Return to Newsroom

ICCA Embraces Associations in the Community

October 16, 2019

ICCA Embraces Associations in the Community

ICCA is inviting senior association executives, meetings managers and volunteer leaders to join the newly founded ICCA Association Community. Association executives with decision-making or a decision-influencing role on where their international meeting is held belonging to non-governmental organisations not managed by third parties with at least one internationally rotating meeting, minimum 50 participants  and meetings held on a regular basis, may become part of the Community.

Through this Community, Association Executives receive education and expertise: access to the ICCA Association Database containing details of international association meetings similar to theirs and contacts at other association, access to the Big Data Search Tool to find potential speakers and sponsor and to the Destination Comparison Tool to find and compare potential host destinations.

This is an important step for ICCA and ICCA members for a number of reasons. Making associations part of the community will lead to more accurate data in the database and there will be more face-to-face informal networking opportunities with associations through larger attendance at ICCA events. ICCA will have direct input from an important voice in the world of association meetings, which will provide a greater understanding of associations and their needs.  The ICCA Association Community will create greater awareness of the challenges and opportunities that associations and their meetings are facing today and will allow for a privileged peer-to-peer exchange with the ability for ICCA members to engage with these executives on a regular basis at regional or international events.

October 15, 2019

Sustainability Focus at IACC Knowledge Festival

The 2019 IACC Europe Knowledge Festival, which took place at Dolce La Hulpe, Brussels on 4-6 October, was the very first event to attain the Event Industry Council’s brand-new Sustainable Event Standard. The conference put sustainability centre-stage as its attendees embraced the urgency and opportunity to be leaders in sustainable approaches to venue facilities and services.

The educational conference was attended by over 120 delegates from IACC certified conference and meeting venues from counties throughout Europe, America and Australia that represent the top 1% of small to mid-size venues.

The event also staged ceremonies for the IACC Europe Future Leaders Award for those demonstrating innovative ideas and initiatives implemented in the workplace presented to Sophia Montagna, HR Manager from Woodlands Event Centre in the UK. The IACC Europe Innovation Award for those proving innovation and creativity in the IACC community was presented to Land End Conference Centre in the UK for their sustainability program. IACC’s Global Distinguished Service Award was presented to Jeu Bressers, formally of the Kapellerput Hotel & Conference Centre in the Netherlands.

The conference concluded with a Solutions Café plenary session, where attendees identified changes that they were willing to commit to in order to operate more sustainably.

October 14, 2019

Focus on Human Connections at AIME 2020

Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), held in Melbourne on February 17–19, has announced the theme for its much-anticipated 2020 Knowledge Exchange – inspire communities to connect through authentic learning experiences and human-centred interactions. AIME 2020 will see the program evolve from its developments in 2019, sharpening its focus on the fundamentals of relationship building in today’s hyper-connected world – and its power to drive positive change throughout the region.

“The Asia Pacific is one of the world’s most diverse cultural regions, and connecting and understanding its neighbours has been one of the key driving forces in its economic success. I’m very excited to lead discussions on how technology has played a role in all this, but also on the importance of stripping back to the basics,” said Holly Ransom, CEO of Emergent and globally renowned speaker and curator.

Open to both buyers and exhibitors, AIME 2020 will see bespoke experiences offered across all sectors of the industry. Furthermore, it marks the first year that associations will be able to participate in an invitation-only discussion with industry leaders on the topic.

October 11, 2019

National Wine Centre of Australia Keeps Adelaide Busy With Events

The National Wine Centre of Australia is gearing up for a busy October and November with five business events comprising three national, one international and one state conference set to take place over a six-week period.  The events, including the Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Conference, the Australasian Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (AuSPEN) Conference and the International Fungal Cell Wall Conference span the medical, agricultural, health, environment and commerce sectors, and will see around 1000 delegates pass through the National Wine Centre over this period.
The venue which was recently awarded ‘Best Caterer’ overall and ‘Best Function/Conference Cater’ for the second consecutive year at the SA Restaurant and Catering Awards is taking a proactive step forward toward further increasing its share of Adelaide’s business events market with the appointment of former long term Adelaide Convention Centre Manager of Event Planning, Jo Wood. 
Six pillarless function rooms with abundant natural light (and blackout options) offer event managers a 10 to 1000 delegate capacity with inhouse a/v facilities, easy access and load in, an expert events team and award winning and fully flexible catering options. 

