Category Archives: Industry Buzz

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Kicks Off Q4 With 10 New Bid Wins!

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The world continues to choose Malaysia for major association meetings

During 2019, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) has successfully attracted 10 high-profile international events which are due to be held in Malaysia between 2020 and 2025. The prestigious events from the oil & gas, medical and education sectors are expected to be attended by over 17,300 participants and deliver an estimated RM87.6 million in economic impact to the country.

These large-scale events include the Asia Turbomachinery & Pump Symposium (ATPS) 2020, Asia Pacific Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020, 10th International Conference on Isotopes (10ICI) 2020 and 17th Conference of International Society of Travel Medicine (CISTM) 2021, to name just some.

According to the Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor, “We are delighted to be adding these 10 prominent international association meetings to our calendar of events. This success is due to the hard work of all our team and investment in our global industry engagement programme, which is paying dividends. These bid wins demonstrate continued international confidence in Malaysia as a destination where experts and professionals can come together to collaborate, engage and exchange ideas.”

He continued, “Events contribute massively to the development of a country, not only from the financial perspective, but also in terms of the expertise and knowledge transfer that benefit local participants. That’s why this is great news not only for the Centre but for Malaysia as a whole.”

“We look forward to continuing our efforts, in collaboration with Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and other key industry players, to drive business opportunities and expand awareness internationally in order to bring more global events to our shores,” added Pryor.

“We selected the Centre as our ‘Venue of Choice’ because of the proactive engagement of the team throughout the bid process, we really connected with the warm personalities, culture and hospitality of the people of Malaysia. The strategic location providing ease of connectivity and accessibility, and world-class infrastructure combined with a very competitive value proposition, won us over. We are excited and looking forward to returning to Malaysia for ATPS 2020,” said Martha Barton, Exhibitor Services Director of Asia Turbomachinery & Pump Symposium (ATPS) 2020.

The recent 11,000 sqm expansion of the Centre has contributed to its capability to secure these 10 bid wins as the new space has been designed in a very flexible and customisable fashion. “The multi-purpose spaces can accommodate innovative and experiential delivery of events and allow our clients to explore new meeting design, networking hubs and customise their participant experience to suit any occasion,” Pryor concluded.

Attendees at IBTM World 2019, which is the 13th consecutive edition the Centre has participated in, can visit Booth H60 to discover why the venue is your perfect business events partner and learn more about the engaging business events experiences available in Malaysia.

For all the latest news and information on the Centre, visit www.klccconventioncentre.com.

Meet the future of events at MeetGB 2020

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VisitBritain’s flagship event MeetGB returns in 2020, inviting international planners to ‘meet the future of event’ at the brand-new International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales.

When: Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 April 2020

Where: Celtic Manor Resort and ICC Wales

Discover the best of UK business events at MeetGB 2020:

VisitBritain invites event planners and agencies from Europe and North America to meet and do business with over 80 industry suppliers, including venues, hotels, destinations and incentive experiences from across the UK.

MeetGB 2020 offers an exciting week-long programme where delegates will experience the future of events in the UK, with thousands of one to one, pre-scheduled business meetings set to take place. Delegates will also be able to attend unmissable networking events, including a star-studded gala dinner.

Ahead of the business programme international buyers will attend educational visits to 11 different UK destinations, experiencing first-hand the country’s best conference, events and incentive products.

Meet the future of events at MeetGB:

Taking inspiration from the woodland surroundings of the ICC Wales, MeetGB is offering attendees the chance to ‘meet the future of events’ – incorporating sustainability, wellness, product innovation and industry expertise into its week-long programme.

Throughout the event both UK suppliers and international buyers will be encouraged to take part in the discussion and focus on their own well-being.

Experience a ‘warm Welsh welcome’ at Celtic Manor Resort and ICC Wales:

MeetGB 2020 will take part at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort and the recently opened International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales located in Newport.

Since launching in September, the new £83 million venue has welcomed thousands of visitors to enjoy its industry-leading facilities and nature-friendly footprint, with wellbeing and sustainability being key drivers for both ICC Wales and Celtic Manor Resort.

To be part of MeetGB 2020 please visit: visitbritain.com/meetgb

Delta contributes $50K to Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to help fight California wildfires

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Delta Air Lines is contributing $50,000 to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to aid in the fight against wildfires in California.

