July 20, 2022July 20, 2022

What last year’s venue bookings tell us about UK conference and meetings recovery

Blog, MICE Industry

Conference and meetings activity is not likely to bounce-back to 2019 levels until next year or beyond, says UKCAMS report. Mike Fletcher looks at the data. Around 440,000 conferences and ... Read more

July 12, 2022July 14, 2022

What does the future hold for event venue sourcing?

Blog, MICE Industry

Following the acquisition of VenueDirectory, Cvent’s Vice President of International Sales, Graham Pope talks to Mike Fletcher about the digital transformation of venue sourcing In June, event technology supplier Cvent ... Read more

July 5, 2022July 14, 2022

Recruit & Retain: The Battle for Event Management Talent

Blog, MICE Industry

Corporate in-house event organisers pinpoint a shortfall in talent and challenges in recruiting, according to C&IT’s annual State of the Industry report. Mike Fletcher looks at the findings. The competition ... Read more

December 23, 2021February 14, 2022

To win through experiences, don’t focus on experiences

Blog, Event Tips

Kicking off the Knowledge Programme on Day 3 of IBTM World 2021, our keynote speaker Dr Darren Coleman outlined how brands can win through experiences. Competing through “experiences” is now ... Read more

December 16, 2021February 14, 2022

Creativity in Action: How to make you, your team and your event more creative

Blog, Event Tips

In this insightful session on Day 2 of IBTM World 2021, James Cross, Head of Creative at BBC Creative, discussed what experience designers can learn from other creative industries and ... Read more

November 22, 2021February 14, 2022

Are you ready to reconnect in-person?

Blog, Resiliance and Recovery

Going back to normal is no longer an option. Even if you wanted to, why would you settle for normal? The global pandemic has changed things. With this thought in ... Read more

November 19, 2021February 14, 2022

How brand experience can create powerful events

Blog, People In Industry

Founder of Wavelength Marketing with over 20 years’ brand marketing experience spanning both B2B and B2C, Darren Coleman has helped organisations such as Orange, Nikon, Standard Life, Pepsi, BUPA, and ... Read more

October 21, 2021October 19, 2021

How relevant is your event?

Blog, Event Tips, Resiliance and Recovery

“How relevant is your event”? is the key question that every event professional needs to answer today if they want to attract delegates for future events. In this post, I ... Read more

September 3, 2021September 16, 2021

Spotlight on Puglia

Blog, Destination

Puglia, the Luscious Meeting Destination Puglia combines a business penchant with an extraordinary historical heritage, delivering top-notch MICE services across splendid settings, for any type of event. Business Break with ... Read more

August 3, 2021August 3, 2021

Is it “freedom day” for the meetings & events industry?

Blog, MICE Industry, Resiliance and Recovery

July 19 2021, marked ‘Freedom Day’ in England – the date when most legal restrictions in the country were lifted and venues were allowed to open with no capacity limits ... Read more

July 20, 2021July 14, 2021

Spotlight on Bologna

Blog, Destination

A hidden gem in the heart of Italy Bologna is a hidden gem in the heart of Italy, a contemporary city that offers visitors authentic and sustainable experiences and relationships. ... Read more

July 5, 2021January 19, 2023

IBTM Wired Day 4 wrap-up: Re-imagining the future events experience

IBTM Portfolio, Press Releases

Wrapping up the keynote speaker slots for IBTM Wired was Stephen Attenborough, Commercial Director, Virgin Galactic, who inspired us all to reach for the stars – literally – and dream ... Read more

May 26, 2021May 28, 2021

4 ways to make your virtual event stand out

Blog, Virtual Events

Virtual events are being produced in a very competitive space right now. After all, they are pretty much the only game in town for event planners. Therefore, every virtual event ... Read more

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021

Don’t sell me today, sell me tomorrow

Blog, Resiliance and Recovery

One of the ironies of the past 12 months, is that after five years of constantly hearing about disruption within the industry, it actually happened. Albeit for all the wrong ... Read more

April 20, 2021April 13, 2021

Spotlight on Florence: The spectacular people-friendly destination

Blog, Destination

Where eternal art & meeting opportunities are at hand. The renaissance and lifestyle gem Florence is the Renaissance worldwide gem located in the very centre of Italy; a true open-air ... Read more

March 16, 2021March 12, 2021

Spotlight on Venice: Venice and its Lagoon

Blog, Destination

The queen of the seas. With its infinite charm and enchanting landscapes, Venice is one of the world capitals of culture, art, architecture and entertainment. Built over 118 small islands ... Read more

March 15, 2021March 15, 2021

How are event organisers keeping delegates safe at live events?

