The UK’s Conservative Party will be hosting its annual conference at Birmingham in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The event has alternated between ICC Birmingham and Manchester Central since 2008. Both used to be Labour heartlands, which shows the legacies that come from targeting a specific destination. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Months now into the COVID-19 pandemic we are awash in sector pronouncements and assertions, even if the route to recovery in this challenging situation remains rather unpredictable. But the recent global manifesto from the Joint Meetings Industry Council is a little different. So says JMIC’s Executive Director Rod Cameron…
In the UK many industry associations have produced their own COVID-19 safety guidelines. While a measure showing initiative and real thirst to restart, this has caused confusion among planners over which label to seek out. List compiled before the Government-approved All Secure Standard was launched. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
After months of lockdown, many countries are just now gradually reopening events. This is not just countries that have suppressed the pandemic, but also many where the situation remains uncertain during a second wave of cases. So how do events look in a COVID-19 world? From Rod Kamleshwaran of the Iceberg partner GainingEdge via LinkedIn…
Associations are perfectly placed to reshape the world emerging from lockdown. They are repositories of expertise and best practice. They are trusted curators of information. They connect people all around the world and provide lifelong learning beyond university. But is this an opportunity they will grasp? From Association Meetings International…
COVID-19 has forced a rethinking of travel. Many conferences have been cancelled. Some have gone virtual. This analysis looks at actions that might reduce conference travel emissions by up to 90 percent, including holding a conference biennially in accessible locations, plus having both regional hubs and more virtual events. From Nature…
When ASN (the American Society for Nutrition) decided to switch its live event set for late May in Seattle to all-virtual just sixty days before the meeting, the organising team of ten didn’t know what to expect from the pivot. Nutrition 2020 typically draws 3,500 delegates, but about 30,000 attended the virtual version. From PCMA…
In the rush to pivot strategies for the new normal, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters for an association and its members. Here is a guide to this transformative shift for associations and their congresses, including the delegates, sponsors and technology: the myths, facts and opportunities around virtual events. From MCI…
As the pandemic wears on, respondents to the latest COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard have become more clear-eyed about its economic repercussions, but are still uncertain how best to plan for events in 2021. The new survey compares results from one month earlier and two previous bi-weekly surveys. Planners and suppliers have had another month under their…
In late May, Talley Management Group President and CEO Gregg Talley served as a panelist on a webinar TMG co-hosted with EventBank. The event discussed ways associations, both nationally and globally, can reposition themselves after the pandemic. Associations across the United States are facing unprecedented challenges because of COVID-19. From adapting to working from home…
This report was created for leaders in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry, and particularly operators of small and mid-size sector businesses who are focused on business survival and eventual recovery. It is based on an extensive review of recent and relevant news, studies and analysis, as well as interviews and panel discussions…
Unprecedented times mean unique collaborations. The Joint Meetings Industry Council has held a global webinar, delivered by The Iceberg and presented across four regional satellite events by four trade shows (AIME, IBTM, IMEX and Meetings Africa). JMIC was crowdsourcing ideas for an advocacy manifesto. From Conference & Meetings World…
The owners of ICC Wales and Celtic Manor Resort are to be cutting staff by almost half due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Celtic Collection, which owns both the Newport conference centre and hotel, has said 450 of its 995 staff are to leave, the financial model not now being sustainable. From Association Meetings International…
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives has ceased operating and is to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after 32 years, according to a note on its website. ACTE had not only cancelled its April New York Global Summit because of COVID-19, but also its August 2019 Global Summit in Macau due to Hong Kong protests. From Meetings International…
The Scottish Event Campus has secured new conference business during lockdown in partnership with Glasgow Convention Bureau and the city’s academic institutions. The business won amounts to 189,944 participant days for the city and will bring £144 million into Glasgow’s economy. From Association Meetings International…
Large trade fairs hosting thousands of visitors are already taking place in South Korea, which stemmed the spread of coronavirus and thus has one of the lowest death rates in the world. Until June 2021, funding is available for safety measures. Piece includes video from 5,000 delegate dental conference SIDEX. From Association Meetings International…
Over 80 percent of associations have had to cancel one of their flagship meeting due to COVID-19, says a survey. Worryingly, almost 18 percent said the resulting effects on the organisation had been “severe”, causing “major implications” for the finances, staffing and organisational structure of the association. From Association Meetings International…
RAI Amsterdam is one of first venues in Europe to reopen without visitor number restrictions. The relaxation of further measures by the Dutch government on July 1st means the centre can again host major events. The RAI had already made its spaces COVID-secure and fully in line with health and safety guidelines. From Meetings International…
The Geneva International Motor Show, cancelled just days before opening earlier this year, will no longer take place in 2021 and has been put up for sale. The organisers have said that the sale of the show to Palexpo SA is now the preferred solution. They have also rejected an offered state loan. From Exhibition World…
Europe’s largest exhibition centres have mobilised and demanded a restart on September 1st. EMECA, which represents major venues, issued a statement on the urgency of reopening centres and called for financial support from European and national authorities to guarantee the survival and recovery of the entire industry. From Exhibition World…
IMEX America has been cancelled due to COVID-19. Iceberg partner the IMEX Group has confirmed that the show, set for Las Vegas during September, will no longer run. CEO Carina Bauer with Chairman Ray Bloom cited issues with securing hosted buyers, long lead times and ongoing travel restrictions. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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