The organisers of IBTM Asia Pacific 2020 have postponed the launch event, set to have taken place this April at the Singapore Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, until April 2021. The Iceberg partner made the decision due to the risks of coronavirus in discussion with its wider stakeholders. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), an Iceberg partner, opened in Melbourne with the Hosted Buyer Breakfast served by New Zealand celebrity chef Justin North. For each of the 140 present, Tourism New Zealand committed to the legacy of planting a native tree with conservation charity Trees That Count. From PCMA…
Wellington in New Zealand punches above its weight in meetings. Last year the Business Events team at WellingtonNZ won 34 conference bids across a range of industries like computational engineering, medical science, environmental studies and public law. A new convention centre is due to open by the end of 2022. From Association Meetings International…
The plans for a new UK conference venue close to Manchester Airport have been approved. The updated EventCity venue will be built on the site of former indoor football pitches at TraffordCity leisure park, replacing the existing venue nearby. That will remain in use until its replacement opens next Spring. From Association Meetings International…
Hundreds of attendees at a London conference have been emailed by health officials after a delegate was diagnosed as having COVID-19. The patient, who has not been identified, had attended the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre. The email warned delegates with a fever or cough to self-isolate and seek advice. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The ambassador programme Club Liverpool has marked five years with an event held at Liverpool Town Hall attended by some of the members who have helped attract £70 million of meetings to the city. The network of influential figures from academia, medicine and business now boasts 230 ambassadors. From Association Meetings International…
What next? The question is haunting meeting and event planners as the COVID-19 shows its contempt for national borders. There’s now grim fascination in seeing organisations responding quite differently to the unfolding crisis, and what this then says about our attitude to “known unknowns”. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
A recent Twitter #Expochat devoted an entire session to the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on US and global exhibitions. Industry leaders including Kai Hattendorf, MD and CEO of Iceberg partner UFI, talked through the shows being cancelled or seeing major absences from their Chinese delegations. Far more are going ahead than not. From UFI…
Often legacies we leave behind are not as much under our control as we might like. Stylianos Filopoulos, Board Member of the European Society of Association Executives, argues that association leaders are not the sole drivers of association legacy, but caretakers who protect the vision that inspires and unites members and stakeholders. From Boardroom…
Global Pet Expo, run by APPA (the American Pet Products Association), is taking place at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, despite bans preventing nearly 150 Chinese exhibitors from now entering the US. Andrew Darmohraj, APPA’s Executive Vice President and COO, has been “navigating the uncharted territory” COVID-19 presents. From PCMA…
Despite not sending food waste to landfill sites for over a decade now, Olympia London has introduced new measures to make sure excess isn’t created in the first place. The venue has also partnered with the sustainability advocacy group WRAP, which runs the “Guardians of Grub” campaign, to track food waste. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
As organisations consider how to address the impact of coronavirus on upcoming meetings and events, what about the legal and insurance issues that arise? Barbara Dunn is a Partner with the Associations and Foundations Practice Group within Barnes and Thornburg, practicing in association, meetings, travel and hospitality, law. From PCMA…
Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world’s largest exhibition for AV and systems integration, has just taken place at the RAI in Amsterdam. With growing concern over coronavirus, and after the cancellation of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ISE’s MD Mike Blackman explains which steps the meeting chose to take. From UFI…
Cancel, delay or go ahead? Planners of industry events are facing tough choices as significant gatherings of thousands or tens of thousands pose a major risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. The cancellation of Mobile World Congress due to have been held in Barcelona shows how organisers are now under intense pressure. From Tech Xplore…
Just in advance of Iceberg partner AIME, the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event, opening its doors in Melbourne, its Event Director Jay Martens discussed the way both the meeting itself and the wider industry sector have been coping with the twin crises of Australia’s bushfires and the subsequent coronavirus outbreak. From PCMA…
For events whose attendance might now be impacted by the coronavirus crisis, pivoting to a digital or hybrid approach can be a solution. In 2018, as Hurricane Florence closed in on both Carolinas, the Water Quality Association turned its face-to-face Mid-Year Leadership Conference, planned for South Carolina, into a virtual event. From PCMA…
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