The IBTM World Trends Watch Report by Rob Davidson and Ali Turner is an insightful compendium of data that crosses business, industries, economies and geographies within the global meetings and events industry. The IBTM World Trends Watch Report 2019 (IBTM World website) Virtual Experience Economy Set to Grow, Says IBTM Trends Watch Report (Meetings & Incentive Travel…
During 2018 MeetDenmark, with consultancy and Iceberg partner GainingEdge, began a major project on outreach. The purpose was to identify how Danish destinations can create significant added value for the international associations coming to Denmark. The objective is to help associations achieve greater impacts in fulfilling their own goals and missions while also strengthening the…
The European League Against Rheumatism is taking its huge congress to Frankfurt for the first time in almost two decades, after a city-wide effort to win the bid. More than 15,000 delegates are expected to attend the four-day meeting at Messe Frankfurt in June 2020, putting the city firmly on the medical-meetings map. From Association Meetings International…
Monaco’s meetings industry goes from strength to strength with a rise of 5.4 percent in business events during 2019. The principality has focused on continually improving services in the sector, which makes up 25 percent of the economy. The growth is also thanks to the Grimaldi Forum, which is set to be extended. From Boardroom…
During 2019, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre successfully attracted ten major international events due to be held in Malaysia between 2020 and 2025. These meetings, from the energy, medical and education sectors, are expected to be attended by more than 17,300 participants. The venue’s recent expansion contributed to its wins. From Boardroom…
Toronto’s Leaders Circle has just honoured thirteen local experts, from fields including atomic physics and human rights, for their role in bringing international meetings to the Canadian city. Together these experts helped to secure eight major events that will leave lasting legacies in Toronto and Ontario. From Boardroom…
Silicon Valley start-up “wordly”, which uses voice recognition and artificial intelligence to translate between 15 languages, has won the Iceberg partner IBTM World’s Tech Watch Award. The interpretation app was praised by judges for helping event planners reduce costs by eliminating the need to hire translators in sound-proof booths. From Association Meetings International…
Heike Mahmoud, Chief Operating Officer of CCH (Congress Center Hamburg), has won JMIC’s Profile and Power Award for being “an inspiring symbol of influential women” in the meetings industry. She accepted the honour at the Meetings Leadership Summit of Iceberg partner IBTM World. The Joint Meetings Industry Council presents The Iceberg. From Association Meetings International…
Meeting professionals are feeling less optimistic about the future. So says MPI’s quarterly Outlook Survey for November 2019, which shows positive sentiment at lowest levels since before the 2008 financial crisis. Other responses note that meetings are getting shorter, more frequent and more niche, but that audiences are getting bigger. From Association Meetings International…
The virtual experience economy is set for big growth, according to the annual IBTM World Trends Watch Report. The complete study, which analyses the future of the events industry, was compiled using over 25 existing data sources and was unveiled on the first day of Iceberg partner IBTM World in Barcelona. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Visit Flanders and the region’s five major destinations (Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, and Mechelen) have joined Iceberg partner the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Along with Brussels, the Flemish cities now become part of the measurement and benchmarking sustainability movement which comprises 56 cities worldwide. From Boardroom…
Marketing Cheshire’s “Brilliant Science” programme has helped it win the Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology September 2020 40th anniversary event. “Brilliant Science” makes the most of the region’s scientific heritage and links, to develop the North West as a hub for international association congresses. From Association Meetings International…
ACC Liverpool has announced major bid wins of both new and returning association congresses until 2023. Among the conferences heading to the destination is NHS Providers, a three-year deal, and the Royal College of Physicians’ annual conference in 2021. The British Oncology Pharmacy Association, BOPA, will return in 2021. From Association Meetings International…
In advance of IBTM World 2019, just staged in Barcelona, interest from new exhibitors more than doubled compared to 2018. More than 2,600 exhibitors took stands at the Iceberg partner event, 35 of them coming from destinations that hadn’t before, including Greece, Azerbaijan, Macau, South Korea and Croatia. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Expo 2020 Dubai is set to welcome over 25 million visitors from 192 countries between October 2020 and April 2021. Organisers have teamed up with more than 1,000 authorised ticket resellers in key markets to drum up interest in the event. This network will make the World Expo the most international ever. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Partnering to transform skills in emerging destinations, ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association) and UNWTO (the World Tourism Organization) have been holding a series called “Masterclasses on the Meetings Industry”, the first taking place in Uzbekistan, the second in Kazakhstan, and the third soon in Georgia. From Travel Daily News International…
Retail conference Shoptalk has just announced that its next conference, to be held in Las Vegas next March, will feature an all-women speaker lineup, including both the track sessions and main stage keynotes. The decision has been applauded as a bold move, but is not uniformly seen as a good idea. From PCMA…
Battersea Power Station has been a London landmark since 1933 when station A was completed and began producing electricity. Shut down in 1983, the facility is now undergoing regeneration, which will create new event spaces for organisers to hire: Generator Hall, Control Room A and three others. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Convening Leaders, the flagship event of PCMA (the Professional Convention Management Association), is taking place in January at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Setting out the agenda and stage for this major industry meet, PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat explains how debate has shifted towards the outcomes and impact created by the sector. From PCMA…
Opening in 2021, Macau’s Galaxy International Convention Centre is aiming for the title of Asia’s most technologically advanced venue. Galaxy’s Director of Operations Development, Scott Kreeger, has been speaking about the facility at IBTM World in Barcelona, and says incentives will be one of its core markets. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Cities with a “business-friendly” environment for international associations will find more of them opening offices, including regional headquarters, within their vicinity. So says Martin Sirk, International Adviser of Iceberg partner GAHP, the Global Association Hubs Partnership. New data on association office locations backs up the claim. From Association Meetings International…
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