California firefighters are battling more than a dozen fires across the state, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in the destruction caused by wildfires. The funds contributed by Delta will be used to purchase fire shelters for LAFD firefighters to carry with them when battling the brush fires. These shelters are used as a last resort for firefighters who become trapped by a wildfire and are designed to reflect radiant heat, protect against convective heat and trap breathable air.

“We are grateful for the generous support from Delta Air Lines. This gift will help to keep our LAFD firefighters safe when battling fires,” said Liz Lin, President — Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.

The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation provides essential equipment, technology, training and youth programs to LAFD and accepts donations at this site.

“The devastating wildfires in California remind us of the grueling work firefighters do every day to protect families and their homes. We are so thankful for the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and LAFD’s firefighters, as well as those across the state and around the country who are working to keep Californians safe,” said Scott Santoro, V.P. — Los Angeles and West Sales.

The American Red Cross is supporting evacuees as more people are displaced from their homes due to the California wildfires. The American Red Cross is Delta’s longest-standing nonprofit partner and when disaster strikes, Delta’s support helps the American Red Cross provide food, shelter and relief to those in need. Delta’s support as an Annual Disaster Giving Program participant at the $1 million level allows the organization to be strategic in disaster response.

How customers can help

Delta customers are asked to donate directly to the disaster relief of the California wildfires at   http://redcross.org/delta-pub. Donations will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and mobilizing volunteers to help those in need.  Customers are also able to donate to the American Red Cross through SkyWish, the charitable arm of the Delta SkyMiles frequent flyer program. It allows Delta and its SkyMiles members to donate miles to charitable organizations worldwide.  
 

Memphis & Liverpool Partnership

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In partnership with the City of Liverpool, Memphis Tourism unveiled a plaque commemorating the historical and musical relationship between both cities. The plaque is now located on Mathew Street outside of the Cavern Club, where The Beatles were originally discovered.

Kevin Kane, President & CEO of Memphis Tourism said, “Memphis and Liverpool share the spotlight as two iconic global music cities. This plaque made in Memphis placed on Mathew Street outside the world-famous Cavern Club cements the unique and lasting bond between our cities. Together, we are in great company and inspiring each other and music artists all over the world.”

New Orleans launches new airport November 6

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There has never been a better time to host a meeting or event in New Orleans. We’re reimagining the entire meeting experience starting with our world-class, billion-dollar terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport that opens November 6! And we’re not stopping there…

You already know what makes New Orleans a successful meeting destination—more than 26,000 hotel rooms, a walkable downtown, world-renowned cuisine, legendary music and an authentic culture that cannot be found anywhere else. But the new state-of-the-art airport terminal, additional hotel inventory, convention center capital improvements and 4.5 miles of riverfront developments – plus so many more new improvements – are reinventing the meeting experience. Take a new look at New Orleans, we can’t wait to welcome you!

The brand-new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is opening on November 6! The long-awaited new facility will enhance the arrival experience with all of the modern technologies needed to ease the travel experience. Guests will immediately feel welcomed with the spirit and culture of the New Orleans region through local restaurants and shops that embody our unique culture. This is the first airport of its size in the U.S. to build a completely new facility in more than a decade!

ASAE Announces New Diversity and Inclusion Award Added to Power of A Awards

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The Power of Diversity and Inclusion Award will be presented for the first time at the 2020 Summit Awards Dinner on September 30. The award is part of new D+I category within The Power of A Awards.

“Developing a D+I award for organizations to illustrate the importance of D+I in the association community is important. The D+I committee included it in the strategic plan and we’re pleased its now coming to fruition,” said Wendy-Jo Toyama, MBA, CAE, Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Executive Director of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. “D+I initiatives and programs have become a driving force across associations and now is the right time to introduce an award that shines a bright light on the work the community is doing.”

The Power of A Awards program ensures that the full range of activities and initiatives associations undertake to benefit society as a whole as well as the professions and industries they represent are recognized and awarded.

Along with adding The Power of Diversity and Inclusion award category, all Power of A award categories are now under review. “Through the Power of A Awards, ASAE has long recognized the extraordinary efforts of associations to train the workforce, spark innovative solutions to problems and make the world a better place,” said Sharon Swan, FASAE, CAE, CEO of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics and chair of ASAE’s Power of A Awards Judging Committee. “As we periodically review the award categories and make changes for the future, it’s important that we are able to recognize organizations that value and promote diversity and inclusive practices.”

