2 DAYS AGO - Hamburg will host the Associations & Conference Forum (AC Forum) in 2022. The event will gather a number of European congress organisers from science associations, medical congresses and major business association meetings. The members of AC Forum organise more than 75 recurring congresses annually, with a total of 260 event days and over 320,000 participants. In the course of a comprehensive bidding process, the Hamburg Convention Bureau, together with the Congress Center Hamburg, presented to AC Forum’s jury the benefits the city has to offer. Taking place in January 2022, AC Forum will attract more than 120 representatives, decision-makers and congress organisers from international associations to Hamburg. Congress planners will represent the interests of their respective association, while also discussing opportunities regarding meeting locations in the coming years. Hamburg’s minister for science and research, Katharina Fegebank, commented: “I am delighted that Hamburg will Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Following its opening of 75 properties across Asia Pacific in 2020, Marriott International, Inc. says it will expand its portfolio and expects to open 100 properties in Asia Pacific in 2021. In 2020, the company celebrated its 800th milestone hotel opening in the region and added 27,000 rooms to its development pipeline, in addition to signing Marriott’s largest branded residences project with close to 4,200 units. “I am proud of the way we have continued to grow and have moved quickly to adapt to the challenges that arose from the pandemic. With the launch of new global industry hygiene standards in April 2020, innovative offerings such as work anywhere packages and hyper-localised marketing and sales strategies, our nimble and forward-thinking approach will continue to lead us through the recovery,” said Craig S. Smith, group president, international, Marriott International. The company said it expects to soon celebrate its 400th hotel in Greater China and its 50th hotel in Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Event Tech Live is launching a dedicated show for the US and Canada this year, before the UK-based event returns to London in November with a hybrid edition. Event Tech Live USA & Canada takes place on Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 June 2021, and will run to Central Standard Time, six hours behind GMT. ETL USA & Canada will replicate the content and focus on technology of the UK show, with a steer towards the solutions helping organisers to keep hosting events through the pandemic and, ultimately, the pivot back to some sort of normal. Consulting with North American influencers, including Marco Giberti and Dahlia El Gazzar, ETL USA & Canada will broadcast the action from two live stages while a third will show highlights, exclusive interviews and tech trials. Marco Giberti commented: “Event Tech Live set tall targets when it launched in London seven years ago. I watched as the team there delivered them, from breadth and level of content and providing a platform for start-ups Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Cambridge-based, global hybrid event and marketplace technology provider ExpoPlatform has appointed Luke Bilton as its chief growth officer to drive its expansion through product development, marketing and sales. Bilton has 18 years of experience in international events and media businesses including UBM, Future and, most recently, at Informa as vice-president for digital. His appointment is the latest in a raft of appointments in ExpoPlatform’s sales and marketing functions over the past year. “The pandemic has been a huge catalyst for change in the event industry, with 2021 set to see the digital transformation continue at pace,” said Bilton. “It’s already clear that technology features such as AI-powered matchmaking, networking and online meetings between participants are here to stay long after the vaccines roll out.   “More than this, organisers now realise that a true ‘Hybrid’ experience has to mean much more than a virtual event at the same time as a physical event. It should Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - Josep Antoni Llopart has been appointed the new director of the Barcelona International Boat Show. The event is scheduled to take place from 12-17 October 2021. Llopart has experience heading several events at Fira de Barcelona. In addition to the Boat Show, he is director of the pre-owned vehicle show Salón Ocasión, the International Caravaning Show and NiceOne Barcelona, formerly Barcelona Games World. Llopart takes over from previous director Jordi Freixas, who led the event for 14 years. The Boat Show is organized by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with the National Association of Nautical Companies. Llopart commented: “I am very excited about the challenge of directing one of the flagship events of the fair institution and a European benchmark, at a key moment for the industry.” The post Barcelona International Boat Show appoints new director appeared first on CMW. Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - A country famed for the stamina and resilience of its athletes, Kenya and its MICE industry has been digging deep in the marathon effort to beat Covid, as we hear from director business development services at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Geoffrey K. Thande.   Kenya’s conference tourism sector, like most business sectors around the world, has been greatly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. What was a usually vibrant industry commanding a major economic impact for the economy has been highly affected.  The industry was the first out in Kenya and will probably be the last industry to return in terms of business and operations.  Again, like most major in-person events around the world that were cancelled since March, those booked at KICC and in Kenya at large were no exception. The situation led the government in Nairobi to develop a new tourism recovery strategy. It is a strategy that includes hospitality, events and meetings industry safety protocols and Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - Jeanette Stanton has been appointed Events Project Manager for Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA). She will be re-joining New Zealand’s industry association next month, following six years as Marketing and Business Events Services Manager with Auckland Convention Bureau. Previously she was instrumental in developing and managing key events such as MEETINGS and the industry annual conference as part of the BEIA team (then known as Conventions and Incentives New Zealand). BEIA Chief Executive, Lisa Hopkins says not only is Jeanette an experienced event manager, she also brings great knowledge in business-to-business marketing and membership management, with a 20-year industry career behind her. “Jen has a real passion for growing the profile of the New Zealand business events industry, and she takes particular pride in collaboration, building relationships and partnerships,” Ms Hopkins says. “I am thrilled Jen is returning to the BEIA team, staying in an industry she clearly Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - Private equity group Blackstone is in the talks to take over UK holiday resort and conference centre provider Butlin’s owner Bourne Leisure, The Times newspaper, London, has reported. The US-based investor is said to be keen to want to take advantage of the trend in staycations, which is likely in the first instance after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides before international travel resumes. The newspaper said talks were at an advanced stage, with Bourne Leisure valued at £3bn (US$4.06bn). Butlin’s, which has three sites across England in Bognor Regis, Skegness, and Minehead, has invested heavily in its conference and event offerings over the last few years and has become a popular destination for event organisers. Overall investment across the sites amounts to £200m. In 2019, Butlin’s reported that it has seen six consecutive years of growth, with 2018 seeing a 46% increase in enquiries, of which conversion to actual booking led to a rise of 8%. Blackstone took control of the NEC Group Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau is moving its annual Penang Roadshow to India event into a hybrid format. The event will feature a dinner hosted in selected Indian cities, but will take place virtually. It will stop through Kochi on 18 January, followed by Chennai on 20 January, and Mumbai on 25 January. The event aims to connect sellers from Penang and other parts of Malaysia with Indian buyers from different sectors including business events, leisure travel, weddings, teambuilding events and more. The virtual show has a total of 25 registered sellers from Penang and the larger Malaysia travel and business events industry, and will be welcoming more than 200 buyers in total. Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO of PCEB, commented: “I believe we can return the form of India being the top five market for Business Events Penang if we continue to work together to build the business. The partners and participants for the roadshow who are present shows our commitment in ensuring the Collapse