Monthly Archives: June 2022

‘Milestone moment’ – IMEX America honoured at AEO Awards

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The IMEX Group has won Best International Show – Americas at the recent AEO Excellence Awards. The awards, held last Friday (24 June), honoured IMEX America 2021 which took place in November last year at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains why the show was a milestone moment for the team and the wider industry: “IMEX America 2021 was our first show in over two years and enabled us to reunite with our events industry family – we’re delighted to commemorate it with this award. 

“IMEX America was the first international event on American soil after the US government lifted travel restrictions – in fact, the show took place on the day the borders opened.

“Organising a show under these challenging conditions took a Herculean effort from the team, but the appreciation and elation of the global industry who joined us onsite made it all worthwhile.”

Registration has formally opened for IMEX America, October 11 – 13 2022 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Attendee registration remains free for all buyer and supplier types: https://www.imexamerica.com/register-for-imex-america 

Rants of an Old Independent Meeting Planner

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By Barry Zidel, Principal at Meeting Connections, Inc. 

Genesis: How did the events and meeting planning industry really begin? 

In thinking about this wild, wacky, and wonderful industry in which those of us find ourselves, it must have come into being by pure happenstance…rudimentarily perhaps by an executive of a company asking his assistant set up the conference room so he or she could comfortably address either a potential client, or to address internal personnel with, let’s say a somewhat formal or informal luncheon…… something to impress! 

As do most things, those instances can become quite successful, if even by accident. This happenstance bore fruit based on someone’s creativity and labor. My oh my, how this “accident” has grown in global proportions! From these humble beginnings with a singular individual and some creativity, it grew into small independent event and meeting planning companies worldwide! In today’s world there are tens of thousands of these companies in every corner of the globe. 

Of course, beyond these independents, there are in-house corporate and association planners. Make no mistake, these planners are just as sharp and adept as the independents. In fact, there are various degrees of reliance of independents from the in-house planners. Independent planners, by the nature of their existence and potential growth, are exposed to multiple industries and disciplines. My feeling when I got involved in this industry was that one either got it right away, or one did not and honestly never would! There’s no mystique/ It involves: a bit of creativity, psychology, and knowledge of just about everything, and certainly a lot guts! 

So here comes the “rant”. Evolution occurs in every walk of life. In this business “in the beginning” our working tools were lined pads of paper; pens, you know those things you sometimes pickup at tradeshows; pencils that are virtually extinct, an electric typewriter, a high-end “toy” called a telex machine; and of course, a telephone. I found the telephone was a special means of communicating with other human beings, who by the way, were also eager to converse with the caller! 

Now, with all these tools at hand, we were off to the races! We made appointments, had face to face meetings, developed business relationships and sometimes even friendships. From that point, we knew every element we had to deal with and oh my, if we had questions, or better ideas to make a meeting more effective, all we had to do was pick up the telephone to discuss what was necessary and the betterment of the project. Our job, and still is today, is to make our clients look great! 

We understood everything because beyond that old-timers’ stuff, relationships were at the very core of how we conducted this odd-ball amazing business. Generations change of course. Technology really evolves at a more rapid pace than ever before. That doesn’t mean that we, at any age, and for anyone who really cares about this business, have the pride and fortitude to aim for perfection can just not give care about developing relationships at every level of what we do.  

The growth of this industry is thanks to businesses like our small independent planners, corporate and association planners, hotels, a/v companies, off-premises food and beverage companies, airlines, multi-media companies, digital marketing companies, and on and on!  

It’s all about service, knowledge and connections! 

The U.S. no longer requires inbound air travelers to test negative for COVID-19

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The U.S. no longer requires inbound air travelers to test negative for COVID-19. The testing mandate is due to end at midnight on Sunday,  June 12, 2022, according to a report from CNN. 

The Biden administration is expected to make an official announcement on Friday afternoon.

