UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has updated its database of initiatives and projects from the exhibition industry that support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. This resource showcases work done by organisers, venues, and service providers alike. It was initiated by the UFI Working Group on Sustainability and put together…
John H. Graham IV, President and CEO of the American Society of Association Executives, has died after a battle with cancer. Graham was both well known and highly respected across the association world. Legacies of his long tenure include more than doubling the Iceberg partner’s membership and starting the Diversity Executive Leadership Program. From MPI…
ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association, has officially opened the doors of its Association Community. Now association executives can join the Iceberg partner’s membership of convention centres, destination marketing organisations (DMOs) and professional congress organisers (PCOs). From Association Meetings International…
The number of corporate travel buyers forecasting bigger budgets for 2020 is now at a five-year high, according to annual research from the Business Travel Show. 41 percent of buyers said they would have more money to spend on travel in 2020, a rise from 33 percent last year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Industry mega-gathering Convening Leaders has just taken place in San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The organiser PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association, gave details of its flagship event’s impact at a press conference, just after the signing of a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau. From PCMA…
Famous for its giant Buddha and historic temples, the ancient city of Nara will open a new venue this spring in a bid to become one of Japan’s leading event destinations. The Nara Prefectural Convention Center will allow the compact city to host conferences for up to 2,000 participants. From Association Meetings International…
As bushfires continue to cause devastation across all of Australia, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre has become a disaster relief centre. It is offering transition assistance to evacuees from Mallacoota in East Gippsland, including access to food and water, medical support and other services. From News.com.au…
The teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg may have grabbed more headlines, but meetings and events leaders also got to address some of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the industry during a panel debate at UN Climate Conference COP25 in Madrid. Article includes full video from the session. From Association Meetings International…
The US Congress has just voted to renew funding and thus rescue the nation’s destination marketer Brand USA as part of a $1.4 trillion budget package. The reauthorisation comes with a changed funding structure, and a rise in the cost of America’s online visa waiver programme ESTA from $14 to $21. From Skift…
A further raft of associations have signed up to hold flagship meetings at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, less than a year before the venue’s scheduled opening. Te Pae managers finished 2019 on a high with more than 50 events already confirmed, worth about NZ$30 million to the New Zealand city. From Association Meetings International…
Associations Congress UK 2019 saw the event’s highest-ever association attendance drawn to Birmingham’s ICC for two days of education, engagement and entertainment. This included sessions on strategy, events, membership and education, followed by an awards lunch. From Association Meetings International…
Edinburgh International Conference Centre is “on track” for “record sales and operating profits” in 2019 after hosting some of the world’s most high-profile conferences. EICC has also calculated that the economic impact the venue makes on the region lies at around £55 million. From Association Meetings International…
Seoul is gearing up for a busy new year of international meetings, with six notable large-scale gatherings set to bring 17,200 participants to the city’s conference venues in the first half of 2020. The three biggest account for 10,900 of the total and are enjoying the destination’s event support programme PLUS SEOUL. From Boardroom…
Congress organisers at ESTRO, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, are requiring host destinations bidding for their events to help them connect with local communities and create lasting legacies in cancer care. They are doing so through the running of so-called “engagement projects”. Ideas for such initiatives, typically with stakeholder involvement from cancer specialists,…
Would you accept a media blackout required by your keynote speaker? PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association, has just done so for former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Media outlets registered for Convening Leaders were strictly forbidden from reporting her main keynote. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Iceberg partner BestCities Global Alliance has just staged its annual Forum under the theme “Exploring the Congress of the Future / Fortifying Impact”. Copenhagen Convention Bureau and BestCities published four future scenarios for congresses (see Research), and the CVB also launched its Legacy Lab. From Boardroom…
In comes another year, and with it yet another list of trends to watch on the horizon. Events will deliver personalised experiences with the aid of artificial intelligence. Plus, sustainability, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and flygskam (flight shaming) are also on the map, as is Q and A 2.0, Conversation and input. From PCMA…
2019 was the year veganism went mainstream. In 2020 Veganuary, or going vegan for January, is bigger than ever. One Iceberg publishing partner is sampling fast food vegan options, went vegan at Associations UK Congress 2019, and will again at all 2020 events. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Convention centres let architects push the limits of creative design and pioneer innovative solutions. With seventeen decades of venue architecture behind us, the 1850 Bingley Hall in Birmingham being the first example, here are five extraordinary modern venues. Photo: R. Elton. From Association Meetings International…
Sustainability is high on the events industry agenda. COP25’s Events Industry Council panel discussed vegan menus, recyclable cups and refillable bottles. Britain’s Brexit is shaking up supply chains and may encourage local sourcing. Iceberg partner Positive Impact is engaging the industry in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Last December Mariela McIlwraith, Director of Industry Advancement at the Events Industry Council, went to the UN Climate Conference COP25 in Madrid. There she took part in a panel discussion on the role of the meetings sector in bringing people together to act on climate. From the Events Industry Council…
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