Blog, MICE Industry

With the vaccine rollout continuing apace and the re-opening of the events sector tantalisingly within reach, we take a look at where in the world events are happening this year, ... Read more

March 11, 2021March 15, 2021

How trusted news might be the secret to recovery

Blog, Resiliance and Recovery

Trust and confidence. Two words which will come to define how quickly the business events sector heals, and renews, as it begins the long-awaited journey to recovery following the pandemic. ... Read more

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021

An interview with Ailynn Seah on International Women’s Day

Blog, Career Development

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually in March and focuses on the movement for women’s rights. International Women’s Day 2021’s theme is ‘Choose to Challenge’ – #ChoosetoChallenge | #IWD2021. To ... Read more

February 18, 2021February 18, 2021

The latest news and insights from the events industry – February 2021

Blog, MICE Industry

As our industry continues to rebuild and recover from the pandemic, we take a look at some the key trends and insights that reveal how our industry has changed and ... Read more

February 16, 2021January 21, 2021

Spotlight on Milan: One city, endless opportunities

Blog, Destination

An increasingly attractive global destination. Internationally known as the world capital for fashion and design and Italy’s financial capital, Milan offers a huge number of opportunities. A compact city of ... Read more

February 5, 2021April 7, 2021

From hybrid events to tech that will change the future – the top 10 sessions from IBTM World Virtual

Blog, Resiliance and Recovery

Back at the end of 2020, we launched the first-ever IBTM World Virtual. Over the course of three days, 1,690 event profs watched over 1,745 hours of content from our ... Read more

January 21, 2021January 21, 2021

What is a systemic mindset?

Blog, Innovation

After her session on the systemic approach to problem-solving and crisis management at IBTM World Virtual, we sat down with Steff Berger, founder of VOBE_Inspires People, to find out more ... Read more

January 19, 2021January 18, 2021

Rome, the Eternal Pleasure

Blog, Destination

Roma is an endless discovery that brings you so many different meanings of “beauty”. The most refined visitors and culture lovers will find numerous art galleries and exhibitions off the ... Read more

December 17, 2020December 17, 2020

ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board

Blog, Destination

Italy continues to show resilience, versatility and creativity, while notably rediscovering itself. A renewed ability to get involved with a propensity for modernisation and technological support. Italy is perceived as ... Read more

December 16, 2020December 17, 2020

Delegate journeys in 2021 may be too scary for some

Blog, Event Tips

The delegate journey in 2021 will be different from that of previous years. The events sector has changed significantly due to the impact of COVID-19. Some delegate journeys will be ... Read more

December 11, 2020January 22, 2021

Global MICE industry gathers at IBTM World Virtual 2020

IBTM World, Press Releases

The first-ever IBTM World Virtual has closed with nearly 13,000 business meetings having taken place and almost 8,300 meetings and events professionals attending over the course of the three-day event, ... Read more

December 10, 2020January 22, 2021

What’s going on at Day 3 of IBTM World Virtual: Live Blog

Blog, Events

Stay up to date with all the best sessions and latest insights from our live knowledge streams, IBTM TV and Exceptional Experiences, as well as all the latest thoughts from ... Read more

December 9, 2020January 22, 2021

A look back at Day 1 of IBTM World Virtual

Blog, Events

Welcome to our round-up of content on day one of IBTM World Virtual. It was great to see over 5,000 meetings take place yesterday on our virtual platform and 500+ ... Read more

December 7, 2020February 9, 2021

Exhibiting excellence in the virtual world

Blog, Virtual Events

The bustling in-person trade show stand has gone for the moment. But in the virtual space, there are major opportunities for exhibitors to do business. The usual benefits of revenue ... Read more

December 7, 2020January 22, 2021

IBTM World Virtual announces TechWatch Live finalists

IBTM World, Press Releases

IBTM World Virtual has today announced the five finalists for this year’s renowned Tech Watch Live Award. One company will be crowned the overall winner by the high-profile judging panel ... Read more