“D+I fluency is essential to organizational health and success. Associations’ ability to create supportive environments and serve multi-racial, multi-ethnic, generationally diverse members and staff will define their success today and well into the future. There is no better time for the association community to recognize and celebrate this commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Susan Robertson, CAE, Interim ASAE President and CEO.

Additional details about the award will be shared in the coming weeks.

PCMA Announces ‘20 in Their Twenties’ Class of 2020

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PCMA has identified 20 of the brightest and most talented global professionals from the next generation of business events leaders for its annual “20 in Their Twenties” class.

The class of 2020 represents strategists, suppliers and destinations from the Asia Pacific region, North America and Europe. “This group represents our industry’s future and the PCMA Foundation is dedicated to recognizing the efforts and achievements of those who want to help demonstrate the influence business events have on global economic and social transformation,” said Meredith Rollins, PCMA’s chief community officer and executive director of the PCMA Foundation. “We continue to be impressed every year by the caliber of business events professionals we see in this generation.”

The “20 in Their Twenties” class of 2020, supported by PCMA Foundation and Experience Columbus, will be honored at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference Jan. 5-8 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Class members are selected by a committee of veteran industry professionals and “20 in Their Twenties” alumni. Applicants were required to be full-time employees in the business events industry and no older than 29 on Jan. 8, 2020. They were also required to provide examples of industry leadership, a video statement and professional references.

In addition to receiving a scholarship to attend Convening Leaders, PCMA’s annual signature event, “20 in Their Twenties” members also receive complimentary registration to PCMA’s EduCon event, PCMA membership and access to PCMA educational products. The 2020 “20 in their Twenties” class will also be featured in PCMA’s Convene magazine, other PCMA communications and invited to participate in a PCMA focus group to provide emerging-leader insights.

Here is the PCMA’s “20 in their Twenties” class for 2020:

Marie-Claire Caldwell

Sales and Marketing Manager

ICC Belfast

United Kingdom

Jillian Cardinal

Sales Manager

JPdL

Canada

Derica Clarke

Headquarters Meetings & Online Education Specialist

American Colleges of Nurse-Midwives

United States

Rebecca Doser

Media Relations Manager, Trade

Destination DC

United States

Diana Frederiksen

Sales Manager, Congresses & Guest Events

Stockholmsmassan Congress & Exhibition Centre

Sweden

Julia Hachenthal

Marketing & Events Manager

GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.

Germany

Kimberly Hoffman, CMP, DCMP

Director, Event Services

Accent Indy, a DMC Network Company

United States

Lisa Jeller

Marketing & Event Manager

EventMobi

Germany

Alexandra Larach

Events Manager

Associations Forum

Australia

Rebecca Lino

Senior Technology Manager

Cadence Travel, Meetings + Incentives

United States

Robert Lutz

Account Executive

CSI DMC

United States

Shane McFadden, CMP

Manager, Meetings

Consumer Healthcare Products Association

United States

Joy McIntyre, CMP

Event Manager

SPIRE Events DC

United States

Lindsay Miller

Communications Manager

Visit Anaheim

United States

Hannah Poyo, MBA

Tradeshow & Event Planner

Q2

United States

Meagan E. Prescott, CMP

Assistant Vice President, Conferences & Events

Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)

United States

Jaclyn Rosenberg

Manager, Conferences & Events

The Humane Society of The United States

United States

Kelly Thomas

Senior Sales Manager

Visit Austin

United States

Lauren Washburn

Conference Services Manager

Sodexo

United States

Krista Whaley

Meetings and Events Associate

Americans for the Arts

United States

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre wins “Outstanding Venue Award” at AFECA Asian Awards 2019

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Reinforcing its reputation as Malaysia’s premier purpose-built venue, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) recently won the “Outstanding Venue Award” at the AFECA (Asian Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations) Asian Awards 2019 in Manila, the Philippines. The accolade recognises venues with world-class facilities, quality service, outstanding customer support and sustainability practices.

