http://www.meetingsinternational.com News from MeetingsInternational.com en_EN http://www.meetingsinternational.com/images_site/meetings_header.png http://www.meetingsinternational.com http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=131 For the first time this year, IMEX in Frankfurt surveyed over 1,000 hosted buyers immediately after the show for their views on social media, industry blogs and Smartphone usage. The survey quizzed buyers on their use of social media, both as a professional meetings and event management tool and as... 2010-08-25 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=130 MCI, a global leader in association, communication, and event management, expands its presence in Asia with two new offices in Seoul, Korea. MCI Korea has been established in joint venture with leading destination management company, Kim’s Travel, whose meeting & events subsidiary, M&C Pl... 2010-08-18 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=129 iPhone users can now get boarding passes sent to their phone for domestic BA flights from London to destinations including Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh.   Following a successful test on the Heathrow-Edinburgh route, travellers on the following routes will be able to use the iPhone boarding... 2010-08-12 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=124 Figures released by the Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO) show that, despite a difficult 2009, the industry is showing an upward trend in terms of both income generated and the numbers of travelers using Ireland as a business destination. In a survey of its members, th... 2010-08-11 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=125 Cvent signs 10 Fortune 500 Companies in Past Six Months; Partners with Five of the Top 10 Largest Corporate Travel Management Companies. Cvent, the world's largest provider of online event management, meeting site selection and web surveys, today announced it has added 10 Fortune 500 companies as c... 2010-08-11 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=126 The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) – the world's premier business travel organization – welcomed more than 5,500 corporate travel professionals to its 42nd annual International Convention & Exposition in Houston. For three days, business travel buyers and suppliers from 40 count... 2010-08-11 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=127 The National Business Travel Association next year will change its name to the Global Business Travel Association, it announced Monday during its International Convention & Exposition in Houston, to better reflect the organization's worldwide scope. "Our industry continues to evolve, and our jo... 2010-08-11 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=128 The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and European Cities Marketing (ECM) will join forces in June 2011 with a new workshop that brings tour operators and cities together to do business. This event will follow the successful model developed over many years: cities take tables and meet opera... 2010-08-11 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=123 The 52nd ICCA Congress will be held in Shanghai, China-P.R. on 2 - 6 November 2013. The ICCA Board’s decision was made at the IMEX 2010 exhibition in Frankfurt and was revealed on the last day of the show. The other finalists in the bidding competition were Houston, TX, U.S.A. and Gold Coast, Qld.... 2010-07-25 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=118 Valencia Conference Centre Wins 2010 AIPC Apex Award for "World's Best Convention Centre". This year’s AIPC Apex Award will be one of the most hotly contested ever, with 27 finalists vying for the recognition as "World’s Best Congress Centre". With all preliminary analyses now complete, these 2... 2010-07-20 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=119 Kuala Lumpur leaped five spots to the 22nd position in the latest ICCA, International Congress and Convention Association city rankings, from 61 meetings (2008) to 72 meetings (2009), thereby placing it among the five leading meetings destination in Asia Pacific. Other cities in the top five include... 2010-07-20 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=120 International Conference Services Ltd. (ICS), a conference management company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is pleased to announce that branch office expansion efforts into Vienna, Austria, have been successful. President & Partner Mathias Posch comments: “Europe was an easy choice in t... 2010-07-20 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=121 The IMEX Group will continue to build on its strong environmental track record and reputation on green issues when it launches IMEX America in October 2011. To help the new US tradeshow achieve its environmental objectives, the organisers have appointed MeetGreen as the show's Official Sustainabilit... 2010-07-20 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=122 New solutions to boost meeting attendance, improve visitors experience and expand your business reach – launched in North America Stockholm, Sweden (July 19, 2010) Delegia, who just recently introduced MINT, a revolutionary Mobile Interactive Networking Tool http://preview.tinyurl.com/Delegia-... 2010-07-20 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=117 160 International, European and national association executives and association conference organisers from 18 countries attended the Association Congress 2010 London at the Millennium Conference Centre, in London 11th-13th July. This fourth congress in the series, organised by Association Resource,... 2010-07-16 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=116 European Cities Marketing has launched the first iPhone application to serve as a mobile tool for discovering 33 cities spread over 19 different European countries. The tool has been developed by the European City Card group in which 33 cities work together to develop city cards for visitors. After ... 