October 10, 2019

PLUS SEOUL in the Centre of International Conferences

Seoul’s debut hosting of last week’s International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference is the latest example of one of several global organizations utilizing the city’s popular PLUS SEOUL support programs and services for meetings this Fall. The event follows in the footsteps of the International Standards Organization (ISO)’s TC258 Plenary Meeting from Sept. 23-27, while the Computer Vision Foundation (CVF) and IEEE Computer Society will bring ICCV Expo 2019 to Seoul from Oct. 29 – Nov. 1, all using PLUS SEOUL to enhance their activities.

Hosted at Coex, Seoul’s largest meeting facility, the IBA Conference was held in Korea’s capital for the first time since the association’s inception in 1947. Attended by some 5,000 legal professionals from 120 countries, the event also featured a strong local government presence, including Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and a video message from President Moon Jae-in.

Meanwhile, the ISO TC258 Plenary Meeting took place at Seoul Dragon City, a new Accor hotel complex in Seoul’s Yongsan district. The gathering was attended by 60 ISO representatives from 38 countries. Also set to take place at Coex, ICCV 2019 will unite 5,000 individuals in the field of computer vision, including academics, professionals, researchers, and students.

Photo: Seoul Dragon City

October 9, 2019

How a Liver Meeting Can Impact Local Communities

The British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL) held its annual meeting from 17th – 20th September at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow. BASL is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the biology and pathology of the liver for the optimal care of patients.

Aiming to take the subject matter outside of the conference walls into the public, BASL partnered with the British Liver Trust, the UK’s leading liver health charity, and Glasgow Convention Bureau to bring the Love Your Liver Roadshow to Glasgow city centre for two days on the 18th and 19th September.

The Love Your Liver public awareness event gave individuals the opportunity to take the Liver Health Screener, which assesses the potential for liver damage against the three main risk factors of alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis. Some participants were then offered a non-invasive liver check with a FibroScan machine, the scan then gave an indication of any liver damage and, depending on the result, a GP visit was recommended.

The first day of the engagement initiative saw the Love Your Liver roadshow located on Argyle Street, one of the city’s busiest shopping streets. 71 members of the public took the liver screener test, with 63 then being scanned with the FibroScan machine and 1 in 5 people being advised to visit their GP.

Day two saw the Love Your Liver team bring the Roadshow to the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre during the University’s Fresher’s Week, when hundreds of first year students start their University career, an ideal opportunity to talk to students about their liver health! 89 individuals were screened on day two, 85 of which were also scanned with the FibroScan machine which resulted in 14 people being recommended a GP visit.

Love Your Liver

Over the two days of the Love Your Liver Roadshow the team engaged directly with 160 members of the public, with 17% of those who were scanned being advised to visit their GP for further checks. All participants received free information packs which included advice and insight on how to Love Your Liver with personalised lifestyle tips based on the screener results.

Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Communications and Policy at the British Liver Trust said:“One in three of us are at risk of liver disease and the numbers of people being diagnosed have been increasing at an alarming rate. Liver damage develops silently with no signs or symptoms and people often don’t realise they have a problem until it is too late. Although the liver is remarkably resilient, if left until symptoms appear, the damage is often irreversible.”

She continued: “The British Liver Trust was delighted to be at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre, together with the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL), to promote and raise awareness of liver disease to students, academics and the public. The event highlighted important research and innovation in liver care. The Convention Bureau’s support allowed us to showcase our Love Your Liver Roadshow enabling people to find out their risk of liver disease and receive a free non-invasive scan. Approximately 20% of the people we saw on the roadshow need to have further checks from their GP. This is conference legacy in action.”

October 9, 2019

CBItalia Is a Finalist for the ICCA Marketing Award

Italy is among the 3 finalists of the ICCA Best Marketing Award 2019, one of the most prestigious awards in the international MICE scene. The award which was launched for the first time in 1997 by ICCA – International Congress and Convention Association – is presented every year to the best and most innovative marketing project in the international meeting industry. 

The project that CBItalia presented is Italy at Hand – Hand in hand, together we win!. Conceived in 2017 as a communication campaign, Italy at Hand immediately set itself the goal of involving the entire Italian Meeting Industry, fostering collaboration between the various destinations and raising networking opportunities.