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

An interview with the IBTM World Hosted Buyer Team

Blog, Event Tips

We caught up with Florence Dinar, the Portfolio Business Development Manager for IBTM World, and she gave us some great insights to share with potential Hosted Buyers ahead of this ... Read more

November 26, 2020November 26, 2020

IBTM World designs an optimistic future

Blog, MICE Industry

The IBTM World Association Leaders Forum brings together the associations’ leaders with innovative destinations and the events industry leaders in an exclusive event in order to co-create an optimistic future. ... Read more

November 24, 2020November 26, 2020

How can the global event sector #buildbackbetter?

Innovation, sustainability

Covid-19 has been the world experiencing shared crises of, health, economy, equality and climate. Being sustainable is how we solve these challenges. The phrase #buildbackbetter is being used by global ... Read more

November 23, 2020January 22, 2021

Expert view – Sustainability in a post-COVID world

Innovation, sustainability

Grady Lee is co-founder and CEO of social impact company Give to Get and a speaker at the upcoming IBTM World Virtual. Here, Grady talks about sustainability in a post-COVID ... Read more

November 18, 2020November 24, 2020

Four powerful tools to create marketing magic with limited budget!

Blog, Event Tips, Marketing

Most people believe that highly successful marketing campaigns depend on huge budgets – I will prove them wrong! I am an award-winning marketer and with 20 years in the industry ... Read more

November 12, 2020December 7, 2020

Top tips for speaking virtually

Blog, Virtual Events

Speaking virtually has never been more relevant or more rewarding, especially if you make your mark as a memorable presenter. Virtual events come in all varieties. There are virtual conferences, ... Read more

November 12, 2020March 21, 2022

Webinar: Build back better

Webinars

Speakers Edward is the Executive Director of the Conventions, Meetings & Incentive Travel division at the Singapore Tourism Board. He provides strategic counsel to attract quality association congresses and corporate-driven ... Read more

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020

Hybrid – ‘the same but different’

Blog, Virtual Events

Who would have thought virtual events would have come into their own during 2020 in such a dramatic way. They are, and have become, the next best thing to face ... Read more

November 9, 2020

Virtual events increase inclusivity

Blog, Virtual Events

Virtual events increase inclusivity. And at a time when lockdowns and government restrictions bubble up and down, impacting on the in-person events scene, virtual events have a key role to ... Read more

November 9, 2020November 9, 2020

Our Mental Health – What is the key to staying balanced?

Blog, Wellness

Where and how do I begin an article about mental health, during 2020, just coming out of full lockdown? Who would have foreseen any of this last year, or even ... Read more

October 21, 2020October 29, 2020

How can virtual events drive business development?

Resiliance and Recovery

Making connections face to face is integral to business and professional development. Everyone knows it. It is accepted wisdom, whether it is actually true or not. Just saying. And the ... Read more

October 19, 2020January 22, 2021

6 free apps to amplify your activation

Experiential Marketing, Tech

Brand experiences can be as big or small as you want them to be. In fact, a lot of experiential marketing starts with great online content. If you’re a small-scale ... Read more

October 15, 2020January 22, 2021

How to re-invent yourself

Career Development, People In Industry

The power of re-invention resides in the ability of self-belief. But, how can we be so sure about believing in ourselves? Well, I would say we have no other solution ... Read more

October 13, 2020January 11, 2021

5 steps to gaining confidence in your personal brand

Career Development, People In Industry

Do you really know who you are? With plenty of uncertainty in our industry, there’s much reflection on how we can stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s the job ... Read more

October 12, 2020January 22, 2021

Can digital events live up to the real deal?

