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The New Politics: W(h)ither Diversity?

After recent events in Charlottesville – and President Trump’s response to them – how will the role of diversity change across the business events landscape? Will promoting inclusion – in terms of religion, race, gender or sexual orientation – having grown in significance over recent years, now slip back down the agenda? From Successful Meetings…

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Associations: The Importance of Education

Kai Troll – Chairman of Best Buddies EMEA and Head of Development at the International Sport and Cultural Association – has been discussing both the reasons associations are of value to their members and the future of the model. Education is right at the heart of the sector, but not always effectively delivered. From Boardroom…

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Fresh Thinking on Food

With edible legacy stories elsewhere on The Iceberg – the San Diego Convention Center (Features) and the ICC Sydney (JMIC Case Studies and here) – please tuck into some fresh thinking on meetings food and beverage. The sharing trend, interactivity, using dieticians, accommodating dietary requirements… all palates are catered for. From CIM News Magazine…

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AIPC Research Creates a Roadmap for Industry Advocacy

A roadmap for industry advocacy has emerged from a piece of research conducted by AIPC, the International Association of Convention Centres. The AIPC Local Resident’s Survey targets three cities where the impact of visitor traffic is considered an issue: Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam. An advisory from Rod Cameron, Executive Director, AIPC and the Joint Meetings Industry Council…

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Meetings are Serious… Just Don’t Forget the Joy

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…

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Feedback from a Speaker

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…

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Principal’s Recruitment Principles

The UK meetings and events industry is heavily dependent on foreign labour. The effect of Brexit on its ability to recruit remains a unknown quantity. Even before the surprise referendum result, possibly the country’s biggest independent conference group, Principal Hotel Company, created a training academy which is now attracting local talent. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Shaun Hinds on Manchester Central’s Next Ten Years

Manchester Central is now celebrating ten years since becoming an exhibition and conference centre. The venue’s new CEO Shaun Hinds has clear views on its next decade, in terms of industry disruption, the evolution of meetings and events, extending the conference experience beyond the event itself, and in the use of technology. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Some Blue Sky Thinking on Event Disruption

According to the Incentive Research Foundation’s 2016 Event Disruption study, 59% of planners in 2015 and 2016 and had to deal with outside disturbances to their meeting itineraries. One brave Iceberg partner journalist signed up to sample a unique dinner-in-the-sky experience in London. Sadly sometimes even a suspended event has to be… erm… suspended. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Return on Investment Re-examined

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…

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Thinking Big About Small Meetings

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…

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US Travel CEO Calls for a Boycott of Boycotts

With campaigners against Texas’s proposed “bathroom bill” claiming the state has already suffered $66 million of convention business cancellations because of the proposed legislation – the exact figure is the subject of some dispute – US Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow says boycotts are the wrong way to campaign however well-intentioned their aim. From Meetings & Conventions…

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Event Design: Ten Guiding Principles for Organisers

“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…

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How Affordable is Affordable?

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…

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What AI Means for the MI

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…

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Incentives and the US Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule

Last year the US Department of Labor announced its Fiduciary Conflict of Interest Rule, which was supported by President Obama, then delayed but not repealed by President Trump. Coming into full effect next January, the rule covers compensation – including gifts or trips – to those providing financial advice on retirement planning. The incentives industry is directly affected. From Meetings & Conventions…

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