A slightly higher percentage of planners and suppliers described feeling exhausted and burned out in the February Dashboard survey than in January’s survey, but that can probably be chalked up to yet another month of enduring the COVID crisis. It’s coming up on a year now since the lockdowns began. Some especially harsh winter weather…
Global convention sector consulting firm GainingEdge has launched the first annual report on leveraging the intellectual capital of convention destinations, based on an analysis of international association leadership. The research underpinning the Iceberg partner’s report identifies the relative strengths of 350 destinations via the presence of their local intellectual leaders in the governing bodies of international associations…
The European Society of Cardiology has said that its ESC Congress, the world’s largest gathering of heart specialists, will be back at ExCeL London in 2024. The society ran its 2015 event at the venue, bringing in more than 32,700 participants from 140 countries, and leaving a legacy of public involvement. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
State officials in Nevada have relaxed restrictions while raising the capacity limits for large gatherings. The news means that major events can run on the Las Vegas strip at fifty percent capacity, up to 250 people, as long as organisers get approval for their plans and have a COVID mitigation strategy. From Conference News…
Rarely have signs of demand been more welcome than the announcing of the first exhibitors at November’s IMEX America, which will open in its new Las Vegas home, Mandalay Bay. Those already confirmed span all sectors of the industry. The Iceberg partner event will soon be posting safety guidelines. From Meetings International…
The GSM Association intends to welcome 50,000 attendees on site to Barcelona during Mobile World Congress at the end of June, plus many more digitally for the entirely hybrid event. The show welcomed over 100,000 visitors in 2019. Every physical attendee will need to give a negative COVID-19 test every three days. From Conference News…
The key role that conference ambassadors can play in a city’s fortunes has been highlighted by Dubai Business Events securing several international association events last year. The World Marinas Conference 2021, World Congress of Direct Selling 2023 and World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems 2024 were all secured by ambassadors. From Association Meetings International…
The World Congress on Railway Research will be taking place at ICC Birmingham, following a global bid process. On behalf of the UK’s rail industry, the RSSB and the University of Birmingham will jointly stage the meeting in June 2022. Birmingham is a key hub across both current and forthcoming railway networks. From Conference News…
A new report names London the “intellectual capital” of the world. The study ranks destinations by the number of international association board members living in them. But the UK capital could attract more meetings by better “harnessing” its potential conference ambassadors. The report is from Iceberg partner GainingEdge. From Association Meetings International…
The Hong Kong International Dental Expo and Symposium has marked the first return to live trade shows since the fourth wave of COVID-19 shut down operations there back in November 2020. The meeting was attended by 3,000 delegates over three days, and held with distanced seating, face masks and temperature checks. From Association Meetings International…
Following on from the publication of two very different views on business events recovery, Juliano Lissoni, the Managing Director of MCI Group in Canada, makes a further and more academic argument for face-to-face meetings. The Iceberg partner chief makes his case around an in depth analysis of our innate “need to meet”. From PCMA…
As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, there is a growing sense of hope. Some destination marketing organisations (DMOs) have been able to continue their association conference business through the pandemic. But others have faced severe budget cuts, as Sarah Fleming, the owner of Sarah Fleming Associates, explains. From Association Meetings International…
The UK government has announced a timeline for reopening business events, with all sizes of meetings able to run from June 21st. But according to Meetings Industry Association Chief Executive Jane Longhurst, UK event professionals need to manage their expectations around the certainty of the date and the necessary conditions for it. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The impact of the pandemic on Australia’s business events is well documented. The Business Council of Australia has reported a loss of AU$35 billion in direct expenditure for Australia’s economy and over 230,000 jobs affected. But what about the country’s knowledge economy, asks ICC Sydney CEO Geoff Donaghy? From Meetings International…
In Barcelona, organisers of Mobile World Congress are counting on a comeback, and have booked their event to resume in late June. The industry association behind MWC, the GSMA, thinks it will draw less than half of its usual turnout, but the Barcelona Convention Bureau says the numbers aren’t important. From the Washington Post…
Proclaiming the industry is sick of virtual events, Group Chairman and Founder of Iceberg partner IMEX Ray Bloom has reaffirmed the signature trade show IMEX America will take place as scheduled this November. His confidence in the event makes welcome reading for all industry professionals eager to speed up recovery after COVID-19. From TSNN…
The trends expert and conference speaker Daniel Levine sees the near future of live events as “nothing less than spectacular”. For special events company owner Kevin Molesworth the picture is not quite so rosy and the sector has to be more realistic. The two have unique and rather different perspectives. From PCMA…
The worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events. Expect expert speakers, brand-new ideas and plentiful inspiration at 250-plus educational and networking events – and an exhilarating exhibition. Whether you want to keep up with fast-changing event trends, explore event tech, polish your professional skills or connect with your peers, our groundbreaking programme has it…
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