Citizen engagement was the prime objective of this initiative by the European Network of Living Labs, who transformed Andorra la Vella’s main square into a conference space, earning them the Event Innovation Award at the European Association Awards 2026. A great example for other associations aiming to break out of their traditional “bubble”. From Boardroom…
Organisers of Masterclass Zurich 2026 – Vaginal Birth, hosted by the Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, created a public-centred initiative designed to bring specialist knowledge into the city. while the congress gathered around 200 physicians, specialists, and midwives, mainly from the DACH region, the accompanying legacy project aimed to reach residents directly. From Boardroom…
The congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis demonstrates the impact of Barcelona Convention Bureau’s Legacy Programme, where intentional impact planning helped bring the congress’s scientific advances closer to patients, encouraging their participation in research, whilst educating Barcelona’s business community about stigma around MS and building more inclusive workplaces.
From Boardroom: The first details of the IMEX Frankfurt education program reveal a learning lineup designed to meet the industry exactly where it is today—and where it’s poised to thrive in the future. The program is rooted in real-world examples and shaped by the here and now, as IMEX’s Head of Programming explains…
When dentist Alain Perceval launched the first CIDAE congress in 2009, he wasn’t trying to build a legacy. He simply wanted to fill a gap – a space for clinicians passionate about adhesive and aesthetic dentistry to learn from the very best, in an atmosphere that valued science as much as human connection. Yet sixteen…
Globally, association leaders are rethinking what their events and global activities are meant to achieve, with the end goal being to create outcomes that matter – impact. As expectations evolve, destinations are increasingly assessed by the role they play in shaping these outcomes and enabling longer-term and meaningful impact. From Boardroom…
This excellent overview of the conference discussions and presentations by Boardroom’s Vicky Koffa highlights key concerns and opportunities facing organisers of medical meetings, and points the way towards the sector’s future evolution, where patients may have just as much of a voice as researchers and practitioners, and impact and outcomes are the most important metrics.
Hip replacements in Africa, domestic violence abatement in Mongolia, autism inclusivity, First People’s engagement, public health structural transformation – the wide-ranging case studies highlighted in this Boardroom article have one thing in common: a shift from “recognising” the impact of events, to partnerships between organisers and destinations that proactively plan for positive outcomes and long-term…
From Boardroom: The Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow hosted the IEEE CleanTech Summit 2025 last week, launching a milestone series of IEEE conferences set to take place at the venue through 2027. The inaugural CleanTech Summit convened international leaders in engineering, science, and technology to address critical sustainability challenges — from renewable energy integration and…
What if a conference could alter the trajectory of a student’s life? Influence public policy? Spark a regional movement for women’s safety or accelerate the next major scientific breakthrough? These possibilities are no longer hypothetical, they are the foundation of BESydney’s Social Impact Strategy, a pioneering framework that redefines the role of business events…
Boardroom’s Vicky Koffa explores how Kuala Lumpur is helping to change the global Business Events narrative from carbon costs to societal value and innovation: It is easy to see why business events have become a target in sustainability debates. Delegates flying in from across the globe, vast exhibition halls buzzing with activity…
Vienna has a decades-long track-record of proactively harnessing its intellectual capital both to attract international meetings, and to ensure those meetings generate long-term legacies at both the local and global level. Here are some of the latest examples. From Boardroom…
This article provides an outline of the key steps cities need to take to create their own international events that can meet priority economic development goals: identify unique intellectual assets; coordinate disparate stakeholders; articulate a clear vision and event philosophy; bring in citizen voices; think about wider societal impact; use fresh meeting design-thinking. From Boardroom:…
From Boardroom: Sven Bossu, CEO of AIPC, unpacks the complexities and challenges of advocacy within the meetings industry. Drawing from first-hand experience and real-world examples, he explores why a structured, consistent approach is essential to making the industry’s voice heard—especially at the policy level.
From Boardroom: From 27 to 30 May 2025, Calgary played host to Innovate Canada – Life Sciences 2025, the latest edition of Destination Canada’s signature event series. Designed to rotate across the country’s top-performing sectors and innovation hubs, Innovate Canada connects international associations with the research, business, and policy leaders shaping Canada’s future. This year’s…
From Boardroom: This past March, Stuttgart played host to the European Robotics Forum (ERF) 2025, marking the first time in its fifteen-year history that Europe’s premier robotics and AI gathering took place in Germany. More than 1,500 participants from research, industry, and government convened at the Kultur- & Kongresszentrum Liederhalle, cementing the region’s reputation as…
From Boardroom: Long recognised for its hospitality, culture, and strategic position within Europe’s business events landscape, Barcelona is now working to embed long-term societal value into the very fabric of the events it attracts.
From Boardroom: As the European Green Deal is shaping various sectors in the continent, associations need to step up their game for advocacy and actively lead their sectors towards transformation. Few have risen to that challenge with the clarity and collaborative ambition of the European Boating Industry (EBI), which has just been awarded the 2025…
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