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ARNALDO NARDONE: Latin America’s Architect of Progress

The Iceberg loves a movement. Especially a movement that uses business & professional events to drive positive change. But it often requires an evangelical personality, combined with an event, to achieve that change. In Latin America (LATAM), one such character has driven the evolution and development of the Business Events Sector – founder of the…

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How International Associations Can Manage Political Risks in 2025

From Boardroom, by Tommy Goodwin, Executive Vice President, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance: We live in an increasingly politics-first world. From wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza to recent change elections in the United States and throughout Europe, the political environment grows more uncertain by the day. With trade wars, transatlantic tensions, and further anti-incumbency elections…

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5 Trends to Watch in 2025

From UFI: 2024 will go into the history books as the best year the global exhibition industry has ever recorded, measured by revenues—topping out an astonishing comeback after the global pandemic. Investors remain eager to put money into our industry’s core business model of connecting people for trade and innovation, but the future will see…

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IMEX-EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award Winner 2023 Interview

From IMEX: Destination Canada were the winners of the 2023 IMEX-EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award. Presented during IMEX Frankfurt, the award honors outstanding achievements in sustainable innovation in the business events industry. IMEX Brand Ambassador, Tanja Knecht spoke to Virginie De Visscher, Executive Director Business Events, Destination Canada about their winning project, the Canadian Business…

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Lots of Business at Successful IBTM World 2024

From Meetings International, by Roger Kellerman: IBTM World 2024 was perhaps one of the best IBTM fairs I have experienced in my 20 years at the show. It surpassed last year’s success, with over 73,000 pre-scheduled meetings (an increase of over 19 per cent compared to 2023), but these figures should be taken with a…

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Global Policy Leadership Series | The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos MP

From UFI: We’re excited to share our interview with The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and Minister for Outdoor Recreation of the State of Victoria, Australia. This conversation offers a blueprint for integrating sustainability with impactful policymaking as Minister Dimopoulos discusses Victoria’s leading strategies to host world-class…

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Empowering the Future: BE Ambassadors Programme at ICCA Congress 2025

By Sahil Buch, Company Secretary, Dubai Financial Market: As I look back on leading the inaugural BE Ambassadors Programme at the 63rd ICCA Congress in Abu Dhabi, I’m overwhelmed with pride and gratitude. What began as a vision to involve students in the Business Events industry has evolved into something far more significant—a movement to…

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Olympic Lessons in Sustainability, Safety, and Innovation

From Skift Meetings | Panos Tzivanidis, Director of Corporate Events and Services for the International Olympic Committee shares lessons learned from the 2024 Paris Games: Skift Meetings had the opportunity to chat with Panos Tzivanidis, the Director of Corporate Events and Services for IOC, the International Olympic Committee. Tzivanidis and his team are responsible for…

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DESTINATION ALIGNMENT: Something Worth Working For

By Rod Cameron (pictured above), President, Criterion Communications Inc: There is a lot of satisfaction at seeing the lights going on as a new perspective on an old topic is revealed and illustrated. At the same time it demonstrates why positive change is often so difficult to achieve in many parts of our industry. I…

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COP29: G20 Calls for Ambition in Climate Finance

From Outrage+Optimism Podcast: This week, our hosts talk about what’s been happening – and not happening – in Rio and Baku. Christiana clarifies the mandate of COPs and advocates for COP processes and presidencies to be separate from national positions and interests while robustly defending multi-lateralism. The hosts discuss how world leaders meeting in Rio…

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INTERVIEW: James Rees, President, JMIC; Executive Director, ExCeL

From Exhibition Showcase: You’ve served as the Executive Director for Conferences and Events at ExCeL London for over 21 years. How have you seen the role of venues like ExCeL evolve in the face of changing event formats, particularly hybrid and virtual events? James Rees: Over the period since I joined Excel London, our everyday…

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The Role of Business Events in Combatting Over-Tourism

From Conference & Meetings World: Can business events play a role in helping to tackle global issues like over-tourism? This is one of the topics to be discussed at this month’s IBTM World Forum for Advocacy, in partnership with The Business of Events. Eloísa Urrutia (pictured), head of global sustainability, meetings & events at American…

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Forging a Planner-Focused Approach to the Future of AI

From Smart Meetings: Chantal Sturk-Nadeau’s blond locks are a familiar sight at meetings industry conferences. She served as executive director of business events with Destination Canada for no less than 7 years, with Tourism Winnipeg for 17 years before that and at a production company before that. For her next chapter, she was looking for…

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The Overtourism Conundrum: Can Associations Turn the Tide?

From AMI Magazine, by Holly Patrick: If association meetings can no longer be excluded from the overtourism conversation, what can be done to mitigate their impact on already strained infrastructures and frustrated residents? Overtourism, when tourism exceeds physical, ecological, social, economic, psychological, and political boundaries, has historically been associated with leisure tourists. But as thousands…

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Driving the Twin Transformation in Business Events

By Matthias Schultze, Managing Director, German Convention Bureau: A couple of years back, a figure caught my eye: According to the World Economic Forum, digital solutions, if brought to scale, could reduce global emissions by 20% by 2050 in the three highest-emitting sectors energy, materials and mobility. Applying this to the business events sector, it…

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The Definition of Destination Stewardship

From Destinations International, by Jack Johnson: Destination stewardship is the continuous pursuit of a net positive tourism ecosystem that exists in alignment with shared community values. This means a positive tourism experience for visitors and residents alike. There is a quote that has long been a favorite of mine. “We do not inherit the earth…

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