2010-06-14 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=115 HelmsBriscoe, the global leader of independent site selection and RFP services for the meetings business, announced the appointment of Shawn Pisani as Director of Industry Relations EMEA. Pisani will be based in Europe and will support the company’s supplier partnerships within the EMEA region—c... 2010-06-09 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=114 Congrex will open a Vancouver office in the last quarter of 2010. Adriana Spitteler, who has held the position of Managing Director for Congrex Travel AG in Basel since 1994 will head up this new office. ”The North American meetings and events industry is very active and brings good revenue to Ca... 2010-06-08 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=113 Blue Hotel Elfviks Udde, Stockholm, has re-opened with a special Hamam suite and a new direction for our concept. Our ambition is to be a destination for Design and Meetings in an unique conception where we combine Scandinavian design with the Turkish architecture of the Hamam. Blue Hotel is owned ... 2010-06-02 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=111 MCI announce that two leading PCO companies will be joining the Group: Eurocongress International from The Netherlands and Event Planners Australia. An agreement has been reached with Mariëtte Helmann and Michelle Labouchere, co-owners and Managing Directors of Eurocongress International to merge t... 2010-05-28 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=110 With a total of 103 international congresses held in 2009, Copenhagen underlines its position as one of the world's most appealing congress cities. Stockholm is one meeting behand with 102. According to the latest published report from the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA),... 2010-05-20 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=109 Association day at IMEX 2010 get’s another premiere: Poken. All association participants get a Poken. This is a small device (size of a memory stick) that all participants receive at registration, with compliments of Abbit Meeting Support, and Maarten Vanneste; probably the biggest innovator in th... 2010-05-18 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=108 Vancouver has once again cracked the top 10 of the world’s ultimate sports cities as ranked by SportBusiness Group which released its results on April 27 at the SportAccord conference in Dubai, UAE. The city finished sixth overall behind Sydney, Berlin, London, Singapore and overall winner Melbo... 2010-05-16 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=107 Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, has signed an agreement with Tanriverdi Holding Company to manage the Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul, opening in April 2012. The hotel will be the group’s first in Turkey. Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul will be located between th... 2010-05-14 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=106 Association Global Services (AGS), an experienced and well established association management company, has today announced their official rebranding to Congrex Belgium from their office in Brussels. Acquired by Congrex in 2007, this announcement marks the final step in a three year transition perio... 2010-05-09 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=103 Dubai government-owned hotelier Jumeirah Group, a unit of Dubai Holding, said on Wednesday it planned to open ten hotels in the next 18 months, and launch a new hotel brand, after strong results in the first quarter The luxury hotel management group said it expected to open the new hotels in locati... 2010-04-28 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=104 Dubai will only bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games if it can overcome the hot weather that has hampered other Middle Eastern bids for major sporting events in the past, the emirate's ruler said on Wednesday. Dubai is widely speculated to be considering a bid for the 2020 Olympics after Doha failed ... 2010-04-28 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=105 c/o Hotels, the Scandinavian lifestyle hotel company is pleased to announce the next step in its strategy to globalize the company and prepare for future growth as owner, Jenny Ljungberg, takes on the new role of Global CEO for the hotels and businesses in Sweden and the US. As the company continue... 2010-04-28 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=102 Environmental protection has long since arrived in the maritime industry – despite frequent perceptions to the contrary. The issue is very much a priority and is being implemented in all companies and organisations of the industry. The main focus is on increasing the efficiency of ships and at the... 2010-04-15 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=101 European Cities Marketing (ECM), the European association of city tourism boards, is reporting for the first time on the recent developments of tourism demand in its member destinations. Based on a representative sample of European cities, comprising many leading city tourism destinations in Europe,... 2010-04-10 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=100 The launch of the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC's) annual economic impact research on Thursday 11 March at ITB Berlin confirmed a 5% decline in Travel & Tourism Economy GDP in 2009. "And 2010 will be a flat year," said the Council's President & CEO, Jean-Claude Baumgarten. 'Gre... 2010-03-30 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=98 Fotografiska, Sweden's new meeting point for contemporary photography, announced today that Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer?s Life 1990-2005 will be the main exhibition opening the museum on May 21st. With 194 photographs, Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer?s Life 1990-2005 comprises iconic images of ... 