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Quebec’s ‘Wooden’ Solution to Sustainability

March 23, 2019

Quebec’s ‘Wooden’ Solution to Sustainability

The Québec City Convention Centre, in collaboration with the City of Québec, announced that the second World Congress on Mid-and High-rise Wood Buildings will be held in Québec City in the fall of 2019. From September 30 to October 4, Woodrise 2019 will bring together wood construction stakeholders, decision-makers, and professionals to share their knowledge and strengths in order to position wood as a leading construction material for tomorrow’s sustainable cities.

The event is expected to attract over 1,000 international attendees, including some 20 delegations, who will gather to hear keynote speakers and experts in the field discuss topics such as seismic risk prevention and fire safety in wood buildings, the impact of wood on quality of life and comfort, and emerging markets. The theme for Woodrise 2019 is “Building our cities for future generations” and has been jointly organized by FPInnovations (Canada) and Institut technologique FCBA (France).

March 22, 2019

Basel Makes a Big Step with a Small Footprint

As part of the MCH Group, the Congress Center Basel (CCB) pays particular attention to ensuring environmentally friendly standards and acting in an economically sustainable manner. Since 2016, the in-house Green Team has been responsible for optimisations, offers and also communication in the field of ecological sustainability.

The CO2 calculator marks one of the Green Team‘s sustainable achievements. The calculator enables organisers to work out the emissions generated by their events. Details can be entered for mobility, location, overnight accommodation, catering, and energy and water consumption, etc. The online tool then calculates the overall emissions generated by the event and the costs that these give rise to. The CO2 calculator has been developed in cooperation with CO2OL. This organisation has set itself the target of closing the gap between environmental protection and business.

In order to minimise emissions, the CCB’s Green Team is thus aiming to cooperate with the renowned Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, which is pursuing various climate-related projects. In future, organisers will have the opportunity to make a financial contribution to these projects and thus link their event to the conservation of our natural resources.

 

Photo : Congress Centre Basel

March 21, 2019

Cybersecurity Education in The Hague

(ISC)2, a non-profit membership association of certified cybersecurity professionals, will hold its Secure Summit EMEA on 15-16 April 2019 at the World Forum in The Hague (NL), International City of Peace, Justice and Security. The two-day event will welcome over 400 visitors, bringing together the best minds in cybersecurity from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and providing a highly interactive educational programme that tackles today’s concerns.

Confirmed highlights include a GDPR simulation workshop. Attendees can work through a real-world GDPR data breach, developing the skills needed to keep their organisations compliant and safe from fines and reputational damage. The professional development track features sessions on “positive security” and its benefits to application security in the workplace, implementing agile crisis and continuity management and a look at the psychology of a hacker.

The cloud track features case studies from some of the world’s largest companies and institutions, showcasing how they have used and secured the cloud effectively. Meanwhile, the incident response track features sessions on digital forensics, dealing with exploitability over vulnerability, along with sessions on building better incident response plans tailored to your own organisation.

March 20, 2019

International Shipbrokers Sail their Way to Athens

The Athens Convention Bureau (ACVB) Member ARGO MICE and the Hellenic Shipbrokers Association recently announced the organising of the 7th Global Symposium of Maritime Executives, Pireas 2019, under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Shipping & Island Policy, the Ministry of Tourism, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, the University of Piraeus and the Aegean University amongst others.

This year’s Global Shipbrokers Forum (Yacht Club of Greece, 20.6.2019) and Shipbrokers Dinner (Metropolitan Expo, 21.6.2019) are expected to set the benchmark for shipping events and attract a record number of attendants, in excess of 3,500.

March 19, 2019

‘Plus Seoul’ Gives Business Events a Boost

This month, the Seoul Convention Bureau officially rolled out its 2019 PLUS SEOUL programs to fulfill its new brand promise to boost business events. In addition to an expanded core benefit of up to KRW 250,000,000 (previously KRW 150,000,000) for international conferences, the Seoul Convention Bureau has designed new customised experiences for MICE events.

For international congresses with over 1,000 participants, PLUS SEOUL helps to cover development costs for event apps and VR experiences. In addition to core benefit offerings, such as welcome messages at Incheon International Airport, large conventions can qualify for other customised experiences: unique venue benefits, Seoul MICE Cards and special tour programs to explore the city, and the popular Seoul experience booths on-site at events.

Jihyun Kim, the new director of the MICE Planning Team at the Seoul Convention Bureau, said: “We designed PLUS SEOUL with one main question in mind: ‘What can Seoul add to business events?’ Whether it be intellectual exchange, company loyalty, or just fun, we want to give meetings an extra boost.”

Seoul came in 10th in the ICCA city rankings in 2016 and 2017 and 3rd in the UIA city rankings for three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017. With a strong commitment to make Seoul a top MICE city, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has shown significant interest in securing business events. Robust city support, creative offerings from the Seoul Convention Bureau and benefits from Seoul MICE Alliance (SMA) — which consists of over 300 city-approved local partners — have positioned the city to attract even more international conventions.

March 18, 2019

Is your Association Ready for the EU Elections?

