Sector: Hospitality

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Six Cities: From Rust Belt to Knowledge Hub

For destinations with industrial roots that have since evolved into innovation-based economies, showcasing a revamped identity not only helps to correct outdated perceptions but is also key to drawing in the right groups, for instance associations. Former Rust Belt cities Cleveland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cincinnati have all reinvented their economies. From PCMA…

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International Meetings Targeted by Athens

The Greek capital is targeting small and medium-sized international conventions with “know-how and financial resources”. So said Alexis Galinos, MD of ADDMA (the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency), at the 9th Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organisers conference. Athens is currently 26th in ICCA city rankings. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Carina Bauer

CEO, IMEX Group

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A passionate and dedicated leader, Carina Bauer is the CEO of the IMEX Group – an organisation responsible for organising the leading global trade shows for the international business events industry. Carina is passionate about the business events sector and its impact on the world, taking a particular interest in issues around sustainability, diversity and…

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GSMA Regional Event Returning to Moscow

The GSMA Mobile 360 Series – Eurasia conference, a regional event run by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, will be held in Moscow later this year. It follows last year’s successful debut in the same city, which gathered more than 600 attendees, over half of them director-level or above. From Association Meetings International…

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ICCA Hotels Affected by Sri Lanka Attacks

The Easter Sunday bomb attacks carried out in Sri Lanka have “directly implicated” International Congress and Convention Association hotel members, according to ICCA CEO, Sri Lanka-born Senthil Gopinath. As a gesture of solidarity, Gopinath has announced that ICCA will pay its respects to the victims during a chapter meeting at IMEX Frankfurt. From Association Meetings International…

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Sri Lanka Terror Attacks Prompt Cancellations

Six bomb attacks on Easter Sunday may have destroyed a decade of economic recovery in Sri Lanka that was largely reliant on tourism. The attacks left 253 people dead (revised Ministry figure), with several hundred injured, at churches and five-star hotels. As a result, venues and inbound DMCs have been deluged with cancellations. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Sri Lankan DMC: Please Don’t Now Abandon this Destination

The recent terror attacks in Sri Lanka have devastated a country enjoying resurgent tourism since the end of civil war a decade ago. It is crucial that the international community, especially in incentive travel, does not abandon the destination. Rajeev Kohli is joint MD of Creative Travel DMC, which has operations in Sri Lanka. From PCMA…

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SITE Incentive Summit Europe: An Inaugural View from Verbier

Recently almost sixty incentive travel professionals took planes, trains and automobiles from sixteen countries to Verbier, Switzerland, to attend the inaugural Society of Incentive Travel Excellence’s SITE Incentive Summit Europe. SITE’s Chief Marketing Officer now reports on the four day alpine excursion of connections, education and destination discovery. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…

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Ottawa Conference Ambassadors Sought

Canada’s capital, Ottawa, is to launch a conference ambassador programme. Together Ottawa Tourism, the Shaw Centre (above) and Invest Ottawa will offer bespoke support to local experts becoming “trailblazers” by helping the city to secure major meetings. ThinkOttawa will work with its ambassadors to prepare bid documents and provide support. From Association Meetings International…

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Amy Calvert Appointed New EIC CEO

The Events Industry Council has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, Amy Calvert, after a global search. Calvert is currently Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Services with Visit Baltimore, and has worked in the past for Long Beach Convention Bureau and Intercontinental Hotels Group. From the Events Industry Council…

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Vancouver CC Marks Tenth Anniversary

Over nine million guests have visited the Vancouver Convention Centre from across the world in its ten year history, generating more than $2.4 billion in direct spend for British Columbia. The events held at the venue include TED conferences, trade shows, corporate meetings, banquets and fundraisers. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Looking Up: The UK North Prepares for Events Conference

In advance of the Business Visits and Events Focus North conference in Leeds, organiser John Gallery has been making the case that the north of England offers meetings industry planners good value for money. Some of the region’s destination marketing organisations are also aligning economic development ambitions with events in target sectors. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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Associations World Congress: Moving Between the Streams

The Associations World Congress has just taken place in Gothenburg, Sweden. After an opening forum for medical associations, with a keynote on collaboration from Volvo, a new format encouraged delegates to move freely between content streams. Highlights included sessions about governance, communications and also the association of the future. From Boardroom…

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24 August 2019

ECM Summer School 2019, London, UK

The ECM Summer School is an unmissable learning opportunity for all professionals working in Convention Bureaux, Tourist Offices, Congress Centres, Airlines, Hotels, DMCs, PCOs & Meeting Planners! The aim is to equip professionals with the latest marketing tools and to help them to develop the knowledge and skills required for a successful career in conference,…

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Kigali: How Rwanda is Meeting its Future

Imagine a place where strong African culture meets modern urban life, and where years of troubled history have given way to cosmopolitan regeneration. Add in a pioneering new venue like the Kigali Convention Centre, and welcome to the capital of Rwanda, “land of a thousand hills”, in central East Africa. From Boardroom…

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Melbourne’s Karen Bolinger Steps Down

Karen Bolinger, tireless CEO of the Melbourne Convention Bureau, has announced her departure after more than seven-and-a-half years at the helm. She steps down in what is expected to be another record year for the bureau in terms of economic contribution, adding around AU$500 million to the region’s coffers. From Association Meetings International…

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Big Questions, Difficult Answers: Meetings and Climate Change

The looming threat of climate change poses huge questions for the international meetings industry, particularly for high profile global events under intense media scrutiny like COP24, the World Economic Forum and the UN Climate Change Conference. But does the sector itself have the answers, and how is it approaching the problem? From Association Meetings International…

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Medical Meetings: Correctly Diagnosing Return on Investment

The financial health of a medical association convention can depend on whether its exhibition floor is or isn’t sold out. Attending doctors though aren’t usually buying drugs directly but prescribing them. So measuring the return on investment of exhibiting at medical meetings has become a science in its own right. From PCMA…

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Incentive Travel: Trends in Hotels, Security and Compliance

From mergers and acquisitions in the hotel sector, not to mention its commission cuts, to concerns about security, both of person and of data, including GDPR compliance, here’s a look at key pointers found in the Incentive Research Foundation’s 2019 Trends Study that are expected to affect the buoyant incentive travel industry. From PCMA…

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IBTM Exhibition Director: Seven Event Destinations to Watch

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director of The Middle East, Arabian Travel Market and IBTM Arabia, reveals seven destinations set to become prominent in the meetings and events industry. Her list comprises the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Cooperation Council states, other neighbours Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Rwanda. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…

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PCMA Survey: “Further Growth to Come”

The latest Meetings Market Survey from the Professional Convention Management Association has revealed a growth in meeting attendance with a further rise expected next year. Considered to be a barometer for the industry, the survey found attendance for 2018 up five percent. It had risen by 3.6 percent in 2017. From Association Meetings International…

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