Convention bureaus have operated as key stakeholders in the meetings industry for over a century, assuming major responsibility for marketing their cities, regions and countries as destinations for the hosting of business events, from small corporate gatherings to the vast annual conferences organised by international associations. During all of that time it has been clearly…
In April’s survey against March’s, much of the sector is experiencing a sense of languish. In the month between the two, vaccinations in the US (where the majority of survey respondents live) have averaged around three million shots a day, certainly the country’s best chance of recovery. Yet seven percent fewer planner respondents reported feeling hopeful…
The health and safety of event attendees has always been a big consideration for meeting professionals. The COVID-19 outbreak, however, has brought health and safety into focus like never before. As many organisations consider resuming incentive group travel programs, health and safety is the most talked about element and an area of uncertainty as COVID…
Chapter IV of Beyond Food looks at the devastating effect of the pandemic on the conference and events market, and at how the industry is addressing a new way of working post-COVID. Beyond Food: Beyond COVID-19 (Lime Venue Portfolio website, registration required)
Between February and March, a flurry of news articles predicted a huge surge in leisure travel, sometimes referred to as “revenge travel”, as people celebrate the end of the pandemic, make up for lost time and splurge after the stress of living through COVID. Airlines have reported substantial jumps in air travel demand during March…
Average association meetings were fifty percent bigger in 2020, but only because they pivoted online. So say the latest ICCA Statistics just posted. Average registrations rose from 908 to 1,356 delegates, but associations did take a huge hit on fees, average prices dropping from $525 to $211. From Association Meetings International…
The scale of the challenges facing event planners were again laid bare with the World Economic Forum announcing the cancelling of the Special Annual Meeting that was set for Singapore. Amid a spike in local cases of COVID-19, WEF cited the uncertain travel outlook and also variations in vaccination rollout. From Association Meetings International…
One in three European convention bureaux have suffered public sector budget cuts over the last year. That’s according to a new report into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic upon meetings. Over fifteen percent of bureaux had “stopped or severely reduced” bidding as associations grappled with the uncertainties of planning events. From Association Meetings International…
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…
US distribution of the vaccine in the weeks that followed initial rollout was anything but smooth, with vaccine shortages around the world, confusion around US distribution plans that vary state by state and challenges with registration systems. Those frustrating realities dampened the hopes of participants (491 planners and 219 suppliers) in this latest survey, conducted…
According to the COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard conducted between December 14th and 17th, eleven percent more suppliers and planners checked off “hopeful” when asked how they were feeling, nearly half of suppliers (49 percent) and 54 percent of planners. Planners in particular have come a long way since October when the were first asked to share…
Kenya’s conference tourism has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Cancellations have led to losses of over KS800 million, not to mention the economic ripple effect for the country of lost international conferences. Geoffrey K. Thande is Director of Business Development Services at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). From Conference & Meetings World…
The pandemic has made this year seem interminable. Days, weeks and months blur together. But the period between the last COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard, conducted between October 19th and 22nd, and the survey sent out between November 16th and 19th has been punctuated by a few major events. In the US, the election took place and…
In all of the Dashboard surveys, PCMA Convene’s goal has been to get its arms around how the industry is handling the pandemic and moving forward. This time around, it decided to get more to the point, so simply asked respondents “what best describes how you’re feeling right now”? The most popular answer among the…
In the UK the Meetings Industry Association received formal notice that business events for up to thirty delegates are allowed to take place under the second national lockdown in England between November 5th and December 2nd 2020. Bookings had been lost after lockdown was announced. From Conference News…
More than 525,000 jobs are now at risk across the £84 billion UK events and experiences industry, and three out of four companies could fail to survive beyond next February, the government has been warned. The impact on around 774,000 working in business events was laid out in research given to ministers. From Conference News…
The owner of one of the UK’s largest convention centres is set to make 450 redundancies after reporting “almost zero revenues” due to the coronavirus pandemic. NEC Group, which owns ICC Birmingham and other venues including the National Exhibition Centre, is planning to cut its workforce by 55 percent. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
When the lockdowns began in the US in March, it was hoped COVID-19 would be well under control by the autumn. As we enter the last quarter of 2020, we have come to accept that we will be living with COVID-19 well into 2021 and perhaps 2022, that its effects on the economy will linger,…
Without a support package the UK meetings and events industry will enter into free fall. The very stark message from the Association of Event Organisers, Association of Event Venues and Event Supplier and Services Association was in response to the UK government delaying the reopening of business events. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Informa has posted pre-tax losses of £739.9 million ($946.9 million) in its financial results for the six months ending June 30th 2020. The group updated actions to ensure stability through into 2021, amid ongoing disruption and the postponements of events extending into the spring. From Exhibition News…
Conferences and exhibitions will not be allowed to run from October 1st, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed. Business events for up to thirty can run, but the backtrack on the date for reopening large events will be place in for six months with the UK now at COVID level four. From Exhibition News…
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