The move follows calls from the travel and hospitality industries to end the requirement, seeing it as a major setback for the recovery of the U.S. travel industry despite a huge demand from travelers. The mandate, which had been in place since January 2021, required all inbound travelers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test, regardless of their vaccination status. Other countries, including the U.K., Italy and Germany, have already lifted similar requirements. 

“Today marks another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow, in a press statement. “The Biden administration is to be commended for this action, which will welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the U.S. travel industry.

“International inbound travel is vitally important to businesses and workers across the country who have struggled to regain losses from this valuable sector. More than half of international travelers in a recent survey pointed to the pre-departure testing requirement as a major deterrent for inbound travel to the U.S.”

Dow also said that new data shows that “repealing the pre-departure testing requirement could bring an additional 5.4 million visitors to the U.S. and an additional $9 billion in travel spending through the remainder of 2022.”

Zane Kerby, the president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), also responded to the news. “We are thrilled to see the end of the CDC’s inbound testing rule, which has been standing in the way of our industry’s recovery for too long,” Kerby said in a statement. “Since the start of the year, ASTA has been engaged in a multi-layered advocacy campaign to get to this point, including direct lobbying of Congress and Administration officials, grassroots action and pressure through national and local media. We commend the Biden Administration for taking this long-overdue step and thank ASTA members across the country for their hard work in helping get this across the finish line. While plenty of challenges remain in terms of rebuilding the travel agency business, today is a great day.”

Lorine Charles-St. Jules, the CEO of Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, is already hearing a sigh of relief from both travel advisors and travelers. “While most countries, like Saint Lucia, have made it seamless to schedule Covid testing before departing for the U.S., there is always uncertainty in travel,” Charles-St. Jules said. “Eliminating the testing requirement could spur further growth in international travel for Saint Lucia, the Caribbean, and all international destinations that appeal to the American market.”

For more travel news, click here

A glittering night of celebration, reconnection and recognition

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Professionals from all corners of the global business events industry were honoured at the IMEX in Frankfurt Gala Dinner Awards at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel last night.

As part of IMEX in Frankfurt currently taking place, the awards brought together meeting and event professionals in a glittering gathering to celebrate the achievements, innovation and resilience of individuals within the industry.

The evening started with a huge round of applause, as Destinations International President and CEO Don Welsh handed over the Global Ambassador Award to Adam Burke, president and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. Burke was recognised for his commitment to developing equity, diversity and inclusion best practices as well as for strong leadership within his community. Attendees heard how Burke drives initiatives that support workforce development within the destination and introduced the concept of the city’s convention centre serving as a space to support future leaders.

The roll of honour continued with the IAEE International Excellence Award, presented by IAEE President and CEO David DuBois to Simon Wang, executive vice president, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). Wang has been at the forefront of various government projects promoting the meetings and events industry and is project director of Taiwan’s MICE Promotion Program – MEET. An experienced and devoted promoter, he’s one of the opinion leaders in Taiwan’s MICE industry.

With sustainability continuing to be high priority, especially as the 2050 Net Zero target edges closer, this year’s IAPCO Innovation Award was particularly fitting.  Ms Ok Hyojung, director of Ezpmp Korea, was honoured for her use of innovative digital technology to deliver a flawless carbon neutral event to a virtual audience. The P4G Summit in Korea in 2021 was the first multilateral environmental event to be hosted by the South Korean government and brought together government representatives and international organisations to focus on ‘Inclusive Green Recovery Towards Carbon Neutrality.’

New for this year, The ICCA Global Influencer Award acknowledges an outstanding contribution to the association meetings industry and was won by Thomas Reiser, executive director of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and chair – ICCA Association Advisory Committee. ICCA President James Rees presented the award in recognition of Reiser’s leadership role and the impact of his personality, knowledge and expertise throughout the association community.

