You don’t have to be a doctor to change people’s lives! On June 5th, Global Exhibitions Day brought the industry together like never before. GED 2019 also saw the sector trying to quantify the huge transformative power of exhibitions as a medium, for entrepreneurs, businesses of all sizes, and destinations. From UFI…
Dr Lance O’Sullivan certainly knows the power of conferences. Aged 17, the twice-expelled disruptive child from a deprived background was taken to a Māori medicine meeting by his aunt. A smart and charismatic doctor speaking there captured the teenager’s attention and started his career path as healthcare innovator. From Association Meetings International…
On the occasion of 2019’s Global Exhibitions Day (GED), UFI, the industry’s global association, is launching a new report and online database. These will track initiatives and projects in the global exhibitions business shaped around the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. This resource, a first of its kind, aims to showcase work done…
Unlike anything humanity has experienced before, the current scale, scope and complexity of change is shaking foundations society has accepted as the norm. Five converging megaforces present destinations with both tremendous opportunities and challenges: climate breakdown, ecocide, demographic shift, social change and digitalisation. The meetings and events industry supports 26 million jobs, $1.5 trillion in global…
At the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence’s Global Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, during January 2019, The Bangkok Manifesto was created following a series of workshops with SITE’s International Board of Directors, Trustees of the SITE Foundation and a cohort of global experts in the field of incentive travel. The final ten statements of the document…
A new era of sustainability is rising and set to shape the future of the events industry, according to a new white paper just out from the Global Destination Sustainability Index, an Iceberg partner. The report details case studies, data analysis and actions taken by 47 destination management organisations and municipalities. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Austria’s largest congress centre, Austria Center Vienna, has revealed that 2018 was the most successful year in its three-decade history. The venue generated €14.85 million (£13 million) and also welcomed 136,000 international delegates, representing a 29 percent year-on-year increase in visitor numbers. From Association Meetings International…
Africa’s Travel Indaba, hosted again at the Durban ICC, has attracted over 1,000 exhibitors and 1,500 buyers, as well as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (centre). The event was organised around greening principles in evidence throughout the three days, which included introducing Meetings Africa’s Green Stand Award for the most sustainable exhibitor. From the Event…
The International Association for Suicide Prevention has selected the Gold Coast to host its 31st World Congress in 2021. The meeting will bring together around 800 mental health professionals, academics, crisis workers, teachers and suicide survivors from around the world. The bid was a collaborative effort with strong local support. From Boardroom…
The Women Deliver conference has just brought 8,000 world leaders, advocates, academics, activists and journalists from over 150 countries into the Vancouver Convention Centre. The meeting aims to influence policy makers and politicians, and to drive investment into the lives of girls and women. Photo: Jon Benjamin Photography. From editor’s blog at Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The head of tourism association Destinations International says his organisation spends a lot of its energy and resources doing battle with politicians around the world on behalf of members facing financial and legislative challenges. CEO Don Welch was speaking out at IMEX about issues like “over-tourism” and womens’ and LGBTQ rights. From Association Meetings International…
At the recent CEO Summit held in London by Iceberg partner UFI, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism Saif Saeed Ghobash explained how international business events and exhibitions play a key role in diversifying the emirate’s economy away from petrochemicals. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
A recent trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, including both The Iceberg and its partner Boardroom, revealed a lot about this emerging conference destination. In this second video from the Jalisco state capital we hear discussed two key sectors earmarked for growth – high tech and creative – and the role of events in shaping that legacy. From Boardroom…
Glasgow is using major medical meetings held in the city as a platform for championing and improving public health. Glasgow Convention Bureau is leading the People Make Glasgow Healthier campaign, launched at IMEX (pictured), with support from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Event Campus, local industry and the city’s academic community. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
The International Glaciological Society’s British branch has announced it will be holding its annual meeting this September in NewcastleGateshead. Hosted by research leader Northumbria University, the conference will attract around 100 delegates to the region to discuss the pressing issue of climate change, including a collaborative US-UK research project underway in the Antarctic. From Boardroom…
Glasgow has been selected to host the ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) Annual Congress in 2023. The event will take place at the Scottish Event Campus. The choice was based both on the logistical capacity to host Europe’s largest meeting in the field, plus the creation of a local engagement project. From Boardroom…
ESTRO, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, has chosen Copenhagen for its 2022 Annual Meeting. The Congress will run over five days at the Bella Centre Copenhagen and draw in around 6.000 participants to the city. ESTRO said it was attracted by the legacy potential of the Danish capital’s two-stringed engagement project. From Boardroom…
The University of Warwick has won a bid to plan, organise and host the 18th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists in 2020. Held every three years, ICWES is the world’s largest symposium for women scientists and engineers and will attract to the college about 500 international delegates. From Association Meetings International…
Making meetings sustainable is a top priority in Germany, as indicated by the results of the country’s Meeting & Event Barometer. The number of sustainable offers for meetings and conferences is increasing and just under 40 per cent of Germany’s venues have already implemented a system for managing sustainability. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
Expo 2020 Dubai will boost the United Arab Emirates’ economy by AED122.6 billion ($33.4 billion), and will also support 905,200 job-years between 2013 and 2031. So says an independent report from global consultancy EY. During its peak six months the event is predicted to add the equivalent of 1.5 percent to UAE GDP. From Meetings International…
Geoff Donaghy, ICC Sydney CEO, AEG Ogden Director Convention Centres and Iceberg Ambassador, just joined a panel at IMEX Frankfurt on placemaking (pictured). Here he discusses how an event precinct can sit at the heart of any destination’s placemaking strategy to drive its economic, cultural and social growth. From Geoff Donaghy via LinkedIn…
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