Experiential Marketing

Does anyone listen to cassette tapes anymore? Our point being, as the music industry evolved and innovative tech solutions hit the market, artists saw a variety of opportunities to distribute ... Read more

October 5, 2020January 22, 2021

The pivot to digital

Event Tips, Experiential Marketing, Trends, Virtual Events

Over the past few months, we have seen a dramatic uptake in virtual offerings. Live events are pivoting, if they can, to a digital platform and experiential agencies are rallying ... Read more

October 5, 2020January 22, 2021

60 seconds with… Chloe Richardson

People In Industry

Ahead of our panel discussion webinar on 28 October 2020 – “Top tips to become a master in personal branding” – we sat down with Chloe Richardson, who will be ... Read more

October 5, 2020April 26, 2022

The Four Pillars of Mental Health

Blog, Wellness

“We all have a right to live well. Wellbeing is not just a thing we do at night or at the weekend, wellbeing is an active state of being.” James ... Read more

September 28, 2020November 12, 2020

In Person vs Virtual Events: No Contest

Blog, Virtual Events

Originally published May 2020 and updated in September 2020. Imagine that you are a rock star. You have made a fortune, which has come from many sources, from performing at ... Read more

September 28, 2020May 11, 2022

How can we create more sustainable brand activations?

Experiential Marketing

Christianne Beck is an industry renowned experiential lead with specific expertise in sustainability. Having previously worked for the likes of Shell, Nissan, YouTube and Virgin Atlantic, we wanted to pick ... Read more

September 25, 2020November 12, 2020

Why hybrid events promote a healthier mind

Blog, Virtual Events, Wellness

For years, the main focus of events was to bring people together in person in a physical setting. Whether it was for learning, networking or socialising it didn’t matter. The ... Read more

September 21, 2020January 22, 2021

Soundscapes: How sound can influence your event’s mood

Experiential Marketing, Tech

As you’re reading this, take a step back and listen. You might hear the birds chirping, children playing in the background, housemates pottering around in another room. Different noises can ... Read more

September 14, 2020January 22, 2021

IBTM Insights: the latest events industry trends and news

MICE Industry, Trends, Wellness

As our industry begins to rebuild and recover from the pandemic, here we take a look at some the key trends and insights that reveal how our industry has changed ... Read more

September 14, 2020January 22, 2021

What next for experiential marketing?

Experiential Marketing

At the time of writing this, we’re facing a scary global pandemic where the whole economy has basically been shut down. However, rather than put everything on hold, there are ... Read more

September 7, 2020January 22, 2021

Who said health technology was boring?

Experiential Marketing

Philips are disproving that theory time and time again with inventive brand activations, creatively using technology to communicate their brand and get their audience involved. We are very lucky to ... Read more

August 31, 2020January 22, 2021

Why is the “fun-factor” crucial to a successful brand experience?

Experiential Marketing, Innovation

Fun is key to engaging with your audience and creating a memorable experience, and nobody knows this better than Bacardi. We caught up with the brilliant Daniella Victoria Robbins, Experiential Manager ... Read more

August 29, 2020February 21, 2022

Making that long-distance relationship work

Blog, Events, Tech

Remote and hybrid events present challenges for us all. For interpreters, there are particular concerns. Rob Davidson, MICE Knowledge Interpreters are key to the success of any multilingual event – ... Read more

August 28, 2020October 20, 2020

My pitch experience: Event Professionals Journal

Event Tips

This blog was written by Bernadette Palombo, the founder of the Event Professional Journal, who was one of the finalists of IBTM World’s 2019 Event Business Accelerator competition. It all ... Read more

August 26, 2020October 20, 2020

“Work is part of life, and life is part of work”: Tips for working from home

Wellness

The term “work-life balance” demands that life and personal emotions should be kept out of the workplace. The goal should be work-life harmony: work is part of life, and life ... Read more

August 25, 2020October 20, 2020

A day in the life of John Martinez: Working from Home

Wellness

The way we structure our days has changed since the pandemic began. Now working from home, it’s sometimes harder to create a routine when there aren’t routine events happening, such ... Read more

August 24, 2020January 22, 2021

What does the future look like for experiential marketing?

