As we switch from “business tourism” to “economic development” and “knowledge transfer” – and as we quantify the return on investment our events create – let us not forget the human values also at the heart of this industry. Let us not squeeze the joy out of meetings. From the editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
We all know what professional conference organisers want from speakers they engage in constructing content for meetings and events. But what do the speakers want in return from organisers? Consultant and Strategic Meetings Management guru Kevin Iwamoto offers a list of eight peeves and pointers from the speaker point of view. From Meetings & Conventions…
The DestinationNEXT Futures Study identifies the trends and opportunities that will shape the future of destination marketing and management. This Futures Study update, conducted in 2017, is intended to build on the learnings from the 2014 Futures Study, and to determine updated trends and strategies that will keep the thousands of destination organizations around the…
A Cvent study of 1,200 event professionals reveals some serious pet hates of planners in the process of selecting venues. Transparency and pricing failings – along with poor response times – are all bones of contention for organisers. The report also suggests that venues could improve their business by providing prompt answers to all requests for proposals. From Meetpie.com…
A white paper from Iceberg partner Positive Impact looks at five sustainable development goals laid out by the United Nations, then applies them to the events industry. The paper – which is calling for industry views ahead of its final release at ibtm world in November – coincides with the UN Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. From Meetpie.com…
With passengers at some European airports facing lengthy security queues, a new study reveals that while enquiries about safety are rising, over a quarter of corporate travel managers do not have emergency planning in place. But the research also shows that the concerns have not yet led to changes in corporate travel policies. From Meetpie.com…
Only one percent of meetings professional prioritise style over comfort when it comes to event footwear. 44 percent have a preferred brand of shoe to wear at meetings. 17 percent live out of their suitcase. And figures in a new survey on how often they phone or text family members paint a very interesting picture of industry relationships. From Meetings & Conventions…
Whilst direct spend on business and professional events – the tip of the iceberg – is relatively easy to quantify, their legacy return on investment has always been harder to assess. ROI specialist Michael Piddock of Glisser links its measurement to the goals an event is seeking to achieve, be these in revenue, reputation, relationships or recall. From Meetings & Conventions…
As The Iceberg reaches its half birthday – having launched in January 2017 – perhaps it is time to restate the principle behind the unusual metaphor we appropriated. If you prefer, perhaps it is time to gaze again at the blue sky above The Iceberg. This platform is presented by the Joint Meetings Industry Council and emerged not only as a vehicle for industry advocacy in general…
This study is based on a global survey concluded in July 2017. It represents up to date information on the development and the outlook of the global exhibition industry as well as on 14 specific countries and zones. Global Exhibition Barometer 19th Edition (July 2017)
Small may be beautiful… but it does make economies of scale harder to achieve and is a niche that businesses either overlook or manage on an ad hoc basis. Two corporate meetings chiefs offer their thoughts on how best to think big about small, particularly in regards to the use of technology. From Business Travel News…
“Uneasy lies the head of the PCO” to adapt Shakespeare. But what should a PCO’s guiding principles be in designing a conference or exhibition? What works really well and what really does not? Principles 1 – 5 are listed on the article page. Click through issue 7 of the full magazine at the bottom for 6 – 10. From the Event…
Whether it’s all about the cost of the airfare itself or of the transportation from the airport, whether it’s about the pricing of the meeting’s accommodation, food and beverages, Wi-Fi access or off-site venues, views on what constitutes affordability in the meetings industry are as many and varied as are the events themselves. From Successful Meetings…
AI or artificial intelligence is widely perceived as a paradigm shift in computing that will supplant human labour rather than assisting or complementing it. But far from driverless vehicles or robots replacing human workers, it may be in less obvious areas like attendee profile matchmaking that the invisible technology truly comes into its own. From Meetings & Conventions…
The plague of bogus professional attendees who serially freeload at events has long been understood by the meetings industry. But an anonymous “name and shame” email listing 31 people alleged to have no real connection with the sector has also just caused controversy. The conference to whose attendees the list was sent has disowned it. From Association Meetings International…
Twenty-five people have been named by an Iceberg partner publication as 2017’s “most influential” in the meetings industry. The group – sorted into “game changers”, “strategists”, “trailblazers”, “advocates” and “educators” – includes representatives from ASAE, ICCA, MCI, MPI and PCMA. All of them are making an impact right across the sector. As chosen by the editorial team at Successful Meetings…
If life throws lemons at you, you make lemonade. Lemon tea is a great alternative. And as any event planner knows, events outside your own control can cause chaos. According to the Incentive Research Foundation’s 2016 Event Disruption study, 59% of planners were thrown lemons in 2015 and 2016 and had to deal with them. From Meetings & Conventions…
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