The Vienna Tourist Board has been celebrating the success of its recent Vienna Tourism Conference, which welcomed more than 200 in-person guests and over 1,000 virtually. This was the first on location meeting the organisation had held since the start of the pandemic, with strict health and safety protocols in place. From Association Meetings International…
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…
A report from Iceberg partner IMEX calls for the meetings industry to regenerate and not just to restart. Written by Guy Bigwood of Iceberg partner GDS-Movement, the study “Regenerative Revolution: A New Paradigm for Event Management” calls on the sector to move past mere sustainability and adopt the circular economy model. From Conference News…
The 27th annual UK Conference and Meeting Survey report confirms that in 2019 the industry was “extremely robust and dynamic” and made a substantial contribution of nearly £18 billion to the UK economy. The UKCAMS research demonstrates the scale and importance of the sector to the national economy. From Conference News…
Ashfield Meetings and Events and IPCAA (International Pharmaceutical Congress Advisory Association) have partnered on a study into healthcare professionals’ thinking about online medical congresses. 48 percent of surveyed HCPs said they preferred to attend face-to-face events, with just twelve percent preferring virtual. From Conference News…
Two event industry associations have called on governments to prioritise coronavirus testing over quarantine so as to “keep business going”. Iceberg partner UFI, global association of the exhibition sector, with Society for Independent Show Organisers SISO want policymakers to make use of rapid antigen COVID tests. From Association Meetings International…
The “new normal” notwithstanding, the preference across the industry for holding in-person meetings is clear. So what do both venues and destination marketing organisations need to focus on to maximise their attendance in-person now as hybrid meetings proliferate? Sarah Fleming, Managing Director of Sarah Fleming Associates, has some ideas on the subject. From Sarah Fleming…
The pause of face-to-face events has left a void of connection not fully filled by the switch to digital. Designers have to help guests feel more connected as they meet again. Iceberg partner Maritz Global Events’ Chief Behavioural Officer Charlotte Blank and Enterprise VP for Design Studio Greg Bogue explain. From Maritz Global Events…
Now a COVID-19 vaccine seems imminent after months cooped up indoors on Zoom, the release from getting back face-to-face will feel better than ever. We’ll want to meet, travel, see people and everything in between. But that is not a reason to throw our obligations to the planet away. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
2020 has been crushing for the DMO (destination management organisations). Destinations in the US have endured wiped-out funds as a result of zero hotel occupancy, en-masse event cancellations, and double-digit layoffs, not to mention further challenges with social unrest and also, for some, natural disasters. 2020 has brought the DMO to the brink. From PCMA…
Iceberg partner Global Association Hubs’ International Advisor Martin Sirk interviewed four association leaders in preparation for an online education session during the recent #PlanetIMEX event. They discussed how the pandemic has impacted operations, is reshaping thinking, and what international meetings might look like in future. From Boardroom…
For 55 years the Austrian Society for Labour Law and Social Law has held its annual conference in Salzburg. This year proved no different. The conference was postponed from April until October to make sure it could be live under the belief that unrecorded public speaking is freer and “off-the-cuff”. From Association Meetings International…
The Netherlands Tourism Board recently hosted a meeting called “Dis-Connect”. Association, venue and destination professionals joined a virtual workshop staged live at the museum of the Royal Delft pottery factory. They painted white tiles with blue paint in the style of the famous “Delftware” produced in the town since the 17th century. From PCMA…
UFI’s NGL Grant promotes the next generation of leadership within the exhibition sector, rewarding young professionals who show initiative driving change and innovation in their own area. 2020’s recipients have been saying why they applied for the Iceberg partner scheme, and also discussing the role that hybrid offerings play in the sector. From UFI…
Kai Hattendorf, the MD and CEO of Iceberg partner UFI, the exhibitions industry’s global association, has just been a guest on the AMI Deep Dive podcast. Talking to AMI editor James Lancaster, he discusses the impact of the pandemic on the sector, its longterm future, plus advocating economic value to government. From Association Meetings International…
Like many other organisations, the American Psychological Association quickly switched its in-person 2020 annual convention to an all-virtual event because of COVID-19. Even though the pivot happened in just three months, it was decided from the start to make the August event better than it could possibly have been on site. From PCMA…
It is time once again to grab your own little piece of The Iceberg! The call has just been issued for partners and ambassadors through 2021 and 2022. Iceberg Founder and Producer and James Latham believes sharing storytelling and advocacy is the best possible route to wider appreciation of the sector and its vital role in…
A new report published by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), which presents The Iceberg, offers the most comprehensive assessment yet of meetings industry activities addressing the full range of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The program was an extension of an initiative begun by Iceberg partner UFI, the global association of the…
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,…
This report addresses the issue of waste in the exhibitions industry. It derives from several actions of Iceberg partner UFI, including the set-up of dedicated regional task forces around the world and the selection of best practices. Compiled by Greenview, a member of the UFI Sustainable Development Working Group, the report also includes a detailed…
The EICC (Edinburgh International Conference Centre) was marking 25 years of operation in the same week as revealing that 2019 was its most successful ever year. The venue has made an economic impact of over £720 million since opening its doors in 1995, with £12.6 million achieved in 2019. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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