The convention bureau tasked with bringing international association meetings to Istanbul has signed a two-year partnership agreement to strengthen its hand. Istanbul’s CVB has therefore now become an Association Relations Partner of ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association. The city’s standing as a destination has collapsed in recent years. From Association Meetings International…
Iceland’s academic events and conferences are further ramping up. Meet in Reykjavik has signed another three universities to help develop the Scandinavian country as a key player in the sector. Bifröst University, Hólar University College and the Agricultural University of Iceland join three signed earlier this year. From Meetpie.com…
City leaders in Dundee want to “open its doors to the world” with business events. Scotland’s fourth largest city has won six “major” conferences for 2019 through its Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau Conference Ambassadors. The events are worth £1.6 million and will attract some 1,250 delegates to the city. From Association Meetings International…
The debate about whether business events are “tourism” or “economic development” has been rumbling on for a decade. At a JMIC meeting earlier this year, the room decided “economic development” was the correct term. But one Iceberg partner finds himself going both ways (and with a spectacular mixing of metaphors). From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
Can the knowledge imparted at a congress really be worth close to €1 billion? That’s the claim made by the European Society of Radiology and Vienna Convention Bureau about the European Congress of Radiology held in Vienna earlier this year. What does it say about the way we value knowledge? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
The meetings industry has a huge environmental impact, from the distance delegates fly, to the reams of paper printed and kilowatts of energy used. As green culture takes hold, events with environment-friendly certification already have a market advantage. As expectations rise, this will become a minimum requirement. Views include Iceberg partner IAPCO. From Skift…
There has never been a more exciting time for meetings and events. The growth in sophisticated venues across the globe and innovation in tech is making boundless creativity a reality. And smarter ways of using data to fine-tune the value around meetings programs are in full effect. The digital revolution and use of social media…
New York has continued its commitment to becoming “the capital city of a responsible world” by hosting the 10th annual Climate Week NYC. More than 140 climate-focused meetings were part of the event, run by international non-profit The Climate Group, with some 10,000 people expected to attend from over 40 countries. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Malaysia has just hosted the UIA Associations Round Table Asia Pacific for the first time. The event showcased Malaysia to 120 international delegates from 15 countries. Organised by the Union of International Associations, the conference focuses on cross-industry development to promote collective growth. Photo: Naim Fadil. From Association Meetings International…
Meetings and events demand will grow by up to ten percent in 2019, according to Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trends report. The study also finds that average size of meetings will rise in nearly every region. Strategic management of meetings, unorthodox spaces / activities, and content evolution, are the areas to watch. From Meetpie.com…
James Rees, Executive Director of ExCeL London, has launched a bid to be President of the International Congress and Convention Association. Rees is one of three candidates to replace Nina Freysen-Pretorius and has now launched a website outlining his campaign. The vote will be announced the ICCA Congress in Dubai this November. From Meetpie.com…
The man who made Vienna a leading destination for international association meetings is retiring as director of its convention bureau after almost three decades in the post. Christian Mutschlechner served the Austrian capital’s CVB for 27 years, during which time Vienna has consistently been a top-three convention city. From Association Meetings International…
In 2017 Gallus Events’ William Thomson read in a Scottish newspaper that in his native town of Glasgow, one homeless person dies every week. He created Homeless Hackathon Glasgow, which brought together forty hacker participants, and which has yielded not one, but three projects currently under development, including an app for distributing surplus food. From PCMA Convene…
Getting the Institute of Internal Auditors to hold its conference in Dubai began with the United Arab Emirates IIA Chapter and the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme. It helped that the city had hosted the IIA Global Council back in 2014. The four-day 2018 event attracted 3,000 experts from over 100 countries. From Boardroom…
Where meetings and events choose to go, and how they approach their content, are affected by many factors, not least the influence of political disruptors like Brexit or the 2016 US presidential election. So says Rod Cameron, Executive Director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg. From CIM News Magazine…
A Society for Incentive Travel Excellence conference session recently brought together both agencies and destination management professionals to examine the future of the sector model. The subject was defined as “the changing landscape of third party intermediaries”. The panel’s moderator reports. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
The retirement of Christian Mutschlechner from the Vienna Convention Bureau next year may, or may not, mean he is departing from the wider industry. But the fact Vienna consistently out-performed bigger cities, and has become one of the world’s top convention destinations, owes a great deal to him. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Big Ben now may be hidden away from tourists, but the slow nature of industry advocacy to government was fully out on show all through the opening evidence session of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the events industry. The first sitting of an intended three focused on venues. Photo: David Holt. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
Are you dealing with dwindling travel and event budgets? Are you looking at the improvements in technology and its lower cost of entry price points and wondering if face-to-face events still provide a good return on investment? Now, more than ever, the value of face-to-face events seems to be in question. This white paper highlights…
A no-deal Brexit could be disastrous for Europeans in the events and hospitality industry, according to the UK’s Immigration Advice Service. It says the sector faces a shortfall of up to 60,000 workers if Great Britain crashes out of Europe without a deal. But any weakness in sterling could counteract some of the uncertainties. From Meetypie.com…
Capturing the positive social impact of international conferences was the focus of a recent workshop hosted by Tourism New Zealand in Auckland. The event was facilitated by Geneviève Leclerc, a conference and association management expert, who believes traditional measurement does not capture the true weight business events add to the community. From CIM News Magazine…
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