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Glasgow’s Plans for Expansion

November 26, 2018

Glasgow’s Plans for Expansion

The Scottish Event Campus(SEC) has applied for planning permission in principle (PPIP) for a major expansion of its facilities with a vision to create a unique global event campus, building on its long standing success of attracting global conferences, exhibitions and events. The project focuses on developing the west end of the campus and includes a dedicated entrance, additional highly flexible meeting, exhibition and networking spaces, and panoramic views of the city and River Clyde.

Billy McFadyen, Finance & Development Director, SEC said: “The SEC currently offers Glasgow and Scotland a solution to stage events of varying sizes.  However, competition worldwide is robust and constantly evolving.  In order to maintain this level of success we need to invest in our product to ensure we have the best facilities. The plans for this expansion will fulfil this and create a truly unique UK Event Campus which will be world class.”

Photo : SEC Glasgow

 

November 23, 2018

Glasgow Receives Recognition for World Down Syndrome Congress

The World Down Syndrome Congress which was held in Glasgow in July 2018 has been recognised as a leading example of excellence within the global meetings industry thanks to the success of its Commissioner Programme which placed three local young people with Down syndrome at the forefront of the conference.

The associations responsible for the congress, Down Syndrome International (DSI) and Down Syndrome Scotland (DSS), were selected by an independent panel of industry experts as winners of this year’s ICCA Incredible Impacts Awards and have received a grant towards future work of this kind in subsequent World Down Syndrome Congresses.

In March 2018, to coincide with Down Syndrome Awareness Week, DSS in partnership with Glasgow Convention Bureau, VisitScotland and Glasgow Welcomes hosted People Make Glasgow Welcome workshops aiming to educate customer facing staff about Down syndrome, remove some of the stigma surrounding the condition and ensure that all delegates received a warm and appropriate welcome when the Congress took place.

Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, said: “This is a perfect example of how conferences have a much greater impact than just the economic benefit from delegate spend and we wish DSi the very best for the continued success of the commissioner programme as they take the Congress to new host cities around the world.”

November 20, 2018

Legacy is Always All About Value Capture

Politician, diplomat and educator Baroness Amos has given the keynote at a Sydney Speaker Series luncheon in London. The event was organised by both Business Events Sydney and ICC Sydney, and was hosted by the High Commission of Australia. The Iceberg itself was invited to attend, and was even able there to interview BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith.

You can read the whole article here.

November 19, 2018

Transforming Associations with Agility

The world is evolving very quickly, from changing economies to blending industries, resulting in tremendous competitive pressure from all angles. In the current environment, association leaders need to disrupt their organisations to survive, rethinking their products, technology, organisational talent and partnerships. They are required to promote an organisational culture that assumes changes, is comfortable with chaos and customer driven. They are expected to break the rules while bringing operational consistency. There is simply no room for rigidity!

I come at this topic from two directions in my role at Scrum Alliance®, the largest professional association of Agile practitioners worldwide. Our mission is to help others transform the world of work through improved organisational practice. At the same time, Scrum Alliance®itself is in the midst of a multi-year process of renewal and revitalisation to better align our work with the needs and desires of our members.

People over processes

We have attacked that challenge through a greater organisational commitment to Agile – an approach and mindset that values people over processes, iterative solutions with constant customer feedback, deeper cross-functional collaboration, and responsiveness to change over following a set plan.

Although Agile has gone more mainstream, it remains an idea that is easier to grasp than to practice. Scrum Alliance®just collaborated with Forbes Insights on a global survey of more than 1,000 C-level executives. Just 16 percent of these leaders said their organisations were “Agile in both strategy and execution,”although 81 percent of respondents agree on the critical importance of agility when it comes to leading a successful organisation.

So, if your organisation seems to be stuck in a time machine of pre-2000 efficiency, know that you’re not alone. The question is how do you change it?

The findings from our survey suggested a structured approach with three key elements to increase organizational agility: (1) Create a C-suite with an Agile mindset;  (2) Hire and develop the right mix of talent, and (3) Foster an Agile-friendly culture and organisational structure.

Executive-level support for Agile change is a must. Active senior management sponsorship and support is the number one motivator for undertaking a broader transformation.C-level executives can increase organisational agility by challenging ideas, sponsoring the right supporting structure and inspiring an Agile mindset across the organisation.