 

ESAE, the European Society of Association Executives, is organising a new series of workshops for its members, preparing Association Leaders for the upcoming E.U. elections. Under the theme “Your Roadmap for the EU Super-Year 2019”, the workshops are co-produced with Interel Association Management and will kick off on March 26, with a session on the elections for the European Parliament.

The workshop will deal with projections on the makeup and majorities in the new EP and implications for Associations, identifying priorities set out in political group manifestos – how to influence the future Commission work programme and identifying which key MEPs are coming back and which newcomers could be the next “rising stars”.

The two other workshops are foreseen to take place on 25 June and 5 November under the themes ‘Who will be the next EU leaders?’ and ‘Getting to know the new European Commission and its priorities’ respectively.

Members can register here.

 

 

 

March 14, 2019

Associations Benefit from BestCities Partnership

BestCities Global Alliance, the network of 12 premier international convention bureaus, is launching a range of client financial benefits, thanks to an innovative new partnership with payment solution company, Meeting Escrow. The three-year strategic collaboration will offer BestCities’ clients a new portfolio of secure payment, foreign currency budget protection and VAT reclaim services for business event clients globally. BestCities clients will receive preferred pricing on the fees for their services, that are not offered to clients meeting in other destinations.

Equipping BestCities with a competitive advantage and market differentiation, the partnership aims to address key challenges faced by clients when planning events globally across currencies. These challenges range from varying exchanges rates, which can have a significant impact on client budgets, to mounting administration costs and time involved in VAT reclaim processes.

Paul Vallee, Managing Director at BestCities Global Alliance, said:“Meeting Escrow is a company that we are pleased to partner with as they not only provide practical solutions for the marketplace but ensure they give back to the industry.  For example, they support the Incredible Impacts programme we jointly operate with ICCA that recognizes associations with $7,500 grants for long-term legacies.”

Grant Snider, President and CEO at Meeting Escrow, said: “BestCities’ prestigious international profile and values align perfectly with our global focus on financial security, transparency and risk management for Business Events.”

March 13, 2019

Associations Get Easier Access to Belgium

The new Belgian code on Companies & Associations was adopted earlier this month by the Belgian federal parliament. FAIB (Federation of European and International Associations established in Belgium) welcomes the new Code: while preserving the essential elements of the flexibility of the AISBL / iVZW statute for international not for profit associations (INPAs) established in Belgium, the new Code modernises the law, making it much easier for associations of all types, whether trade or professional, NGOs or charities to transfer their seat seamlessly to Belgium. The merger and demerger of INPAs will also now be possible.

This is important as Brussels has now become the second advocacy capital of the world after Washington DC due to its twin advantages as the centre for the EU institutions and the flexible legal status for INPAs.

FAIB expects the new Code will enter into force on 1 May 2019 for new companies and associations while the new rules will apply to existing INPAs as from 1 January 2020. Changes to articles of association will also be required for all INPAs after a lengthy transition period of several years.

Adrian Harris, FAIB President, commented: “After the successful adoption of the law, what will be particularly important to ensure that the Code proves attractive to INPAs looking into relocating to Belgium by rapidly processing applications for AISBL/iVZW status and making administrative requirements such as the registration of foreign directors simple. These are issues which we are eager to quickly move forward on with the support of the Federal Ministry of Justice.” 

March 12, 2019

Researchers Experience Adventure in Queenstown

Queenstown, New Zealand has won a bid to host the 9th International Adventure Conference, which will bring leading tourism researchers to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, in December 2020. The winning bid was presented by Dr Susan Houge Mackenzie on behalf of her team from the University of Otago, Queenstown Resort College, and the Otago Polytechnic Institute of Sport and Adventure.

“The city’s global reputation as an adventure tourism hub made it a stand-out choice for the Adventure Tourism Research Association (ATRA). Queenstown is an ideal place for adventure tourism researchers, operators and policy makers to engage. The conference will focus on bringing academics and practitioners together to share their challenges and innovations, foster connections, and identify synergies. Our aim is to ensure symbiotic benefits for the local community and international delegates. We hope local practitioners and policy makers will benefit from international perspectives and expertise, and our international delegates in turn want to learn about Queenstown’s unique approaches to adventure tourism.”

Queenstown Convention Bureau Business Development Director, Kiran Nambiar says the impact of this event will go beyond the economic value of hosting high-value visitors to the region. “It also fosters and grows the expertise and knowledge within our community and allows us to share insights with our international peers.”

March 11, 2019

Association Leaders Shape the Future in India

Leaders of professional and trade associations from across India are being invited to the India Association Congress which will take place at the Aravalli Range, Le Meridien Gurgaon, Delhi NCR on 23 and 24 August 2019. Around 300 key association stakeholders will attend this year’s IAC, which is returning for its 7th edition, and delegates can now take advantage of early bird discounts.

This year’s congress will be themed around the ‘Interconnected World of Associations’ and will focus on the global market to find out how associations can handle the future. Through the program of keynotes, panel discussions and sectorial roundtable, the goal is to identify and manage the difficulties that exist in forming strong international links in an uncertain world.

Meanwhile, delegates can also look forward to the annual Association Excellence Awards. Delivered as part of the event’s Gala Dinner, the awards aim to recognise those who strive for brilliance in their everyday activities.

Registration is open online now at indiaassociationcongress.com