Experiential Marketing

“Sales people don’t sell products, authenticity of experience does!” In an increasingly digital world, are face-to-face experiences still relevant? Experiential marketing is sometimes seen as an “add-on” in marketing, and ... Read more

August 21, 2020October 20, 2020

How to achieve work-life harmony

Wellness

Looking after ourselves is integral to living a healthy and balanced life. I don’t believe in the term “work-life balance”. Our personal and professional lives should not be completely separate, ... Read more

August 17, 2020January 22, 2021

Creating YouTube content that stands out

Experiential Marketing, Social Media

Creating Content for YouTube 54% of consumers want to see more video content from brands and businesses that they support. With an active user base of two billion, YouTube has ... Read more

August 4, 2020October 29, 2020

How is our industry moving forwards?

industry, Innovation, Trends

With the business events industry starting to reopen in many countries, and the rest of the world lobbying to be able to meet again soon, several new projects are being ... Read more

August 3, 2020January 22, 2021

How to build your brand on Instagram

Experiential Marketing, Social Media

With over 500 million users, Instagram is one of the top social media platforms of today, providing a space for both individuals and brands to share their stories. Instagram is ... Read more

July 28, 2020January 22, 2021

Our brand new TechWatch Live competition is now open for submissions!

Events, Tech

This year, we’re launching an exciting new concept for our Tech Watch Awards to reflect the increasing significance of technology and digital in the meetings and events world! The new ... Read more

July 10, 2020October 20, 2020

10 songs to inspire you to #MeetMore

IBTM Connect, People In Industry

The world has stopped moving. We’ve found ways to come together but our global economy is in distress. Business events are how we fight back. This is a call-to-arms to ... Read more

July 9, 2020October 29, 2020

The future of event tech is in your hands

Events, industry, Innovation, Tech

What is next on the menu of offerings from technology providers is in your hands. You decide. You are the professional that understands what you need to keep evolving your ... Read more

July 8, 2020January 22, 2021

The IBTM World 2020 Event Business Accelerator is open for applications!

Events, People In Industry

We’re excited to announce that our 2020 ‘Event Business Accelerator’, an investment and mentoring programme for event industry entrepreneurs, is open for applications. Back after a successful launch in 2019, ... Read more

June 23, 2020October 20, 2020

Safe and Sustainable – the future of our events industry

IBTM Connect, People In Industry, sustainability

It feels like we’re at a crossroads in how we think about sustainability and the events industry. The last few years have seen a big conversation across the international events ... Read more

May 28, 2020October 29, 2020

How to optimise working from home

IBTM Connect, People In Industry

With several weeks of working from home under our belt, many of us have been on a learning curve, working out how to juggle a variety of demands – whether ... Read more

May 13, 2020October 28, 2020

How to build an effective crisis communications strategy: FAQs with Steff Berger

IBTM Connect, People In Industry

The second part of Steff Berger’s FAQ series looks more closely at the practical things you need to consider when dealing with a crisis or constructing a crisis communications strategy ... Read more

May 11, 2020October 28, 2020

The inside scoop on COVID-19 crisis communications: FAQs with Steff Berger

IBTM Connect, People In Industry

Steff Berger, who recently appeared on IBTM Connect in her webinar about MICE Crisis Communications, sat down with all your questions following her session and answered them. Here we explore ... Read more

May 5, 2020January 22, 2021

Interview with MICE Crisis Manager, Steff Berger

People In Industry

Ahead of her webinar, we sat down with Steff Berger to get to know more about the world of crisis management and communications, as well as pick up a few ... Read more

May 3, 2020October 20, 2020

Managing your mental health at events

People In Industry, Wellness

As the founder of Eventwell, Helen Moon is well placed to understand and assist with mental health issues within the events industry. After her webinar a few weeks ago, she ... Read more

April 30, 2020October 20, 2020

Mental Health FAQs with Helen Moon

IBTM Connect, ideas

A few weeks ago, we were joined on a webinar by Helen Moon, the founder of Eventwell and a mental health first-aider. She received so many questions that she wasn’t ... Read more

April 29, 2020November 12, 2020

Pivoting events to virtual is lazy thinking

Blog, Virtual Events

Pivoting events from physical to virtual has been the cry of some in the events space since the COVID-19 impact took hold. The idea is that you take your physical ... Read more

April 28, 2020October 27, 2020

Rest and wellbeing

People In Industry, Wellness

I won’t rest until I finish that budget… I won’t rest until I have that application approved… In our culture, we have started to see rest as a reward for ... Read more

April 27, 2020October 27, 2020

Wellbeing in play

People In Industry, Wellness

To introduce their upcoming webinar on Wednesday, we asked our speakers to share the context for their theme: what you can do to improve your mental health at work, rest ... Read more