The first testing ground was the creation of a contest for CBItalia related agencies: the result was the transmission of subjects that engaged the members, making them feel part of an inclusive and virtuous network. The second step was the making of a Film, Italy at Hand – The Movie, which narrated the values ​​of the Italian events industry through music and images, and capable of representing it appropriately to the world. The last stage of the project was the realization of Italy at Hand, The Event, when the communication campaign took physical form, becoming an annual traveling event (with the first edition in Bologna in 2018). This year it will be in Rome from 7 to 9 November.

October 8, 2019

What to Expect at IBTM World 2019

IBTM World has unveiled the details of its Knowledge Programme, including sessions tailored for association meeting organisers, during the 2019 event taking place from 19 – 21 November at Fira Gran Via Barcelona.

Drawing on customer feedback on key issues and challenges facing association event organisers, IBTM partnered with the Association of Association Executives (AAE) to develop the Association Programme for 2019, which takes place on the afternoon of 19 November – the first day of IBTM World. The programme includes eight topical sessions andwill conclude with Associations Connect, a peer-to-peer networking event, in association with ICCA.

Themes for the afternoon include; driving delegate attendance, raising sponsor and exhibitor revenue, sustainability for events and cost control. The programme includes case studies, speeches and panel sessions from some of the leading organisations in the association sector.

Speakers include Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA, who will lead a session on ‘preserving the world through sustainable meetings’; Gordon Glenister, Global Head of Influencer Marketing, The Branded Content Marketing Association, will cover ‘how influencers marketing can help build delegate awareness and uptake of your event’; and Greg Tracz, Chief Executive Officer, Diabetes Africa, will run a session on ‘developing sponsorship revenue streams for long-term benefit’.

Association meetings planners can also benefit from IBTM’s Hosted Buyer programme, engaging networking events, besides its market-leading Knowledge Programme. As part IBTM World’s Knowledge Programme, John Volanthen, the world-record holding British cave diver who played a major role in the astonishing 2018 Tham Luang Thailand cave rescue, will deliver a keynote session. John’s talk will focus on managing risk and keeping calm in a crisis, using gripping anecdotes from the hazardous rescue mission to illustrate his thoughts.

As always, there will be an incredibly broad spread of exhibitors. This year, over 2,800 exhibiting companies representing over 150 countries are expected to attend, ranging from destinations and conference centres to technology companies and suppliers, as well as over 3,000 buyers and over 15,000 visitors.

For more information, visit ibtmworld.com.

October 7, 2019

Easier Access to St Petersburg and Expoforum

International delegates from 53 countries visiting St Petersburg will now be able to arrange fee-free e-visas for visits of up to eight days.  The new system has been applauded by the Expoforum team, who see it significantly improving the city’s accessibility and appeal for international association congresses.

Visitor’s to Russia’s conference and cultural capital, St Petersburg can now complete an online process on the website of the consular department of the Russian Foreign Ministry to apply for an eight-day visa.  The application can be made no later than four and no earlier than 20 days before the expected date of entry.

This new initiative follows similar schemes previously introduced for travel to Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad Region as well as Vladivostok and airports across the whole of Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District.

October 4, 2019

Kenes-Organized Congress Supports IAPCO Plastic Pledge

The European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA) held its largest annual congress with nearly 2,000 participants that gathered in Bilbao, Spain on 11-14 September. This was also the most sustainable meeting of the organization, and the first congress to sign the IAPCO Plastic Pledge, and to additionally participate in the Eventex ‘We are green’ initiative.

The programme at the annual meeting was packed with hands-on workshops, luncheon sessions with speakers, second opinion sessions, all of which are unique in this field to ESRA. Delegates could navigate around the four days of the event with the help of an interactive app. It allowed them to submit questions to the speakers during sessions, vote on controversial topics, see all presentations as well as ePosters, and the nearly 700 abstracts submitted.

Being the very first congress to support the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) Plastic Pledge, reducing the overall environmental footprint of the event became the main angle. There were no non-recyclable plastics used throughout the congress – they were omitted altogether or replaced with biodegradable options. Maximum sustainability was ensured when it came to the overall catering, transportation, the venue, and finding recycling for all produced event banners.