Meetings and events leaders in the Czech Republic have pleaded for government support and say that without it up to 114,000 jobs are at risk.Ā An alliance of industry bodies has warned impact on conferences, trade fairs and cultural events from the COVID-19 pandemic will be “enormous”. From Association Meetings Internationalā¦
Hong Kong-based destination and event management company Pacific World has announced it is to stop all meeting and event operations as of November after four decades in the sector. PW parent company TUI Destination Experiences said the decision was made as a result of impact COVID-19 is having. From Meetings & Incentive Travelā¦
Iceberg partner IMEX Group has donated $250,000 to MPI to help members facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic. The MPI Foundation will receive most of the money, to direct funds to distressed members, with the balance going to eleven European chapters to assist the events industry to recover. From Association Meetings International…
Zoom shares hit a record high as the virtual meeting platform released its financial results for Q2 2020.Ā Zoom earned more money in the last three months than it did throughout 2019. Revenue was 355 percent up on the same time last year, reaching $663.5 million. New large business clients include ExxonMobil. From Conference News…
Aquatech China 2020, the largest global meeting for the Asian sector, has run at the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center. The event was originally booked to run in June, but was pushed back three months after close monitoring of the pandemic. Now the Chinese events industry is opening up again. From Exhibition World…
An officer of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has called on the meetings industry urgently to speed up action on climate change.Ā Miguel Naranjo warned there āwould be no events industryā if the challenge is not met. Event professionals, he said, had a responsibility to contribute. From Conference News…
The UK Government has made it mandatory to wear masks which cover mouth and nose when inside conference and event venues.Ā The call comes a few weeks after it was announced that England’s exhibition and conference facilities are allowed now to host business meetings and events for up to 30 people. From Meetings & Incentive Travelā¦
Iceberg partner UFI, the global association of the exhibition sector, and research compiler Explori have released latest findings from their “Global Recovery Project”. Visitors and exhibitors significantly prefer live events to digital (by 83 percent and 77 percent). Only 13 percent of exhibitors have sponsored online third-party events. From Exhibition World…
The World Economic Forum has pushed back its Annual Meeting in Davos because of COVID-19.Ā The high-profile gathering, booked for January in the Alpine ski resort, will nowĀ run either “early next summer” or when WEF can “guarantee the health and safety of our participants and the host community”. From Association Meetings International…
The hybrid multi-site event BOCOM saw players from across Germany’s meetings industry demonstrating readiness for future event formats. Several hundred participants met on-site at the central conference venue in Berlin and at the hubs in Amsterdam, Essen and Vienna, as well as virtually from all continents. From GCB…
Consumer electronics show IFA has run at Messe Berlin, as German trade shows and exhibitions restarted this September. In line with local COVID regulations, attendance was limited: just 750 attendees allowed at each show segment, so invitation only for industry experts and sector media. From UFI…
When the time comes for in person events to start up again, convention centres across the US will be ready to deliver an experience prioritising health and safety.Ā Much of that will be the result of new technologies, new cleaning protocols, and new staff positions that venues have in place. From Associations Now…
When the SBFA (Serbian Federation of Beekeeping Association) entered the “Incredible Impacts” grants run by the Iceberg partners ICCA and BestCities Global Alliance this year, its bidding stage legacy story wasn’t eligible. Even so, SBFA’s efforts are discussed by the association and Serbia Convention Bureau. From BestCities Global Alliance…
As the industry continues to press pause on larger in person events, venues and suppliers have moved resources to serve those in need. The San Diego Convention Center has since April delivered 500,000 meals to those in need through its scheme Operation Shelter to Home, 3,500 meals a day at peak. From PCMA…
In mid-June the Netherlands started to welcome international travellers back to its borders. There is no limit for maximum attendees at meetings and events, but associations even so are wary, and with countries like the US, India and Australia still unable to travel, planners are considering best strategy for the coming autumn. From Boardroom…
2020’s RNC (Republican National Convention) offered event industry strategists another opportunity to see how organisers of a high-stakes, big-budget meeting can answer the challenges of capturing audience attention and engagement during the pandemic, still getting criticism over their choice of venues and lack of social distancing. From PCMA…
How do you make sure your event adheres to US Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines? A new tool let the National Cattlemenās Beef Association meet safely but in person through the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting this July in Colorado. NCBA worked with 42Chat to launch a symptom screening tool. From PCMA…
When Marco Oelschlegel became head of Berlin’s Convention Bureau in January 2020, neither he nor the rest of the world knew how difficult and strange the coming few months would be.Ā So just how has the start of his new role ended up being, and what is Berlinās “new normal” like? From Meetings & Incentive Travelā¦
The Bulb, a UK-based sustainable event consultancy, has released a guide to help meeting organisers to navigate the “new normal” and make sure the progress made in creating a sustainable industry is not lost. The increase in need for PPE (personal protective equipment) has seen a rise in plastic pollution. From Meetings & Incentive Travelā¦
2020’s DNC (Democratic National Convention) made history for being the first time a US national political convention was held online. For any professional working in the events industry, it was an historic chance to watch and learn from a high-profile, all-or-nothing experiment in how to capture audience attention and engagement. From PCMA…
Seoul cautiously resumed business events in June, starting with exhibitions and congresses. Dental meeting SIDEX was the first large-scale example with 4,860 attendees over two days. After their firm focus on sanitation protocols, organisers confirmed two weeks later that no COVID-19 cases had arisen after it. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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