By Matty Rubenstein: Right now AI looks like good news for Associations, not the rumored enemy… why? Generative AI cannot invent – after my conversations with AI experts like Mario Brcic and Larry Todd Wilson it seems clear that generative AI is not the same as the AI Expert Networks that may one day…
“It’s possible to imagine chatbots forming their own association” – AMI editor James Lancaster quizzes ChatGPT on the relevance of associations, why hybrid deserves a second chance, and what’s real and not real…
Join Kamilia Amdouni from CyberPeace Institute, MigueI Neves, Editor-in-chief at Skift Meeting & Martin Sirk, International Advisor at Global Association Hubs Partnership on 22nd June for an hour of lively discussion about some of the big issues, opportunities & challenges facing associations in the era of AI!
From PCMA, by Beth Surmont: There are three times in my career (so far) when I have felt like I’ve seen the future. The first was when I saw an online registration system and rejoiced that I would no longer have to deal with faxes and manual credit card payments…
Artificial intelligence technology and tools are now available to the masses. Not just ChatGPT, but Bing, Bard, Claude, Ernie, and more to come in the future. How are these AI tools going to help you in your event planning? “Unlocking the Power of AI for Event Planning” webinar will unravel what cutting-edge AI tech and…
The Events Industry Council has published the results of its 2022 Equity Benchmarking Study, which has uncovered widespread diversity, equality and inclusion dissatisfaction among event professionals, minority groups and women. EIC appointed its Equity Task Force in 2020 to address systemic racism and all discrimination across the sector. From Exhibition News…
A new initiative at the Collision tech conference is now expanding the community-centred impact and influence of Indigenous-led tech startups in Canada. In 2019, there were only two such organisations among 1,000 at the event. By 2022, there were over twenty among the 1,500 on site, in a legacy showcase of “Indigenomics”. From PCMA…
Australia is a hotbed of business event excellence, the country’s cities and states both competing and collaborating to win events for the destination. In this high-powered video double bill, The Iceberg hears once again from BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith, and also from Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack, about the role of meetings in diversifying destinations’ economies….
Event technology platform Bizzabo has laid off 120 employees, or thirty percent of its 400-strong workforce, reacting to what it called the “swift economic downturn”. Meanwhile, AI and transcription unicorn Verbit laid off sixty members of staff, about ten percent of total, following a period of rapid growth. From Association Meetings International…
The organiser of Mobile World Congress, the GSMA, has seen a “vibrant and dynamic” return after 61,000 delegates from 200 nations flocked to the meeting in Barcelona. Last year the event attracted around 20,000 visitors. The Russian pavilion was banned from the event, in light of the escalating conflict in Ukraine. From Association Meetings International…
Business leaders in Hong Kong are joining to promote “the vertical city” as a top meetings and conventions destination. One hundred inaugural ambassadors are being led by the Hong Kong Tourism Board with the aim of revitalising business events and strengthening Hong Kong’s reputation as a destination. From Association Meetings International…
Dubai is the safest location in the world in which to host international exhibitions, according to a survey of 4,000 professionals in 130 countries by Messe Frankfurt Middle East. This July the Dubai World Trade Centre hosted the AiEverything conference, the region’s first in person business event since March. From Association Meetings International…
After months of conference calls, webinars and online meetings, we recognise perhaps more than ever the role that business events play in exchanging ideas, building networks and fuelling innovation. So explains Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, Executive Director of Business Events at Destination Canada. 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…
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 Joint Meetings Industry Council, which presents The Iceberg, has released a manifesto that sets out arguments as to why business events can and should be utilised to drive economic recovery and renewal in the post-COVID-19 era. The document was assembled with the advice and input of a broad range of industry leaders. This was…
As events begin to open in Asia and Europe, and regulations in Germany make the distinction between mass gatherings and business events, we see a glimpse of a post-COVID-19 future for our industry. Naturally attendees are concerned about health and safety and want assurances that the right measures are taken to maintain personal safety. Freeman’s…
What might face-to-face meetings with neither a coronavirus vaccine nor effective treatment look like? Perhaps signing a waiver releasing the organiser from liability, an initial COVID-19 test and then daily checks of temperature? Those are some of the requirements of Metrock’s Voice of Healthcare Summit 2020 set for Boston this August. From PCMA…
Who helps an association to decide which destination should host its next conference? Who better to provide the personal element than the city’s own thought leaders? Prague’s Ambassador Program started back in 2008, shortly after the establishment of the Prague Convention Bureau. A collection of academics was assembled with immediate results. From Boardroom…
Japan is hosting a “smart farming” conference this year as its manufacturers use technology to improve yield efficiencies in the sector. The International Conference on Agricultural Internet of Things and Smart Farming is being held this April in Tokyo. It comes as the Osaka-based Kubota Corporation has unveiled a fully autonomous tractor. From AMI Intellectual Capitals…
An engineer has helped to secure yet another major conference for Auckland, New Zealand. The win is his third in five years. Dr Nirmal Nair of the University of Auckland led a successful bid for TENCON 2021, run by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The meeting should attract 600 delegates. From Association Meetings International…
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