13/09/2021 - Mahali Mzuri, Sir Richard Branson’s Kenyan Safari Camp located in the world-famous Maasai Mara ecosystem, has been ranked as the Number One Hotel in the World, as well as the Number One Resort in Africa in Travel + Leisure’s  2021 World’s Best Awards. The Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2021 is an essential, trusted source for inspiration and... Collapse

08/09/2021 - In what has been billed as a ‘homecoming’ for the global business events industry IMEX America will take place 9 – 11 November in Las Vegas. The 10th edition of the show has a new home, Mandalay Bay, and is set to deliver business opportunities, an inspiring learning programme and sensational social events, all in an... Collapse

01/09/2021 - The 60th Annual ICCA Congress will take the global association meetings industry to Cartagena, Colombia on 24-27 October 2021 with the theme Forward to our Future. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Annual Congress is a must-attend event for all involved in international conventions and congresses and this year’s hybrid experience is no different. Delegates are invited to join the... Collapse

01/09/2021 - What happens when you’re a tour guide and the world ‘locks down’? You experience no income for 61 weeks – or more. This was the reality faced by Shelley Mileham, a 49-year-old, self-employed tour guide based in Cape Town. Jehaad Masoed, a 36-year-old Salt River resident and tour guide faced a similar situation. Both received... Collapse

25/08/2021 - The GECN (Government and Executive Compensation Experts) recently hosted its webinar, CC-Circle: The CC’s role in creating a diverse and inclusive culture, motivated by current research showing that a more diverse, equal and inclusive culture generally supports outperformance. Together with distinctive keynote speakers and panelists, the webinar addressed how the CC (Compensation Committee) can foster the mindset of... Collapse

24/08/2021 - Global event auditor BPA president and CEO Glenn Hansen discusses the need for standards in digital events, including data ownership: In June 2020, we at BPA Worldwide published an open letter to the industry on the subject of data leakage in the bidstream. It was still early days of the Covid pandemic and digital events were just becoming du jour. Our writing at that time pertained to the digital eco-system and the process of programmatic buying and selling. With the advent of the header bidder process, advertising inventory gets exposed to all interested parties simultaneously. To aid the buyers’ evaluation process, the inventory that is available exposes user data to all those bidding on the ad space. It is designed to help advertisers reach the desired target audience with an efficient buying process. Makes sense. However, what also happens is some data platforms bid on advertising space with no intention of winning the bid. Rather, they are there to harvest the data of web users Collapse

24/08/2021 - What can 10 000 successful women achieve when gathered sharing inspirational ideas? The prospects are bright and boundless.  The road to genuine gender equality is long and in flux. Cue the Standard Bank Top Women 2021 Conference. A stage across which trailblazing women excelling in society will gleefully dance. Gather to learn the motions, gain insights... Collapse

24/08/2021 - The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is marking the first anniversary of its Abu Dhabi Specialists E-learning Programme by introducing new modules and markets for the training scheme. The programme, launched as part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s response to Covid-19, saw all forms of physical promotional offers, workshops and training courses shifted onto virtual platforms. The e-learning has been rolled out across 17 countries and in seven languages. So far, 13,670 applicants have registered for the course and more than 7,000 have graduated as ‘Abu Dhabi Specialists’. The enhanced programme will include three new modules intended to equip agents with knowledge about: Expo 2020 Dubai Abu Dhabi as a Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE) destination Abu Dhabi’s Culture assets and programmes. The programme is part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s Travel Trade Marketing Plan aimed to ensure that travel specialists are equipped with the right knowledge and Collapse

23/08/2021 - International communications agency VOK DAMS has welcomed the positive developments for events and live marketing in Germany, where revised and less stringent Covid-19 protection regulations of the federal states were put in place. North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg saw the 3G rule replace the infection rate level setup. Events are possible without participant limit, as long as all participants have been vaccinated, tested or recovered (3G). The 3G rule generally applies to all events that take place indoors. For open-air events, the 3G rule applies to gatherings of 5,000 visitors and upwards, or if minimum distances cannot be adhered to. As a matter of principle, organisers must draw up a hygiene concept. If there are more than 5,000 participants, this concept must be presented to and approved by the health department before the event. The new Covid-19 protection regulations will apply provisionally until 13 September in Baden-Württemberg, 16 September in Hesse and until Collapse