AFECA is the leading MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) association in Asia. With 155 members, covering 17 nations, AFECA’s main goal is to help develop and grow MICE industries in the region and is the gateway for Asia to reach out to the rest of the world. This year’s AFECA Asia Awards received a record 58 nominations/entries from 11 countries and nine esteemed judges representing all sectors of the region’s industry picked the Centre as the winner in its category.

Commenting on the venue’s success, the Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor, shared, “We are absolutely delighted to receive this prestigious award for the second time and are honoured to be amongst such esteemed finalists and industry leaders. We very much appreciate the accolade from AFECA and are excited to have been recognised for our world-class facilities, quality service, outstanding customer support and sustainability practices.”

“This award reflects our commitment to product innovation and excellence, and is testament to the professionalism and dedication of our talented team members and our philosophy to be the perfect business events partner for our clients. This acknowledgement provides additional motivation for us to continue to enhance our partnership approach to deliver personalised innovative and value-add solutions that create bespoke experiences and memorable customer journeys, for clients across the board,” he concluded.

Organised by AFECA, the Department of Tourism Philippines (DOT), the Philippine Tourism Promotion Board and the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (PACEOS), the annual AFECA Asian Awards recognises and acknowledges individuals and organisations for their pursuit of excellence, industry best practices and significant contributions to the MICE or business events industry.

For all the latest news and information on the Centre, visit www.klccconventioncentre.com.

Inaugural Association Forum Healthcare Collaborative Roundtable at IMEX America

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Medical and healthcare association professionals discuss trends and disruptors

Medical and healthcare association professionals had the opportunity for tailored learning and networking at IMEX America, held recently in Las Vegas.

Association Forum, supported by the IMEX Group and sponsored by Visit Phoenix, delivered a bespoke pilot program for the healthcare association community. Association Forum brought its signature Healthcare Collaborative to IMEX America for the first time, delivering an in-depth conversation on Trends and disruptors impacting healthcare and medical meetings in conjunction with Visit Phoenix. The Healthcare Collaborative is an interdisciplinary community of healthcare associations and stakeholders convened to identify pressing issues to address in common, as opposed to individually.

Academics, association CEOs and meeting planners all took part in the high-level roundtable discussion, which aimed to explore how the sector can be responsive to change while delivering value to stakeholders.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Hamed Abbaszadegan MD, MBA, FACP, Program director for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Clinical Informatics Fellowship program, shared his insights into the development of big data applications for front-line clinical care. “The proliferation of EHRs have allowed for structured data storage on a grand scale within health systems. This has led to new fronts in analytics long present in other industries. In order to future proof your memberships domain or practice in healthcare, you have to be intertwined with advanced analytics applications.”

The program which took place on Smart Monday, IMEX America’s pre-show day of learning powered by MPI​​​​​​, also covered content delivery and engaging experiences.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, comments: “We’re delighted to partner with Association Forum to deliver a specially curated event for the medical association community.

“The opportunity to meet with and learn from people who share the same challenges is immensely important and goes a long way to furthering the industry as a whole. One of the core aims of the IMEX Group is to educate the industry, and opportunities for bespoke groups of people to collaborate are key.” 

Michelle Mason, President and CEO of Association Forum, comments: “Association Forum is pleased to collaborate with IMEX America to bring healthcare medical meeting education to the conference.  Healthcare and medical association meetings are experiencing an evolution.  Providing expert content and education to inform decisions and decision makers is critical.”

Association Forum’s Healthcare Collaborative Roundtable joins the Association Leadership Forum, created by ASAE at IMEX America as a tailored learning and networking opportunity for association professionals, open to association leaders including CEOs, COOs, presidents, executive directors, secretary generals, chairs and board members.
IMEX America took place September 10 – 12 in Las Vegas.

#IMEX19 

Big Updates for the Memphis Convention Center

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Work continues at the Memphis Convention Center even while the facility hosts major events. Local media was able to see progress since the last construction site visit in May.

Local news outlets in attendance were also provided details on a planned Front Street closure from Jackson to Poplar starting October 7th, running through May 1st. Phase I work is progressing as meeting rooms on the ground level near completion with carpet scheduled for installation in October.

The entire project is due to be complete in the Fall of 2020 with all funding coming through the hotel/motel tax and Tourism Development funds.

•             Kevin Kern, Vice President Public Relations

•             Dean Dennis, Senior Vice President and General Manager