April 9, 2020October 20, 2020

Managing your mental health and dealing with stress during unpredictable times

Wellness

To have an understanding of how to manage your mental health and stress during unpredictable times, it is important to have an understanding of trauma and, the physiological and psychological ... Read more

April 8, 2020October 20, 2020

How to market your destination during a travel ban

Destination, IBTM Connect

Destinations and destination management companies, such as country convention bureaus and tourist boards, have been hit hard by the travel bans and government policies put in place to counteract the ... Read more

April 6, 2020October 20, 2020

Make working from home fun

IBTM Connect

Anthony T. Hincks, the writer of “An Author of Life” once said: “When you work from home there is no such thing as a holiday.” With the current working from ... Read more

April 2, 2020October 29, 2020

Three steps to becoming an optimistic leader

Career Development

Staying optimistic during difficult times can be daunting, but it’s doable. In this post, I will describe a three-step process to help you think more optimistically about the challenges you ... Read more

March 26, 2020October 20, 2020

5 ways to make remote meetings successful

IBTM Connect, Networking

In the current situation, a lot of us are turning to video conferencing and remote meetings to make sure we stay in touch with our colleagues and clients. It is ... Read more

March 16, 2020October 29, 2020

3 top tips for working at home

Career Development, IBTM Connect

As most companies adopt a form of isolation, following announcements from governments this week, you may find yourself working from home. If you’re not a frequent work from home-er, you ... Read more

October 7, 2019October 29, 2020

Virtway Events and the 3D virtual events platform

Tech

How would you feel if we told you that in the future, you wouldn’t have to travel anywhere for your meetings, but would still be able to see all the ... Read more

August 15, 2018January 22, 2021

Spotlight on stress management

Wellness

There’s no denying that an industry where you’re often working long hours across international time zones, to ensure thousands of people arrive in the same place, receive adequate rest, nutrition ... Read more

July 18, 2023September 5, 2023

Best cities for those suffering from burnout

Blog

January 27, 2023January 20, 2023

Q&A with Núria Muñoz, Events & Communication, Barcelona Convention Bureau

Blog, Destination

As part of our Culture Roadshow for IBTM World 2022, we sat down with our finalists at the show to find out more about their destination, how the culture of their ... Read more

January 25, 2023January 19, 2023

Q&A with Aigars Smiltāns, Director of Meet Riga

Blog, Destination

As part of our Culture Roadshow for IBTM World 2022, we sat down with our finalists at the show to find out more about their destination, how the culture of their ... Read more

January 23, 2023January 30, 2023

Q&A with Zsuzsa Szégner, International Relations Director, Visit Hungary

Blog, Destination

As part of our Culture Roadshow for IBTM World 2022, we sat down with our finalists at the show to find out more about their destination, how the culture of their ... Read more

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023

Q&A with David James, Co-Founder of Events | Travels | at DMC Menorca

Blog, Destination

As part of our Culture Roadshow for IBTM World 2022, we sat down with our finalists at the show to find out more about their destination, how the culture of ... Read more

December 23, 2022January 3, 2023

Taking the industry’s pulse as the curtain falls on 2022

Blog, MICE Industry

Mike Fletcher assesses how planners are feeling as the year draws to a close and offers some predictions on industry trends for the year ahead. The year 2022 looks set ... Read more

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022

Destination deep-dive from the Business of Events

Blog, MICE Industry

At last month’s IBTM World, the Business of Events launched a study of more than 1,000 CVBs and DMCs responsible for promoting and attracting major congresses to their city or ... Read more

December 2, 2022December 2, 2022

Over 100,000 connections made at IBTM World 2022

IBTM World, Press Releases

IBTM World, which this year explored the connection between events and culture, closed today (1 December 2022) with over 100,000 business meetings having taken place and over 10,000 attendees gathering ... Read more

November 25, 2022November 25, 2022

On the right track to IBTM World

Blog, MICE Industry

The author A.A Milne once said that “Nowhere can I think so happily as in a train”. Mike Fletcher is about to discover how true that is as he embarks ... Read more

November 24, 2022November 24, 2022

Top 10 things to see and do in Barcelona

Blog, Destination

Your guide to the city. We love Barcelona. Part of what makes IBTM World so special is the destination; there’s nowhere quite like it. If you choose to stay in ... Read more