Beyond Asia: Durban, South Africa; Belfast, Ireland; and St Louis, US

Here's TTGmice's weekly round-up of MICE developments outside of Asia-Pacific.

From left: Talley Management Group's Gregg Talley; ICCA's Esmaré Steinhofel, Nina Freysen-Pretorius, Senthil Gopinath, and Sina Buente
From left: Talley Management Group’s Gregg Talley; ICCA’s Esmaré Steinhofel, Nina Freysen-Pretorius, Senthil Gopinath, and Sina Buente

South Africa: ICCA unveils more about upcoming association meetings programme
The upcoming ICCA Association Meetings Programme (AMP) 2019 will be themed Inspiration to go further.

Taking place in Durban, South Africa from June 18-20, has been designed to bring ICCA members and association executives from all over the world together for open exchange through small-scale networking and interactive global knowledge transfer about bidding, designing, organising and promoting international association meetings.

The theme was chosen to communicate the AMP’s aim of providing all delegates with, through personalised ROI, the tools and expertise to be more effective in winning association meetings business.

Education sessions will take an interactive, practical approach to knowledge transfer. Topics will include the future of associations; legacy of events; the do’s and don’ts of international collaboration and partnerships; reinventing digital marketing strategy; and experiential meeting design.

Delegates at the AMP will have access to the association meetings expertise of a global faculty, made up of senior-level figures from both supplier organisations and international associations such as Genevieve Leclerc, managing director of the International Society of Limnology; and ICCA board member Gregg Talley.

ICCA is increasing its advocacy and educational activities in the African region throughout 2019. This year’s edition of the AMP marks the first time the event is being held in the African region and the first time ICCA is returning with an international meeting since the 43rd ICCA Congress in Cape Town in 2004.

Ireland: Belfast launches largest-ever dedicated business tourism campaign
Belfast’s official tourism marketing agency, Visit Belfast, has launched a brand new marketing campaign – Belfast Makes Sense – designed to accelerate the volume of inbound business conferences and events taking place in the city.

Focused on Great Britain and international markets, the digital-led campaign is the largest dedicated business tourism marketing initiative ever undertaken by the city, incorporating a new website, video content, targeted advertising and public relations to support ambitious sales growth.

The year-long campaign will also feature a range of high-profile conference and event organisers, and testimonials from previous clients. It was developed by Visit Belfast with 13 major partners from the city’s tourism industry.

Visit Belfast’s chief executive, Gerry Lennon, said in a statement: “With a record 100 conferences secured since April and more than 150,000 delegate arrivals in the last five years alone, I’m excited that this collaborative, industry-led campaign will help in ensuring that our story and our strengths are widely shared.

“In addition, with new hotel developments worth more than £150 million (US$196 million) added in recent years, Belfast’s business tourism sector is well placed for further growth.”

US: government meeting professionals head to St Louis in 2020
The US Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) has announced that its 38th National Education Conference (NEC) will take place in St Louis, Missouri.

Held from May 19-21, 2020, the event will take place at the Cervantes Convention Center at America’s Center.

The society’s goal is to prepare new and seasoned government meeting professionals with best practices and connections they need to succeed in the field. Risk management, such as responding to government shutdowns, natural disasters and medical emergencies, is one of the nine core competencies that will be addressed at the conference.

Attendees will earn at least eight education contact hours that include multiple blocks of specific training toward their Certified Government Meeting Professional (CGMP) certification.

Founded in 1981, SGMP is the only national organisation in the US dedicated exclusively to individuals who plan and execute government meetings. The society has 2,000 plus members in 21 chapters across the country.

The 2019 NEC will be held in Detroit, Michigan from June 25-27.

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