2010-03-18 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=99 Meetings@TUR, Gothenburg 25-26 March 2010, is a meeting industry event where important players of the Swedish meeting industry meet side by side. Taking place during TUR - the leading Scandinavian trade fair for travel, tourism and meetings – efforts are made to exploit the growing interest in the... 2010-03-18 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=96 MAP™ or Meeting Architecture Process is a tool for developing the content side of meetings and increase effectiveness and ROI. The tool was developed based on the book ‘Meeting Architecture, a manifesto’ and is welcomed with enthusiasm and even excitement by meeting planners all over the worl... 2010-03-17 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=97 The Radisson Edwardian New Providence Wharf has been voted the traveller’s choice for Best London Hotel, according to reviews left by customers on leading accommodation website Hotels.com. The study, based on the analysis of independent reviews posted on Hotels.com by customers who have stayed a... 2010-03-17 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=95 As part of its campaign for a greener meetings and conventions industry the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. now also supports a new project of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The introduction of the new ISO standard 20121 for sustainable event management is to be complete... 2010-03-09 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=93 "This week I have had the pleasure of working in Andalusia in the South of Spain. I had not been to Sevilla for some years and I was struck by how this beautiful city had invested in pedestrianizing the center, installing a new hi-tech tramway and a public biking system. The city has a clear climat... 2010-03-06 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=94 New Business Models, Radical Price Incentives, Deep Personalisation and Onsite Transactions will shape the industry landscape in 2020. Convention 2020 initial survey findings show hypercompetition, technology and changing delegate behaviours are driving industry transformation. Fast Future Research... 2010-03-06 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=92 Site, the Porto Convention Bureau and Portugal Tourism has announced the educational programme and speaker line-up for the European Site Networking and Education Program (ESNEP) 2010, which will take place in the city of Porto, Portugal from 9 – 12 April 2010. With over 250 industry insiders in a... 2010-03-05 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=90 Hundreds of animal experts from across the zoo world will take part in a major international conference that will form part of Edinburgh Zoo’s centenary celebrations. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) will hold its annual conference for the first time in Edinburgh in 2013. Owne... 2010-03-04 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=91 The convention destination Berlin chalks up growth in crisis-stricken year 2009 too. Around 108,500 events were staged, a four percent rise. 8.26 million participants came to Berlin to attend these events - one percent more than in 2008. These are the results of the latest convention statistics of t... 2010-03-04 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=88 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today announced that January 2010 demand for international scheduled air traffic showed continuing improvement. Compared to the previous year, January passenger demand was up 6.4%. Against this improving demand, a 1.2% increase in passenger capacity... 2010-03-02 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=89 At the recent General Assembly held in Athens, Greece, Philippe Fournier, of MCI, was unanimously elected as IAPCO’s President. Philippe took over the office immediately and was delighted to receive the vote of confidence. “It is a tremendous honour to become president of our prestigious instit... 2010-03-02 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=87 Australia’s first Green Globe Silver Certified Convention Centre, the Adelaide Convention Centre, is making a commitment to environmental sustainability and is supporting business efforts to do the same, providing the ideal backdrop for events such as the CleverGreen Conference and Showcase in Feb... 2010-02-25 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=85 The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today announced a new initiative called “New Membership for a New Decade” aimed at expanding the scope and value of benefits to members of the association. The program is set to deliver new and enhanced services to members during the course of the... 2010-02-24 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=86 Leading meetings industry associations MPI and ICCA have joined forces with GIBTM for “Meetings Reality & Potential in the Gulf Region - The Market Knowledge Exchange”. Taking place between 14.00 and 17.30 on Sunday, 28 March at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, the interactive session launches Gulf Meeting... 2010-02-24 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=81 UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has just released the 2008 Euro Fairs Statistics Report. UFI is now responsible for assembling this annual report on Euro Fair Statistics which was originally initiated by FKM (Germany). Manfred Wutzlhofer, UFI President, emphasized the import... 2010-02-23 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=82 Marylebone Cricket Club, owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground, is opening its exclusive facilities for corporate and private events. MCC was established in and moved to the Club’s present site in 1814 and has subsequently prided itself on quintessential etiquette and traditions married with the iconic... 2010-02-23 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=83 The UN climate summit COP15, held in Copenhagen last December, has been certified as the world's first sustainable, international political summit. And the ambition now is to make Copenhagen the world leader within sustainable meetings. The white book, Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol (CSMP... 2010-02-23 00:00:00 http://www.meetingsinternational.com/news.php?id=84 A record number of Copenhagen hotels went green last year. End 2009, 51 per cent of all hotel rooms were officially environmentally friendly. That's up from just 8 per cent in 2008. Copenhagen is a world leader when it comes to environmentally friendly initiatives and solutions. And the city's pion... 2010-02-23 00:00:00