Top 5 things to take note of in June

Don’t have time to keep up with what’s happening in the MICE world? Don’t fear, The Meetings Show has you covered. Here’s everything you need to know this month…

isla releases first insights report

Events industry body isla has published its first sustainability ‘temperature check’ report which combines insights from TRACE, its event carbon measurement platform, and wider membership community. Analysing TRACE data from 127 UK events, the report gives insights into where event emissions come from and highlights how the industry can harness data to support businesses.

Delegate travel accounts for the most (around a third) of emissions, according to the data, but when excluding audience travel, production materials are the next largest impact area. The data reveals how different events have different emission profiles, for example conferences and exhibitions have a very different impact than dinners and parties, highlighting that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not the best when it comes to reduction strategies.

The report also highlights why the concepts of climate literacy and carbon instinct are key to business transformation against the backdrop of the climate crisis and explores how the events industry can work together to harness the power of collaborative advantage.

Find out how isla can help you deliver more sustainable events at The Meetings Show on stand A41.

Oceandiva arrives in London

Smart Group has announced the arrival of Oceandiva London into the capital. Oceandiva London is now berthed in the Royal Docks where it will complete a £1.8m fit-out, programme of testing, and regulatory approvals.

The vessel, represents an investment of over £25m and is expected to add over £77m to the London economy over the next five years. It is also the first passenger vessel to receive a Platinum Label Green Award granted by The Green Award, a quality assessment certification scheme that inspects and certifies ships. 

Oceandiva London will be the first carbon-neutral powered vessel on the river Thames – capable of 100% sustainable operation through its propulsion system and energy strategy, it utilises fast charging shore-based renewable energy, and a back-up biofuel generator. With flexible event spaces, the vessel is capable of hosting conferences, exhibitions, receptions, gala dinners, award ceremonies, product launches, and brand activations for up to 1,000 guests.

Vienna tops ICCA rankings ahead of Lisbon and Paris

Vienna hosted more international association meetings than any other city last year, according to the latest rankings from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

The Austrian capital staged 162 meetings to take the top spot ahead of Lisbon (144) in second place and Paris in third (134). In a top 10 dominated by European cities, Barcelona came fourth and Prague ranked fifth, followed by Madrid, Berlin, Athens, Brussels and London.

The USA once again topped the country rankings with 690 meetings, followed by Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the UK, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Canada.

Vienna Convention Bureau will be at The Meetings Show (Stand D30)

Cvent launches AI writing assistant

Cvent, the global meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, has announced the launch of its AI Writing Assistant.

The tool is incorporated directly within the Cvent platform and is designed to leverage the power of generative AI to help event teams create content for emails, websites, session descriptions and request for proposal (RFP) responses for sourcing venues.

The AI Writing Assistant expands Cvent’s growing suite of AI-powered products, which includes session and attendee recommendations. The tool will be available to all Cvent users for free within its event marketing and management platform, including in solutions such as Attendee Hub, Registration, and Cvent Supplier Network.

Meet Cvent at The Meetings Show – stand F20
 

Comedian Joel Dommett to host 2023 M&IT Awards

A regular and much-loved face on the UK stand-up comedy circuit, Joel Dommett has been confirmed as the host for the M&IT Awards in September.

As presenter of The Masked Singer and In With a Shout, and star of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Impractical Jokers, Dommett is one of TV’s most popular presenters.

On Friday 15 September, he will be heading to Evolution London, to bring his trademark quick wit and disarming charm to the MICE industry's biggest UK awards evening.