Istanbul’s standing as a destination for international association meetings is in tatters, with ICCA’s city rankings suggesting that its popularity for conferences has collapsed. For years the city proudly occupied a top ten position. Because of terrorism and other political turmoil, it dropped first to 39th place, and this year to 133rd. From Association Meetings International…
Barcelona hosted more international association meetings than any other city last year, according to statistics from the International Congress and Convention Association. There is a familiar look to the top five of ICCA’s city rankings, but the Catalonian capital has claimed the headline spot for the first time since 2004. From Association Meetings International…
According to International Congress and Convention Association statistics, the Middle East has been the fastest growing region for hosting international association meetings, even starting from a low base. ICCA has pointed to an eighty percent growth in the engagement of its own Middle East membership as proof. From Association Meetings International…
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company and ExCeL London are celebrating ten years of ownership following ADNEC’s acquisition of the venue in May 2008. Continuous investment from ADNEC in ExCeL, along with support from London’s convention bureau and the Mayor’s Office, has made the venue and city itself a world-class business events destination. Photo: Senseiich. From Meetpie.com…
Oklahoma City is one step closer to opening a new convention centre, according to local newspaper The Oklahoman. Bids from builders have arrived and are “substantially below budget”, the lowest being for $173.3 million. If the numbers bear out, construction could begin in late spring, with a projected opening by summer 2020. From Successful Meetings…
Despite being a coastal city, Cape Town is fighting the worst drought in its history and has come close to actually running out of water. But even before the problem turned critical, water-related conferences were identifying opportunities for creating legacies in the destination. “Never waste a good crisis” has become the apt motto. From Boardroom…
In 2016 Turkey’s largest city Istanbul claimed eighth spot in ICCA’s much-trumpeted city rankings. Today it is in 133rd place. Over the past 24 months the city has suffered deadly terrorist attacks, a failed coup, and a series of purges against its citizens, including teachers, journalists and lawyers. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Last year Toronto hosted 951 meetings and events that attracted 400,000 delegates and generated $634 million for the local economy. But business events are too often overlooked in the wider accounting of tourism impact across Canada, as are the ambassador programmes that bring in such meetings to Canadian destinations. From BNN Bloomberg…
The announcement of the Australian Government’s AU$12 million national bid fund is a major turning point for the business events industry. Tourism Australia’s unit Business Events Australia will oversee the fund, which has been made possible in no small part by Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Steve Ciobo. From CIM News Magazine…
Seasoned meetings industry veterans always take pleasure in discovering any destination unfairly overlooked. For one Iceberg partner a new find is the Swedish seaport of Gothenburg. Hotel Svenska Massan / Gothia Towers recently held a centenary event for customers from all over Europe “that combined intelligence with stardust”. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
As politicians and policymakers gather at the IMEX Policy Forum in Frankfurt, key partners of The Iceberg are providing a timely reminder of the transformational contribution of business and professional events and their ‘beyond tourism’ benefits. GainingEdge CEO Gary Grimmer and Gregg Talley, President and CEO of the Talley Management Group, discuss what meetings actually…
You might not think that the second man to walk on the moon would need a conference name badge. Back in 2015 Buzz Aldrin addressed the 66th International Astronautical Congress in Jerusalem. Hosted by the Israel Space Agency, the event saw over 2,000 participants brought together from 60 countries, and has left a significant legacy. From Boardroom…
With a network of eight major association destinations, the Hauts-de-France region definitely plays alongside the big champions of the meetings industry. It is also now committed to an ambitious and innovative policy: the Third Industrial Revolution, a concept right at the meeting point of energy transition, digital transformation and new economic models. From Boardroom…
While The Iceberg prefers to write “familiarisation trips”, the rest of the industry seems to stick with the shorter “fam trips”, or sometimes the capital “FAM trips”. Which should be considered correct? One of our more particular partners places the use of that shift key under the microscope. From editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…
It has been seven months since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, causing widespread devastation and crippling power outages. Now the new Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization, a merger of Meet Puerto Rico and the leisure-focused Puerto Rico Tourism Co., says the territory is ready and eager to host group business. Photo: Jaime Olmo. From Meetings & Conventions…
Visit Victoria has welcomed the Victorian Government’s further investment in tourism and events. Building on previous funds, the Victorian 2018/19 budget provides an additional AU$51.1 million for marketing and major events, including AU$21.8 million over two years to ensure Visit Victoria continues to draw lucrative business events to Melbourne. From CIM News Magazine…
Glasgow is to host the 2020 World Congress on Computational Intelligence, a flagship event of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This brings to twelve the IEEE meetings the city has won since 2015, which have attracted 8,000 delegates in total and contributed £14.8 million to the local economy. From Association Meetings International…
The Vienna Convention Bureau’s end-of-year results have underlined how crucial international association congresses are to a city’s balance sheet. Such events accounted for just 20 percent of meetings. But the segment represented 51 percent of the participants, 74 percent of the overnights and 79 percent of the €1.2 billion impact. From Association Meetings International…
WTM Africa 2018, the continent’s most highly-anticipated travel trade show, has taken place in Cape Town with a record number of exhibitors. The event is a major business facilitator for the region. Content included the new WTM Africa Festivals, the role of women in tourism, and the potential of the local meetings sector. From the Event…
Blackpool saw the biggest growth in UK overnight business travel in 2017, with 55 percent more room nights than in 2016. The upsurge comes ahead of the town’s new £25 million conference and exhibition centre, set to open in 2019. According to new research there is significant growth also from Peterborough, Preston and Bradford. From Meetpie.com…
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