF can “guarantee the health and safety of our participants and the host community”. From Association Meetings International…
The hybrid multi-site event BOCOM saw players from across Germany’s meetings industry demonstrating readiness for future event formats. Several hundred participants met on-site at the central conference venue in Berlin and at the hubs in Amsterdam, Essen and Vienna, as well as virtually from all continents. From GCB…
Consumer electronics show IFA has run at Messe Berlin, as German trade shows and exhibitions restarted this September. In line with local COVID regulations, attendance was limited: just 750 attendees allowed at each show segment, so invitation only for industry experts and sector media. From UFI…
When the SBFA (Serbian Federation of Beekeeping Association) entered the “Incredible Impacts” grants run by the Iceberg partners ICCA and BestCities Global Alliance this year, its bidding stage legacy story wasn’t eligible. Even so, SBFA’s efforts are discussed by the association and Serbia Convention Bureau. From BestCities Global Alliance…
In mid-June the Netherlands started to welcome international travellers back to its borders. There is no limit for maximum attendees at meetings and events, but associations even so are wary, and with countries like the US, India and Australia still unable to travel, planners are considering best strategy for the coming autumn. From Boardroom…
When Marco Oelschlegel became head of Berlin’s Convention Bureau in January 2020, neither he nor the rest of the world knew how difficult and strange the coming few months would be. So just how has the start of his new role ended up being, and what is Berlin’s “new normal” like? From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Bulb, a UK-based sustainable event consultancy, has released a guide to help meeting organisers to navigate the “new normal” and make sure the progress made in creating a sustainable industry is not lost. The increase in need for PPE (personal protective equipment) has seen a rise in plastic pollution. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
2020’s DNC (Democratic National Convention) made history for being the first time a US national political convention was held online. For any professional working in the events industry, it was an historic chance to watch and learn from a high-profile, all-or-nothing experiment in how to capture audience attention and engagement. From PCMA…
Dubai is the safest location in the world in which to host international exhibitions, according to a survey of 4,000 professionals in 130 countries by Messe Frankfurt Middle East. This July the Dubai World Trade Centre hosted the AiEverything conference, the region’s first in person business event since March. From Association Meetings International…
UK eventprofs have drawn attention to the critical state of the industry by lighting venues and other landmarks across the country in red. ICC Wales participated, and in London workers wore red shirts and lined the entire Southbank from Westminster to Tate Modern, all as part of the “Red Alert” #WeMakeEvents campaign. From Exhibition News…
In an effort to kickstart the market, associations and prominent leaders in the sector have joined together to create and support UKickstart Event 2020 in September. The multi-hub free-to-attend live and virtual event is the first big national face-to-face gathering of meeting professionals since lockdown. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
COVID-19 has had a heavy impact on the meetings industry in Italy, which has come to a virtual stop after five years of steady growth, according to new research. 69.7 percent of all events have been cancelled, 16.9 percent deferred until 2021 and only 13.4 percent postponed until autumn. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
A campaign to restore confidence in UK events and experiences across all sectors has now raised £30,000 for PR. Further support is needed, and the organisers are calling on more businesses to get involved. The aim is to raise awareness in the general public and national media about the industry. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
International association meetings, particularly those that are attracting thousands of delegates, were once the prized targets of all convention bureaux. COVID-19 has made the immediate future smaller and more regional. But this trend was already underway and should not frighten destination marketing organisations. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
To have international association meetings looking anything like they did before COVID-19, either of two things must happen: enough host countries push their daily case rate down to nearly zero so overseas delegations become possible, or else science comes to the rescue with a vaccine or treatment(s). From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
The complete global shutdown of in person meetings has meant many are now getting out of the habit. Non-Executive Director with BCD M&E and the Exclusive Collection David Taylor offers an account of his first face-to-face meeting since the imposition of lockdown, which he says (spoiler alert!) “felt good”. From Association Meetings International…
Europe’s largest medical meeting in radiology and radiotechnology, the European Congress of Radiology, was held exclusively online for the first time this year. A record 15,265 delegates from over 130 countries took part, an increase of five percent in delegate numbers from the 2019 edition. From Association Meetings International…
A combined group of members from the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), the Association Event Venues (AEV) and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA), led by the associations, has launched the All Secure Standard, a risk assessment based framework of COVID-19 secure industry best practice and guidance for business events and consumer shows which…
Vienna Convention Bureau was instrumental in hosting Europe’s largest congress for radiology and radiotechnology exclusively online for the very first time in its history. Organisers say 15,000 international attendees from 30 countries took part in the European Congress of Radiology “Virtual Exhibition”. From Exhibition World…
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