Belfast Waterfront is hosting nine major international conferences in 2018, generating around 29,000 delegate nights and more than £10 million for the city. The convention centre’s management says £1 billion of investment has just revitalised Belfast’s tourism offering. The city is also attracting visitors as a Game of Thrones location. Photo: William Murphy. From Meetpie.com…
Abu Dhabi has launched a fund to incentivise international, regional and local companies to enhance its events programme. Attracting more meetings is a key goal of the emirate’s Department of Culture and Tourism. The initial funding is AED10 million, with further tranches being made available as the scheme evolves. From CIM News Magazine…
The Puerto Rico Convention Center will resume its event schedule in the New Year, according to the island’s convention bureau. The US territory’s hotels, port and airport are now fully operational after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in September. The conference centre has been relief effort command centre since the storm. Photo: Mtmelendez. From Meetpie.com…
An addition to PACIFICO Yokohama will be opening in the spring of 2020: a new multi-function conference centre. With the ability to host 6,000, its column-free 6,300 square metre hall has eight sections which can be configured in different ways. PACIFICO Yokohama itself can be used together with the new centre for larger events. From Boardroom…
Business Events Sydney’s results, announced by new chairman Bruce Baird, show Asia is largely responsible for the destination’s record-breaking wins. The figures also highlight 85 events delivered during the year with an estimated direct spend of AU$170.1 million. Over a decade Asia business has grown by 20 percent every year. From CIM News Magazine…
23 local champions who have helped New Zealand win conference business to the tune of NZ$31m have been recognised by their country at an event. 13,500 international delegates have come or are coming to New Zealand because of these individuals’ efforts. They range from university academics to health sector professionals. From CIM News Magazine…
All good destination management companies have a tale or three about how far they have gone in serving their clients’ very specific needs. From Girona to Madrid, here’s an eye-watering tale of a DMC willing to go the extra mile to bring home the bacon. Warning: not for the squeamish! From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
As destinations face pressure and even community backlash over visitor numbers, Rod Cameron, Executive Director of the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) and the Joint Meetings and Industry Council, examines the effect visitors have on destinations, and how targeting business events can reap real dividends for destination communities. From CIM News Magazine…
The Event, a partner of The Iceberg, has just produced a five part series of video interviews called “Business Events Insights and Predictions”. These examine Africa’s current meetings industry and its future opportunities from a number of differing industry perspectives. The series includes Gary Grimmer, CEO of The Iceberg partner GainingEdge, on business events as…
A new convention centre is to be built in Hong Kong to bring in more international meetings to the city. The new venue will be near the existing Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. The site currently houses government buildings which will be demolished to create the new facility. From Association Meetings International…
Australia is losing more international conference bids despite a modest increase in the number of overseas events heading to the country. The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) has released its latest Forward Calendar of International Business Events, which shows lost business is up 7 percent, despite wins being up 3 percent. From CIM News Magazine…
The Finnish capital hosted 38,000 congress visitors this summer, an increase of 8,000 on last year. The visits added about €50 million to the city’s economy. Local expertise attracted 150 international association meetings between May and September, including the World Glaucoma Congress, which was attended by 3,500 delegates instead of an anticipated 3,000. From Association Meetings International…
The annual showcase event for the Asia Pacific meeting and business events sector, IT&CMA, revealed that the region’s destination marketing organisations (DMOs) are adopting the lead set by Australia and Singapore. ‘Clustering’ or focussing efforts on bidding for events from within industry sectors identified in the development frameworks of government is now the priority of…
In preparing an upcoming feature on Birmingham in the UK, an Iceberg partner has rediscovered a destination marketing masterpiece also well known to the Iceberg team, which itself has reported from the city. It’s a vintage promo gem narrated by TV’s Kojak… Telly Savalas. Birmingham: who loves ya, baby? From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
Christoph Tessmar, Director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau, has been discussing the Catalonian independence referendum violence and how the situation affects events coming to the city. From 28th October to 1st November the 25th United European Gastroenterology Week will be bringing in around 15,000 congress delegates to the destination. Includes Turisme Barcelona’s official statement. From tmf dialogue marketing…
Chantal Sturk-Nadeau is the new head of Business Events Canada, the organisation responsible for meetings industry promotion in the country. During a recent trip to Europe, she shared her vision. BEC has identified seven priority business sectors where Canada holds a competitive advantage and is internationally recognized as a centre of excellence. From Boardroom…
A landlocked nation offering many opportunities for safari, Botswana is an established incentive destination and growing conference hub in southern Africa. The country sees mostly mining and investment gatherings through its borders, although late last year Botswana also hosted a major ITU meeting: the 14th World Telecommunication / ICT Indicators Symposium. From the Event…
The City of Tshwane, in northern Gauteng Province, is home both to iconic South African historical sites and also several universities. But conferences, exhibitions and corporate meetings take place in Tshwane as well, including many government events. It boasts state-of-the-art conference and exhibition venues like the CSIR International Convention Centre. From the Event…
Nantes on the French Atlantic coast – the birthplace of Jules Verne – has recently transformed itself into an innovation hub. The city and region is home to leading international companies like Airbus, and key knowledge industries like health and biotechnology. At the heart of this journey is La Cité Nantes Events Center. From Boardroom…
At Meetings Africa 2017 a R110 million subvention fund was announced, part of the South African Government’s R494 million tourism allocation for the next three years. It has already assisted organisers in bringing association meetings to South Africa. So who is eligible for this funding and how does one apply for it? From the Event…
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