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…
Up to 15,000 architects will descend on Copenhagen in 2023, when the Danish capital, renowned for cutting edge buildings, will be named World Capital of Architecture. The city will be taking on the mantle, conferred by UNESCO and UIA (the Union of International Architects), as it hosts the World Congress of Architects. From Association 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…
CTICC, the Cape Town International Convention Centre, is being turned into a temporary COVID-19 hospital for up to 800 patients to make up a predicted shortfall of acute beds in the region. The CTICC is waiving its hire costs as a contribution to the battle against the pandemic. From Association Meetings International…
A new summit intended to improve global healthcare meetings has been unveiled by its co-creators. Iceberg partner ICCA along with AC Forum, a network of associations focused on both association leadership and congress management, have slated the first Future of Global Healthcare Meetings for Spring 2021. From Association Meetings International…
The NHS Nightingale Hospital based within ExCeL London has now been placed on standby and will admit no further patients. The facility opened at the beginning of April and treated 51 patients in its first three weeks of operation. 500 beds were installed at opening, with space for 4,000 if needed. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The 2023 Gateshead Quays arena, conference and exhibition centre has passed a major milestone with Gateshead Council’s development partner Ask:PATRIZIA submitting a planning application for the venue. The £260 million build is hoped to add over 1,000 jobs and £29 million GVA to the regional economy every year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
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…
Trade associations have a vital role to play in helping the industry and wider world to recover as pandemic lockdowns end. So there is real and pressing work now for them to do. The association champion Jennifer Jenkins is PCO Lead and Director at the British agency Worldspan. From Association Meetings International…
“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…
Adapt, survive, thrive. Not a choice, but a necessity in the future. So says Smyle Founder and Group Executive Director Rick Stainton, here offering a long-range view on assessing the current economic conditions, lower delegate appetite for business travel, and the role in the mix of virtual and hybrid. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
As the COVID-19 crisis has persisted, so has came the slow realisation that its impact will linger a very long time indeed. What does this mean for the exhibition sector in the future? Reed Exhibition’s former Chairman and CEO Mike Rusbridge, and former Commercial Director Nick Forster, offer thoughts. From UFI…
As the world’s population grows, the percentage of people living in cities is rising steadily. The future success of humanity is therefore more and more tied to, and even defined by, the future success of the city as a model. In that, of course, business events have a critical role to play. Professor Greg Clark has…
Australia’s business events landscape is surveyed here in a rich collection of articles. BESydney’s Lyn Lewis-Smith, ICC Sydney’s Geoff Donaghy, ACC’s Simon Burgess, MCEC’s Peter King, Brisbane Marketing’s Juliet Alabaster, plus the team behind JMIC’s (the Joint Meetings Industry Council’s) case studies, all offer up viewpoints. From Meetings International…
When President Nelson Mandela opened the Durban ICC in 1997, it was South Africa’s first international convention centre. It has since then been voted “Africa’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre” by the World Travel Awards no fewer than seventeen times. But some of the venue’s greatest legacies lie in environmental sustainability. From Boardroom…
In the weeks since the coronavirus outbreak has ravaged the industry, event professionals right across the globe have been uniting in the fight against the pandemic. Competitors have grouped together to provide expertise where most needed, like Live for Life and Go LIVE Together in the US, and also Events4Covid19 in Portugal. From EventMB…
Expo 2020 Dubai’s postponement will allow time to reflect on how to improve people’s lives after current COVID-19 challenges subside. So says Dimitri Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which has in principle agreed to postponing the event until 2021. An official vote will complete on May 29th. From Meetings International…
Following the use of UK convention centres as hospitals, Twickenham and AMEX Stadiums have become coronavirus drive-through testing facilities for healthcare and essential workers. Both arenas are significant event venues. The UK government is rapidly scaling up testing capacity. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The conscription of venues as field hospitals can be seen as one of the grimmer aspects of the COVID-19 crisis, but can also foster optimism and hope. Ana Carrazon, Congress Sales and Logistics Expert at IFEMA Feria de Madrid, has been working as a volunteer at the IFEMA Hospital. From Association Meetings International…
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