Sigurjóna Sverrisdóttir has taken over as Managing Director of Meet in Reykjavík. She follows Thorsteinn Orn Gudmundsson, who piloted the Icelandic capital’s new convention bureau from its founding in 2012. Last year Iceland welcomed about 135,000 international meetings delegates, and some years of solid business growth. From Meetings International…
New Zealand gave the AASA (Australasian Animal Studies Association) Conference 2019, “Decolonizing Animals”, an original spin when it hosted the event this July in Christchurch. Both local and international specialists, including indigenous perspectives, were all given a voice. Annie Potts, Director of the New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, explains. From Boardroom…
The choice of Kuala Lumpur for last year’s World Library and Information Congress proved to be a winner for both the delegates and destination. Over 3,500 participants from more than 120 countries met in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with support from convention bureau MyCEB and also 300 congress volunteers. From Association Meetings International…
The Iceberg is now identifying and celebrating the greater mass of hard-to-see business events legacies that lie hidden beneath the surface in a new podcast “Below the Waterline”. In the second of a series featuring significant meetings industry players, Iceberg founder James Latham catches up with the IMEX Group’s formidable CEO, Carina Bauer. IMEX…
Victoria is one of Canada’s most picturesque destinations for conferences. The oldest city in the Pacific Northwest is also a leader in ocean science, so a great spot to host conferences in the field. On the doorstep of the Pacific Ocean, Victoria boasts over a hundred sector-related organisations. Photo: Brandon Godfrey. From Meetings International…
New Zealand offers meeting planners the chance to tap into market sectors like health sciences, agribusiness, tourism, advanced manufacturing and design, high value food and wine, ICT and earth sciences. Collaboration between learning and research centres and a strong focus on education and progress from government have placed Aotearoa centre stage globally. From Boardroom…
Aberdeen’s economy may once have been powered by oil and gas, but Scotland’s third city is now becoming an all-energy hub, with major investment in renewables, especially wind. It’s a life sciences hub as well, with coming new infrastructure in that sector, plus in transport, digital and the P&J Live venue (pictured). From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
The Convention Centre Dublin, which claims that its construction footprint was carbon neutral, has been chosen to host the Eurelectric Power Summit in 2020. This year’s event took place in Florence. Based in Brussels, Eurelectric is promoting “low-carbon electricity” and wants a carbon neutral industry “well before” 2050. From Association Meetings International…
Brussels is the preferred destination across Europe for association event organisers, and for the eighth year in a row, according to the Union of International Associations’ annual rankings. The capital has built up a network of over 2,250 registered associations, and 733 meetings of international associations were held across Brussels during 2018. From Association Meetings International…
Venue operator AEG Ogden has welcomed the formal Queensland Government announcement of the Cairns Convention Centre’s AU$176 million upgrade. The plans will see existing facilities refurbished, plus an expansion built creating a further 3,000 square metres of meeting, banquet and exhibition space. Work is due to start in June 2020. From Meetings International…
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has just supported the hosting of the International Dragon Award Annual Congress at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani. About 7,500 delegates are expected to have generated revenue of 640 million Baht ($20.7 million) during the four-day event, the largest-ever Chinese convention to be held in Thailand. From Meetings International…
Associations World Congress 2020 organisers have announced that the event will be hosted at the Estoril Congress Centre in Portugal. AAE, the Association of Association Executives, examined universities as well as hotels and other facilities in choosing the destination, and it is pledging for 2020 to invest more in increasing delegate attendance. From Association Meetings International…
Ahead of the World Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, held in Glasgow, First Citizen Eva Bolander posed for Project Ability artists. The initiative showcases people living with disability, and the event was part of the wider “People Make Glasgow Healthier” campaign. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The 12th European Pain Federation Congress in 2021 is to be hosted by The Convention Centre Dublin. The meeting will bring together 3,000 clinicians and researchers, and will generate over £3.7 million for the local economy. The bid from the Irish Pain Society was supported by both the Dublin Convention Bureau and Fáilte Ireland. From Association Meetings International…
At Meetings Africa 2017, South Africa launched a bidding fund to target international association meetings. Now at the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry congress, Deputy Minister of Tourism Fish Mahlalela has discussed its 2018-19 submissions. These total 108 event bids, with an economic impact of around R2.5 billion. From the Event…
PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association, has just published its annual “Best in Show” list. The ten stories include using art therapy at a haematology event, a heart rhythm meeting dropping registration fees for self-paying attendees from lower income countries, and a biomedical event letting students earn credit towards attendance costs by staffing the meeting. From PCMA…
The Iceberg prefers “familiarisation trips”. The rest of the sector uses the shorter “FAM trips”, usually with the capital letters. But why shout? For the second time, and now with accompanying video, one of our more particular partners pleads for industry excursions to remain lower case. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Shaun Vorster is Vice President of Business Integration and Activations at Dubai’s Expo 2020. Here he talks about that role, shares information on what to expect at the October 2020 launch, and discusses the place legacy holds in shaping both the programming of Expo 2020 and the afterlife of its venues. From the Event…
The Africa Chapter of Iceberg partner the International Congress and Convention Association is small but active. ICCA’s annual statistics list how many association meetings are held in cities around the world. The Regional Director for Africa at ICCA, Esmaré Steinhöfel, explains what the latest rankings mean for the continent, and where growth opportunities lie. From the Event…
A historic and musical icon, Liverpool has seen substantial regeneration in recent years, reinventing itself as a life sciences knowledge hub, with further expertise in creative digital technology, maritime and logistics. It also boasts a world-class event campus and other venues hosting major national and international meetings. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Powered by 
