Leaders from one of Europe’s most prestigious gatherings of destination marketing organisations have voiced disbelief at proposed budget cuts which could see the end of both Marketing Edinburgh and the city’s convention bureau. Partner of the Iceberg European Cities Marketing’s Spring Meeting 2019 has just been held in the Scottish capital. From Association Meetings International…
Manchester Central saw 31 percent growth in exhibition revenue during 2018, thanks to a rise in the total number of shows hosted (37) and a repeat rate of 86 percent from 2017. High-profile new events included The Northern Business Exhibition. Repeat clients included IP EXPO. 2018 also saw investment in new facilities. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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Aileen has worked in the meetings industry for over 25 years and is currently the Head of Tourism and Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, Glasgow Life. Aileen has served on the board of ICCA as Destination Co-Chair. The Convention Bureau focus on attracting and supporting association conferences to meet in Glasgow. The Bureau offer a…
It’s been a busy year for James Rees, Executive Director of ExCeL London. Following election as ICCA President in November 2018, Rees reveals his approach to the US market, to diversity at both ExCeL and ICCA, and how being in a New Romantic pop band helped him thrive in the events industry. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Ambassadors help destinations secure international association meetings. So Edinburgh’s meetings industry has an anxious wait ahead of a council vote on budget cuts that could virtually wipe out the city’s marketing and lead to the closure of Convention Edinburgh and its ambassador scheme. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
While the Edinburgh Convention Bureau’s future funding lies under threat, so the city has also voiced the idea of a £2 per person nightly “room tax”. Some see this as a welcome source of new revenue, but will any get back to marketing, and what about competitiveness? From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
An Iceberg partner’s first ever mental health survey received responses from event professionals struggling to stay afloat. The results reinforce the much-referenced CareerCast survey from 2017 that ranked event planner as the fifth most stressful job in the world, beaten only by roles in the emergency services and military. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Iceberg is publishing a series of interviews about the globalisation of large associations. These are jointly produced by partners Boardroom and the Global Association Hubs Partnership. Nicolas Fleury, Deputy Secretary-General of the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardisation, describes ISO’s opening up of a regional office in Singapore. From Global Association Hubs Partnership…
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Fiona launched not for profit Positive Impact in 2005 to provide education and collaboration opportunities to create a sustainable event industry. She was the youngest female to chair an ISO standard when, in 2012, ISO 20121 a management system for event sustainability was created. In 2014 Fiona received an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University for services to…
Jane loves life in the Nordics and the spirit of Scotland. Her expertise is based on 20 years of experience across the global meetings industry. Over this time she has been fortunate to have gained wonderful experience and friends from working for some great hotels, a convention centre, a destination marketing organisation, a PCO, and…
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Lesley joined BestCities in 2017 as Market Development Director, and was Managing Director from January 2020 to July 2023, following the decision of BestCities to award extending the management contract to GainingEdge. Lesley is a strong supporter and advocate of the beyond tourism impacts of meetings. In 2017 BestCities formed a collaboration with ICCA to…
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As Head of Advocacy & Industry Relations, Natasha oversees all industry partnerships, sponsorships, pan-industry initiatives and strategic alliances for the IMEX Group. Natasha plays a key part in business events industry advocacy efforts on behalf of the IMEX Group including the prestigious IMEX Policy Forum. In this capacity she is responsible for bringing together national…
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Ray Bloom is the chairman and founder of the IMEX Group, which organises worldwide exhibitions for the incentive travel, meetings and events industry in Europe and the USA. IMEX in Frankfurt takes place at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, every spring; while IMEX America takes place at the Las Vegas Sands Expo each autumn. Bloom is also…
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James has 25 years’ experience in event organisation and major venue management. He began as a conference organiser for UK-based Water Research Centre organising national and international events then made a move into venue management, joining Wembley Stadium Ltd as an event manager across Wembley’s Stadium, Arena and Conference & Exhibition Centre venues, managing international…
he UFI Forum is a one-day event on a specific topic or area of focus. The Forum 2019 themed “How to push Digital Innovation” is open to all industry professionals, both UFI members and non-members. UFI members benefit from a reduced participation fee. Join us on 15th May for more insight & networking! UFI thanks the members of…
The AIPC Academy is the only comprehensive professional development program aimed specifically at international convention centre issues and opportunities. Updated annually to reflect the most current conditions, it is the best possible investment a centre can make in the development of fully professional staff ready to meet the facility management and marketing challenges of today…
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Kai Hattendorf is Managing Director / CEO of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. As such, he is responsible for UFI activities and events globally, as well as the operation of its offices and presences in Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, and Bogota. From 2019 to 2021, Kai served as Honorary President…
Despite its reputation of centuries-old tradition, London is the mover and groover of the technology universe. 80 percent of venture capital invested in UK tech firms since 2016 has gone to the capital. This investment is drawing, indeed being facilitated by, venues and events sharing in the sector’s strength. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
London and Paris are collaborating to offer a range of travel products aimed at North American incentive buyers. Specialised itineraries of the two-in-one incentive trip have been created allowing delegates to experience new cultural attractions, restaurants and hotels in both capital cities. This includes an official partnership with Eurostar. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The small workshop is open to all members of the destination marketing sector who are interested in attracting smaller conferences to their destination. Accompanying clients should be decision makers/influencers of a European conference which has less than 800 delegates.
Academics across Edinburgh have slammed proposed budget cuts that would see an 89 percent drop in the capital’s marketing over the next two years as well as the closure of its ambassador programme. Over 75 Edinburgh ambassadors contacted the City Council objecting to the proposal to slash Marketing Edinburgh’s budget by £790,000. From Association Meetings International…
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