David Thompson, the Event Director of Iceberg partner IBTM World, has been talking to M&IT Acting Editor Paul Harvey. The discussed IBTM World Virtual and the challenge of turning a live physical show into an online-only event, plus Thompson’s outlook for planners in the coming year. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
We are in unchartered territory with a global pandemic disrupting lives and livelihoods. But with improved knowledge about the virus, more efficient testing and now with mass vaccinations, the tide is turning. Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director and CEO of Iceberg partner UFI, offers with his team five trends to drive industry development. From UFI…
The pandemic has questioned the role of the meetings industry and the function destinations now play. Five European convention bureaux, part of an informal alliance, share perspectives on how emerging as intellectual capitals may be key to staying relevant beyond the crisis: Glasgow, Copenhagen, Vienna, Brussels and Barcelona. From Boardroom…
During the pandemic meeting venues have already been used as field hospitals. Why shouldn’t the sector also play a role in rolling out of the coronavirus vaccine? It boasts exactly the right set of skills to help deliver such logistics at scale. So argues Julian Agostini, Managing Director at Iceberg partner Mash Media. From Exhibition World…
Coronavirus vaccinations are already happening, the success of their rapid development owed to many factors. One is the rise of virtual meetings which let delegates around the world work collaboratively on solutions. Organiser Keystone Symposia moved “Vaccinology in the Age of Pandemics: Strategies Against COVID-19 & Other Global Threats” online this June. From PCMA…
The Global Forum is the ideal opportunity for decision-makers considering hosting an event in a BestCities’ destination, to meet all the partner cities and meeting planners in one stunning location. Participating associations will return home with a tangible tool to use in the formation of future strategies for their associations. The tool can after Global…
The congresses of the future need to have a positive, long-lasting impact at heart, not solely as a justification to travel and meet, but also to augment their contribution to stimulating and driving social and economic change. In order to achieve this, associations and destinations need concrete tools that can help them work strategically with…
Has COVID-19 forced a new digital era in medical education? What do healthcare professionals (HCPs) really think about virtual scientific congresses? As the life sciences industry and medical associations prepare for a world in which virtual attendance becomes part of the “new normal”, the International Pharmaceutical Congress Advisory Association (IPCAA) and global healthcare meetings specialist,…
Gateshead Council’s planning committee has approved the development of a £260 million regeneration scheme which will create around 2,000 jobs in the North East of England region, and give a £60 million boost to the local economy each year. A conference and exhibition centre is part of the Gateshead Quays scheme. From Conference News…
After news of a “milestone” vaccine that offers ninety percent protection against COVID-19 broke, the event organiser Informa became the third highest riser on the FTSE100 share index, putting on over thirty percent gains at one point before settling at 27 percent up at noon in London. Other events businesses also rose. From Conference News…
A vaccine that may stop over ninety percent of people from contracting COVID-19 could mean the return of in-person conferences and events sooner than most had anticipated. Early analysis shows the vaccine is effective and safe, and Pfizer and BioNTech will request emergency approval within this month. From Association Meetings International…
In the UK the Meetings Industry Association received formal notice that business events for up to thirty delegates are allowed to take place under the second national lockdown in England between November 5th and December 2nd 2020. Bookings had been lost after lockdown was announced. From Conference News…
Following years of research into the impact of major congresses, along with producing legacy reports and tools together with MeetDenmark, Copenhagen CVB has shared its Copenhagen Legacy Lab with the global meetings industry in parallel with the 59th ICCA World Congress. Copenhagen Legacy Lab is also now an Iceberg partner. From Meetings International…
Iceberg partner ICCA’s multi-hub, hybrid 59th Congress has concluded with a message of support delivered by Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. Other highlights included the annual Copenhagen Lecture, and the creation of The Kaohsiung Protocol, a research crowdsourced framework for recovery. From Conference News…
More than 525,000 jobs are now at risk across the £84 billion UK events and experiences industry, and three out of four companies could fail to survive beyond next February, the government has been warned. The impact on around 774,000 working in business events was laid out in research given to ministers. From Conference News…
The Vienna Tourist Board has been celebrating the success of its recent Vienna Tourism Conference, which welcomed more than 200 in-person guests and over 1,000 virtually. This was the first on location meeting the organisation had held since the start of the pandemic, with strict health and safety protocols in place. From Association Meetings International…
The owner of one of the UK’s largest convention centres is set to make 450 redundancies after reporting “almost zero revenues” due to the coronavirus pandemic. NEC Group, which owns ICC Birmingham and other venues including the National Exhibition Centre, is planning to cut its workforce by 55 percent. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
The 27th annual UK Conference and Meeting Survey report confirms that in 2019 the industry was “extremely robust and dynamic” and made a substantial contribution of nearly £18 billion to the UK economy. The UKCAMS research demonstrates the scale and importance of the sector to the national economy. From Conference News…
Two event industry associations have called on governments to prioritise coronavirus testing over quarantine so as to “keep business going”. Iceberg partner UFI, global association of the exhibition sector, with Society for Independent Show Organisers SISO want policymakers to make use of rapid antigen COVID tests. From Association Meetings International…
Now a COVID-19 vaccine seems imminent after months cooped up indoors on Zoom, the release from getting back face-to-face will feel better than ever. We’ll want to meet, travel, see people and everything in between. But that is not a reason to throw our obligations to the planet away. From Meetings & Incentive Travel…
For 55 years the Austrian Society for Labour Law and Social Law has held its annual conference in Salzburg. This year proved no different. The conference was postponed from April until October to make sure it could be live under the belief that unrecorded public speaking is freer and “off-the-cuff”. From Association Meetings International…
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