UK venues have tightened up on security over the last six months, and agencies booking hotels and venues are increasingly asking questions about it. An HBAA survey found that over 63 percent of venues had reviewed or changed arrangements in the past half year and 42 percent had carried out simulation exercises. From Meetpie.com…
After the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas, the organisers of IMEX America moved swiftly to express shock and sadness, and to reassure those attending the event at Sands Expo the following week. “Both IMEX America and the Sands have very strong security in place” said IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer. From Meetings & Conventions…
The White House has made the US seem “closed for business”, according to the Global Business Travel Association. After Trump Travel Bans I and II, 45 percent of GBTA’s European members said they were “less likely” to bring meetings to the US. Every one percent of business travel supports 74,000 jobs. From Meetings & Conventions…
As his last travel ban expired, President Trump issued a new unlimited order to bar citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and – as hostilities with Kim Jong-un escalate – North Korea. The US is also banning from October 18th some Venezuelan officials and their families. Photo: John Pavelka. From Meetings and Conventions…
With its Convention Bureau struggling to cope after Hurricane Maria, the reality of the storm’s impact on Puerto Rico is grim. After the strongest hurricane in more than eighty years, the US territory is without power and may be so for many months. Photo: Sergeant José Diaz-Ramos, Puerto Rico National Guard. From Meetings and Conventions…
The US Supreme Court has let President Trump’s restrictions on refugees entering the country stand, overruling a lower court. But grandparents and cousins of those already in the US can’t now be excluded. In October SCOTUS will examine the ban on entrants from six mainly Muslim countries, which expires in September. From Meetings and Conventions…
Key resorts and other infrastructure in Orlando have reopened relatively unscathed after Hurricane Irma’s pass. But other areas of Florida and the Caribbean have been more seriously affected with flooding and power outages. These destinations face much longer term issues repairing damaged properties. Luckily September is typically low season for the region. From Meetings and Conventions…
Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria have made 2017’s hurricane season one of the grimmest ever. Mexico City is reeling from an earthquake. With meetings cancelled and convention centres becoming mega-shelters, Iceberg partner Northstar has a request for Mother Nature on behalf of these destinations. Please just stop. Photo: Daniel Di Palma. From Meetings & Conventions…
Security and safety considerations are becoming increasingly important for delegates as well as planners to address in attending meetings. But best practice and typical execution here are also rarely the same thing. This attendee’s guide is a checklist of proactive thinking across a meeting’s entire timeline: before arrival, during the event and after. From tmf dialogue marketing…
Security and safety considerations are becoming increasingly important for professional conference and event organisers to address in their meetings. But best practice and typical execution are rarely one and the same thing. This planner’s guide is a checklist of proactive thinking across a meeting’s entire timeline: before the event, during and after. From tmf dialogue marketing…
Following the terror attack in Barcelona, the European Society of Cardiology Congress has been held in the city. Over 31,700 delegates attended from 153 countries. 4,515 abstracts were submitted. A three-day public health event was also staged. ESC President Prof. Jeroen Bax said attacks “only succeed if we allow them to succeed.”. From Association Meetings International…
With cities across the path of Hurricane Irma braced for impact, major events were postponed as the storm neared. With a state of emergency declared in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Iceberg partner Northstar put back Destination Southeast in Miami Beach to December. Meanwhile, the Caribbean is reeling from Irma’s pass. From Meetpie.com…
After the Barcelona terror attack, the European Society of Cardiology Congress proceeded as planned with great success. Over 31.700 attended from 153 countries. 4,515 abstracts were submitted. Let cynics and terrorists take note of a heart-warming truth: it’s business and professional events that drive world change and improvement. From the editor’s blog at Association Meetings International….
After the Barcelona terror attack, messages of international support for the city included one from the European Society of Cardiology, whose congress is bringing in 32,000 to the Catalonian capital. “Our sympathy is with the victims and their families.” its statement read. “Our solidarity is with all the people of Spain.”. Photo: Tiputini. From Association Meetings International…
With passengers at some European airports facing lengthy security queues, a new study reveals that while enquiries about safety are rising, over a quarter of corporate travel managers do not have emergency planning in place. But the research also shows that the concerns have not yet led to changes in corporate travel policies. From Meetpie.com…
The four month US ban on carrying larger electronic devices in aircraft passenger cabins – a restriction placed on all flights from ten proscribed airports in the Middle East and North Africa – is now completely lifted. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, became the last airport to implement new US security measures. From the Event…
Twenty US travel and meetings industry organisations have signed a letter asking the White House to reconsider a recent Executive Order amendment. In it a target of interviewing 80 percent of temporary visa applicants within three weeks has been abandoned. The signatories – including several Iceberg partners – say the move will have negative economic impact. From Meetings & Conventions…
A federal judge in Hawaii has expanded the list of family relationships with US citizens that permit successful visa applications from countries proscribed in President Trump’s Travel Ban II. US District Judge Derrick Watson ordered the administration not to bar citizens’ grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US Department of Homeland Security is lifting the ban on large electronic devices in passenger cabins on flights from ten proscribed Middle East and North African airports. Enhanced security protocols and passenger screening – both technological and canine – on all inbounds flights to the US will be introduced in its place. From Meetings & Conventions…
The US Supreme Court has allowed a limited reinstatement of President Trump’s Travel Ban II. Pending a hearing in October, judges have upheld the ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen where there is no “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the US”. From Meetings & Conventions…
As European Union officials meet to discuss the threat of the US expanding its ban on large electronic devices in certain flight cabins, and as the travel industry says the ban has seen Middle East business drop by 2.8% and cost the sector $198 million, the US Homeland Security chief has clarified US policy on any potential widening. From Meetings & Conventions…
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