Events always mirror society, and major trends like globalisation have transformed the meetings sector in recent years. At the dawn of a new decade, German Convention Bureau MD Matthias Schultze looks at which trends we should follow, including sustainability and new borderless multisite meeting formats. From Matthias Schultze via LinkedIn…
Last month, just prior to IBTM World’s staging, the Iceberg partner’s inaugural Global Policy and Practice Forum was held in partnership with The Business of Events. Supporting the gathering were the Barcelona Convention Bureau, PCMA (the Professional Convention Management Association) and JMIC (the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg). The forum brought together…
The way people eat at events is changing. As populations around the world begin to understand the impact of their eating habits, we are seeing a massive change in what and how people eat. This chapter of the Beyond Food report series delves deeper into these trends, and into the emergence of the plant menu…
Iceberg partner GDS-Index (the Global Destination Sustainability Index) and EarthCheck have signed an alliance to develop then launch special certification and services for business tourism, event and meeting cities. The goal is to let destinations become sustainable and healthy places to visit, meet in and live in. From Boardroom…
Rimini’s strong environmental focus has secured the Italian resort city the 26th Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. Palacongressi di Rimini will host the annual event, which is expected to bring some 800 academics, researchers and scientists together in 2021. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
Carina Bauer, the CEO of Iceberg partner the IMEX Group, has been looking at four very positive industry trends for 2020 and beyond with her team: the “circular” economy, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, health and wellbeing (with increased focus on mental health), and how artificial intelligence can improve travel. From IMEX…
2019 is drawing to a close. As we enter a new decade, the world now seems less stable and facing further disruption. Global association of the exhibition industry, UFI, has as per every year been tracking sector developments around the world. Here are five key trends the Iceberg partner has noted. From Kai Hattendorf via LinkedIn…
The trend of making meetings more sustainable is growing. Momentum is gaining pace, and not just in terms of recycling and reducing wastage. Director of Marketing, Europe at Cvent, Judy Elvey, discusses how associations are now integrating sustainability more and more into meetings. She also mentions work with Iceberg partner Positive Impact. From Boardroom…
In October the One Young World Global Summit came to London collecting together trailblazers including HRH The Duchess of Sussex. With sustainability at the core of the event, organisers asked venue partners for wholly meat-free menus. With over 3,600 delegates attending, meat-free meeting was no mean feat. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Mubarak Al Shamsi, Director of the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, has been speaking about the emirate’s Economic Vision 2030, and the part played in it by business events. New infrastructure includes Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company’s The Hive, and its 80-seat auditorium The Collaboratorium. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
New Zealand has won its bid to host the 2023 10th World Avocado Congress. The five-day conference will bring the world’s leading avocado growers, researchers, marketers, tech innovators and investors to New Zealand. The bid was led by NZ Avocado, with a video message from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre is set to open for its first conference in just under a year. The New Zealand College of Midwives’ 16th Biennial National Conference will launch the venue next October. This will be shortly followed by the International Association of Ecology 11th International Wetlands Conference. From AIME…
Adelaide will host the 2023 World Potato Congress, the first time the biennial meeting has been held in Australia. The winning bid was led by the Adelaide Convention Bureau and Potatoes South Australia, which won over the WPC board with the idea of a WPC Trust supporting developing nations R&D. From Association Meetings International…
The Association of Independent Festivals has just returned to the city of Sheffield for its annual Festival Congress. The two-day meeting is claiming to be the first travel carbon neutral events industry conference. Organisers have worked with Energy Revolution to balance emissions with investment in projects creating clean and renewable power. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Tourism New Zealand has just announced three international meetings whose impacts will be measured to maximise the positive societal impacts that conferences generate for communities. The organisation is working together with Iceberg partner #Meet4Impact, whose Chief Executive Officer is Geneviève Leclerc, on the Enrich New Zealand Conference Impact project. From Boardroom…
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