The legacies of business events should start early on in life. July 2019 saw a new era begin for Malaysia’s youngest children on the back of the 2nd Sarawak Conference on Inclusive Early Childhood Education. Organised by Fu Yuan Kindergarten, the three-day meeting brought together more than 800 people from over 20 countries. From Boardroom…
Toulouse recently joined Iceberg partner the Global Destination Sustainability Index, which measures and benchmarks cities’ green strategy and performance. The opening of the new LEED certified MEETT Convention Centre, scheduled for the end of 2020, shows the environmental commitment of the city’s partners. From Boardroom…
The best we can do during the COVID-19 crisis is to continue to learn from each other as we try to plan ahead in an uncertain and rapidly shifting world. Here are the results of the second PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) Convene biweekly check-in, conducted during the first week in May, to determine how…
Iceberg partner UFI, global association of the exhibition industry, has published a global framework for the safe and controlled reopening of exhibitions and B2B trade events around the world. The document is intended to become a de facto standard in exchanges with national policy makers and other relevant authorities. The framework is put together by…
Against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 outbreak, CIMERT (the Center of International Meetings Research and Training), supported by Iceberg partner ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association) has released its first ever report The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the International Meetings Industry. The industry survey was initiated by Chengdu Municipal Bureau of…
Certification from the Global BioRisk Advisory Council, part of worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA, could help to restart face-to-face events and assuage any attendee concerns. The USA’s two largest convention venues, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and McCormick Place Chicago, have signed up. From Northstar Meetings Group…
In Iceberg partner ICCA’s annual rankings for international meetings, Paris has taken the top spot for the second year in a row, pulling even further ahead of other European destinations. The city’s dominance validates the work of both the local sector and the Conference Unit of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. From Meetings International…
Iceberg partner ICCA’S statistics for 2019 list 13,254 rotating association meetings, the highest ever figure in the annual tally, and an increase of 317 over 2018’s record peak. ICCA has seen consistent annual growth in association meetings, and the statistics are the most respected global comparison of destination performance in attracting them. From Meetings International…
UFI, the exhibition industry’s global association, has welcomed a call by Germany on reopening exhibitions and trade shows. The county chose to segment its classification of “mass gatherings”, making trade shows and exhibitions types of events that can now be allowed again under certain conditions by the sixteen German states. From UFI…
UFI, the exhibition industry’s global association, has posted a framework for the safe and controlled restart of exhibitions and trade events around the world. The Iceberg partner’s ten page document is intended as a de facto standard to be used in dealing with national policy makers and also other relevant authorities. From UFI…
Expo 2020 Dubai will now shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future from October 1st 2021 to March 31st 2022. While the vote technically remains open until May 29th, already two-thirds of all of the Bureau International des Expositions member states have opted to delay the event by a year. From the Event…
As New Zealand entered Alert Level 3 on April 28th, so construction has restarted on WCEC (the Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre). Already slightly ahead of schedule, the 18,000 square metre venue is the capital’s first premium space for conferences and exhibitions. WCEC has also announced a virtual layout planning tool. From Boardroom…
Less than one month after Iceberg partner ICCA and CIMERT (Center of International Meetings Research and Training) began studying the effects of COVID-19 on the events industry, a first report has been released. The document maps pandemic impact on meetings across the world. From Association Meetings International…
Many of COVID-19’s implications, not least restrictions on travel and social distancing, cut to the heart of what incentive travel is and pose the question: will the pandemic in fact end incentive travel? It will not, and for now here are five avenues for the market to pursue. From SoolNua’s Pádraic Gilligan at Padraicino…
The Iceberg is sorely missing a wide range of cancelled industry events. We’re also sorely missing the cheery Martin Sirk selfie posted from all of them. Fortunately, the International Advisor of our partner the Global Association Hubs Partnership has recorded a podcast. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
Ancient King of Scotland Robert the Bruce once learned a lesson about patience watching a spider spinning its web. Now modern Scotland has sent a clear message to the world’s business events community in the wake of the country’s coronavirus lockdown: “we will wait for you”. From Boardroom…
Event professionals will need to have a flexible mindset and to adapt and evolve business practice in a world after the pandemic. So said Patrick Smith, Senior Vice President and CMO of Cvent, during EduMonday on PlanetIMEX, Iceberg partner IMEX Group’s new virtual platform. From Meetings International…
What might face-to-face meetings with neither a coronavirus vaccine nor effective treatment look like? Perhaps signing a waiver releasing the organiser from liability, an initial COVID-19 test and then daily checks of temperature? Those are some of the requirements of Metrock’s Voice of Healthcare Summit 2020 set for Boston this August. From PCMA…
European Cities Marketing has just published “The DMMO COVID-19 Continuity Checklist” (posted in Research). In an exclusive webinar the Iceberg partner’s co-publisher Toposophy guides you through the document, with news of projects across Amsterdam, Barcelona and Hamburg as well. From European Cities Marketing…
Early this year a new event launched for associations. GIAF, or the Geneva International Association Forum, was hoping to draw together the sector and “tackle common challenges”. The meeting was scheduled for June, and at the moment is still going ahead face-to-face. From Boardroom…
“The new normal” is an irritating phrase that has entered common parlance since lockdown measures began to contain further spread of COVID-19. While the transition to virtual events is a “new normal” we can take seriously, not much else of the “new normal” is “normal” at all. From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…
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