All about the staff

The next group responsible for supporting successful disruption is the staff. True Agile practice requires everyone in an organisation to work differently. It is important to have changing agents on board and surround those employees with a supporting culture. Many CEOs are good with developing strategies but aren’t as good with communicating across organisational layers. HR professionals become key Agile enablers as the heads of hiring and training. They evolve into a more strategic role becoming strategic business partners. They also help bring culture and communication down from the C-suite, acting as a cross-functional facilitator.

It is fine to start small; in fact, that is how most successful transformations begin. Some departments may be able to handle a total process overhaul quickly, eliminating unnecessary process and protocol, while others, like accounting, may hold on longer to older ways that are still working.

Many organisations mistakenly think that “going Agile” just means eliminating hierarchy. However, Agile is about creating the right team mindset and dynamics through practices such as Scrum and Kanban to support execution. Both Agile frameworks help organisations create empowered teams, bottom-up decision making, accountability, transparency and customer centricity.

The full version, written by Renata Lerch, Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications at Scrum Alliance, is available in the November issue of Boardroom. 

November 15, 2018

James Rees is the new ICCA President

James Rees, Executive Director at ExCeL London, has been elected as the new ICCA president at the 57th ICCA Congress, which came to a close yesterday in Dubai.

Rees was first elected to the ICCA Board in 2012 and became a Vice President in 2017. Before this he served in leadership positions in ICCA’s UK & Ireland Chapter.

Commenting on his win, James Rees said: “What we can do, with the right leadership, is to use ICCA’s strengths to drive that innovation, creativity, and incentive for improvement. And this is what I am going to deliver. As ICCA President, I will be a true advocate for our business, a champion of our sector and ensure that ICCA’s voice is heard by government, in a language they understand.”

November 14, 2018

A Campaign Workshop with ASSOCIATIONWORLD

A unique workshop is taking place on 17 December between 9.00 and 17.oo at The Hotel Brussels. In the framework of the ONE Campaign – an international, non-profit, advocacy and campaigning organisation that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease – and in collaboration with ASSOCIATIONWORLD foundation, of which Boardroom is a privileged partner, the workshop will focus on improving girls’ education and health, securing more and better aid and fighting for anti-corruption laws. 

Under the theme ‘Advocating for Systemic Change’, the program will comprise of mini-presentations that present the key elements of successful advocacy and campaigning approaches illustrated with case-studies, applied group work and a panel discussion. 

The workshop will explore how to identify policy influencing opportunities and the decision makers you should target as well as strategies that combine policy evidence with politics and public opinion to shape debates and create a positive outcome and the role of strategic communication in influencing debates and creating the right environment for reform.

You can register for the event here.

November 13, 2018

Registration Is Open for the European Association Summit 2019

The European Association Summit (EAS) will be held from 28 February to 1 March 2019 at the SQUARE – Brussels Convention Centre under the theme “Share and Co-Create”. International associations can share their good practices and textbook cases in a cooperative, creative and innovative environment.

This year, the summit’s objectives are to enable participants to forge links with other international associations so as to expand their networks and develop short and long-term initiatives and to implement new models of cooperation and resource use through learning, networking and implementing new projects.

Apart from the objective of co-creation, the visit.brussels Association Bureau also invites associations to make a joint contribution to preserving the environment through their actions making this a responsible event to demonstrate that it is possible to organise an environmentally responsible summit in Brussels.

The summit is organised in close cooperation with the sector’s major partners: ESAE (European Society of Association Executives), FAIB (Federation of European & International Associations Based in Belgium), UIA (Union of International Associations) and GAHP (Global Association Hubs Partnership), the Solvay Brussels School – Economics & Management, PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) and the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association).

Online enrolment is now open.

Photo : Square – Brussels Convention Centre

November 12, 2018

Oncology Pharmacists Confer in Nantes

The 4th edition of the European Conference of Oncology Pharmacy (ECOP4), organized by European Cancer Organisation (ECCO), was held from Oct 25 – 27, 2018 at Convention City of Nantes. The conference provided a distinct multi-professional setting and multidisciplinary approach to promote the highest standards of pharmaceutical care in the management and support of patients with tumors.