As JMIC President, Rees also presided over the JMIC Unity Award, given to Rod Cameron, president of Criterion Communications Ltd. The award recognised Cameron’s significant contribution to the development of the industry and consistently high level of professionalism.

Next, the awards looked ahead to the event professionals of the future:Panashe Mahakwa, a student at Vistula University in Warsaw, won the MPI Foundation Student Scholarship Award, which celebrates and supports the next generation of meeting planners as part of the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum International University Challenge.

The PCMA Global Business Events Executive of the Year Award is always hotly anticipated. PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat recognised Patrizia Buongiorno, vice president, AIM GROUP International. She truly exemplifies the sentiment with which this award was created by holding herself and her team to the highest standards, mentoring, training and creating opportunities for her team to be recognised for their achievements. In addition to her role at AIM Group International, Buongiorno also dedicates her time to teaching the next generation of industry professionals at several universities.

One of our industry’s most valued skills is the ability to motivate, and it was the duty of Rebecca Wright, SITE executive director, to hand over the Jane E. Schuldt SITE Master Motivator Award to the brilliant Paul Miller, CIS, CITP, managing director of Spectra DMC.  Before his current role with Spectra, an award-winning DMC based in the UK, Miller has had four years of service in the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace. This award honours a SITE member who upholds the highest standard of excellence in creating and delivering successful incentive travel events and exudes enthusiasm and a collaborative spirit in support of the global incentive travel community.

The global pandemic has elevated legacy from optional add-on to fundamental requirement. The Copenhagen Convention Bureau won the hotly-contestedIMEX EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award for its Copenhagen Legacy Lab (CLL). Amy Calvert, CEO of EIC, presented the award to Bettina Reventlow-Mourier, Copenhagen CVB’s deputy convention director. The CLL connects international congresses held in Copenhagen with local business and science communities, thereby integrating legacy before, during and after events.

The Paul Flackett IMEX Academy Awards, named in tribute to the former IMEX managing director, were a fitting climax to the dinner. Three outstanding women were recognised for their long-term commitment to the industry and for pushing boundaries around innovation.   

The 2022 roll call: 

  • Carlotta Ferrari, Convention Bureau Italia
  • Barbara Jamison-Woods, London & Partners
  • Karen Bolinger, Bolinger Consulting

Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO, said: “A huge congratulations to all our Academy Award winners. These awards are a timely reminder of the sheer innovation, professionalism, skill and resilience that our industry is renowned for and should, rightfully, celebrate.”

Malaysia is ready to connect at IMEX Frankfurt

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Frankfurt, Germany – Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) will be staging its presence at the 20th IMEX Frankfurt worldwide exhibition happening from 31 May – 2 June 2022 held in Messe, Frankfurt. The national bureau acts as Malaysia’s leading representative partaking a tradeshow to showcase its timely business events’ offerings projecting significant breakthrough in restarting the business events industry amidst endemic times. 

Paving the way, MyCEB will be introducing Malaysia’s campaigns and initiatives responsible to revitalise business event activities in 2022 such as the 3R Initiative – Reset, Restart, Responsible, Meet in Malaysia Campaign, and MySafe Business Events Planner. The 3R initiative includes supporting Malaysian companies to maintain membership with international associations, comprehensive upskilling programmes and certification, and provide incentive to international delegates. MyCEB is glorified to share that a list of private sector’s participation from the business events industry is covered under the 3R initiative for this particular trade show.

The pinnacle of MyCEB’s participation lays the essence of the business events economy aimed at knowledge sharing, networking, future research capacity, and showcasing the destination’s reputation all of which leads to boost business opportunities at a global scale. Malaysia will be showcasing a strong showing of 9 exhibitors namely World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur, Business Events Sarawak, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Sabah Tourism Board (STB), Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), Setia SPICE Convention Centre and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

IMEX Frankfurt is designed as a powerful platform for business event industry players to come together; display and demonstrate the latest updates and services for over 1500 exhibitors from more than 90 countries.