Oncology pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, community pharmacists, medical oncologists, oncology physicians, pharmacy nurses and pharma industry received knowledge about recent developments with the aim to advance the effectiveness of healthcare delivery and increase the quality of patient care. State-of-the-art advances in research, patient management and practice were showcased in keynote lectures, scientific symposia and poster sessions in two well-defined tracks: clinical and practical.

Photo : La Cité Nantes Congress Centre 

November 9, 2018

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: Let the People Talk

It’s always better to have organisers talk about their experience in a given destination than just convention bureaus explaining how great it would be for you – and them – if you chose them for their next event. In order for you to get familiar with Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and where its expertise lies, Boardroom asked four planners to explain how the regional convention bureau, Provence Côte d’Azur Events, successfully supported them.

HEALTHCARE

Stéphane Azoulay, Member of the Local Organising Committee, EFMC-ISMC 2022, XXVII International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry

In September 2022, we will co-organize the 27thInternational Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry in Nice. This biennial event, led by the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry, welcomes about 1,200 participants from the pharmaceutical industry and academia.

Thanks to high-quality research conducted at the Côte d’Azur University,a centre of excellence according to the state-funded programme IDEX (Initatives d’Excellence), easy accessibility to and from Nice through its international airport, a highly flexible convention centre, and a good image of the city on the international scene, our bid made the difference.

In addition, we benefitted, at a local level, from the support of Nice Convention Bureau and many stakeholders of the whole supply chain. They were very helpful putting the bid together and giving us advice in terms of off-site venues and social events – a real added value. On a regional level, Provence-Côte d’Azur Events acted as a facilitator for us to obtain a letter of support from the President of the South Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, with a financial grant of up to 30,000€ – which of course we highly appreciate for an event of this magnitude.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Claire De Longeaux, Trustech Director, Cannes

With an in-depth focus on the latest innovations applied to payments and identification, biometrics, blockchain and artificial intelligence, Trustech is the professional event dedicated to digital trust technologies. We have been operating for more than 30 years and settled in Cannes in 2016, where we usually welcome over 120 different nationalities. Trustech is a congress, with 200 international speakers, a trade show, with 300 exhibiting companies, and a networking event attended by more than 11,000 professionals.

In 2017, Trustech benefitted from the support of the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur region as part of its ‘Attract Congresses & Events’ programme (see sidebar), helping our growth in a field the region has become renowned for. Many Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur-based companies are indeed working in this dynamic sector, starting with the members of the SCS-Global Competitiveness Cluster dedicated to secure communication solutions.

ENERGY

Philippe Olivier, Deputy Secretary General of the ITER Industrial Committee (ITER France Agency)

ITER (‘the way’ in Latin) is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today. In southern France, 35 nations are collaborating to build the world’s largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.

The 2017 edition of the ITER Business Forum took place at the Palais des Papes in Avignon, with more than 1,000 representatives of 433 companies from 25 countries, including more than 50% foreigners. For three days, delegates were able, to meet, interact and establish contacts while learning about the progress of the ITER programme and upcoming calls for tenders.

This sixth edition of the Forum, which is today the international flagship event of the ITER programme, was organised by the ITER France Agency with the support of the International Organization ITER and its partners from China, Korea, Europe, India, Japan, America and Russia. The financial support of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region was instrumental in making the event a success.

The full version, written by Boardroom Chief Editor Rémi Dévé, is available in the November issue of Boardroom. For more information on the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur region as a conference destination: l.cassuto@provencecotedazurevents.com / www.provencecotedazurevents.com

Picture: the Ephrussi de Rothschild villa and gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

November 9, 2018

Brisbane Brings Together Cancer Specialists

Brisbane is set to host some of the world’s best specialty surgeons, respiratory researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals after securing the 15th International Conference of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig). Brisbane’s economic development board Brisbane Marketing partnered with Tourism and Events Queensland and BCEC on the successful bid for the conference.

iMig will take place from 25-28 March 2020 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), putting Brisbane at the centre of ground-breaking efforts to understand, cure and prevent mesothelioma – a tumour of the tissue lining the lungs, stomach, heart and other organs.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said more than 500 delegates were expected at the conference, which will stimulate ideas and establish collaborations between Brisbane and a global network of research experts. BCEC general manager Bob O’Keeffe said mesothelioma was a strategic health issue with Australia recording among the highest rates of the disease in the world. “Hosting this conference puts the spotlight on the critical groundbreaking research happening right here in Brisbane,” Mr O’Keeffe said.