Host cities How the criteria changed Sustainability Your questions answered Legacy A blu er’s guide
2022 ISSUE #1 | AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL
GOOD?
BEN HAINSWORTH ON THE RETURN OF IN-PERSON MEETINGS
William Thomson The event tech bubble has burst/ Marjorie Anderson Associations get stuck at ‘diversity’/ Marc Mekki on the metaverse/ New beginnings with meeting designers Eric & Mike/ Plus Face to Face with Irving Washington, ONA / A Day in the Life with Benita Lipps, DGA Interel
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CONTENTS
32 20 FACE TO FACE BACK FOR GOOD?
57
DESTINATION: EAST COAST, USA
5 EDITOR’S COMMENT N v t n the new norm l 6 UPFRONT News n l s s from AMI onl ne 10 NOW OR NEVER
How our ssoc t on c n o n the f ht nst cl m te ch ne
18 LEGACY
Wh t s t nd how does t wor
20 FACE TO FACE
W th Irv n W sh nton, execut ve d rector, ONA
J mes L nc ster Holl P tr c S ll Trelford Cl re G tes, S m nth D lle Am nd Ludm n Tom Err de Ross B r er Ch rlotte Bl ss, M rt n B lmer, Conn e M ner, Brett Dempse Joh n S oqv st D v d Ch pple J mes L nc ster Rochelle J w rden Alex Softle N c Nunhofer
25 PREVIEW
Assoc t ons he d to IMEX
26 EVENT TECH
H s the bubble lre d burst
32 BACK FOR GOOD?
Redef n n the v lue of n-person fter Cov d
38 A DAY IN THE LIFE
Ben t L pps, Dentons Glob l Adv sors Interel
41 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Wh ssoc t ons et stuc on the ‘b two’
42 METAVERSE
How t could tr nsform our events
St c T lor Emm Gordon Im es ©123RF Icons ©Fl t con
44 MEETING DESIGN
Wh f rst mpress ons count 48 HOSTS WITH THE MOST?
How cov d ch ned the select on cr ter
The publ shers c nnot ccept respons b l t for errors or om ss ons, lthouh the utmost c re s t en th t nform t on cont ned s ccur te nd up-to-d te Publ shed b Northst r Meet ns Group, The Old St bles, P pp nford P r , M llbroo H ll, Nutle , TN22 3HW Contct s les@ntmllccom | m m z nelob l | +44 (0) 1342 306700 ISSN 0953-2803 © Northst r Meet ns Group
52 DESTINATIONS Sw tzerl nd 52 E st Co st 57 S r w 60 Austr l 63 71 AND FINALLY
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 3
YEARS 1982 - 2022
KNOWING YOUR CONFERENCE IS IN GOOD HANDS
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EDITOR’S COMMENT
NAVIGATING THE NEW NORMAL
s the pandemic recedes and borders reopen, international associations
EASL, urges associations not to be complacent about the future, or nostalgic about the past, where the resumption of international meetings is concerned. Indeed, lanyard manufacturers could enjoy a short-lived recovery unless associations can redefine why physical meetings, as opposed to virtual ones, matter – and transform their event programmes accordingly (p.32) .
Host cities How the criteria changed Sustainability Your questions answered Legacy A blu er’s guide
A
2022 ISSUE #1 | AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL
have started planning in-person meetings with more confidence, after two years of enervating, stamina-testing uncertainty. How long the economic and emotional scars of lockdown will last remains to be seen, of course. But international association executives are unlikely to forget
JAMES LANCASTER EDITOR, AMI
GOOD?
BEN HAINSWORTH ON THE RETURN OF IN-PERSON MEETINGS
William Thomson The event tech bubble has burst/ Marjorie Anderson Associations get stuck at ‘diversity’/ Marc Mekki on the metaverse/ New beginnings with meeting designers Eric & Mike/ Plus Face to Face with Irving Washington, ONA / A Day in the Life with Benita Lipps, Interel Group
AMI_May22_ofc.indd 7
05/05/2022 18:17
the last two years in a hurry. Irving Washington, executive director of the Online News Association, likened the experience of dealing with never-ending pressure to gaining a new ‘muscle reflex’ (p.20) .
Hainsworth cites climate change, and the pressure on organisations to reduce their carbon emissions, as one of the headwinds facing associations as the world recovers from Covid-19. But on this most existential of questions, associations can have a profoundly positive impact. Associations linked to the meetings and events industry used lockdown to launch various net zero initiatives to help ensure the planet is a hospitable place for our children and grandchildren. Should (can?) your association join one of these schemes? Or should you look to your own sector for inspiration? We answer that – and 19 other pressing questions on sustainability – in Now or Never (p.10) . War in Eastern Europe – and the potential for the conflagration to spread – is another factor cited by Hainsworth to have changed the socio- political outlook for associations and meeting planners. How associations have responded to Putin’s grotesque invasion of Ukraine is explored in Upfront . Elsewhere we explore what the future holds for event tech, why inclusion is the tricky part of DEI, how to open your meetings, and how Covid changed the criteria for host city selection.
The upheaval Irving, and other association leaders, experienced was profound and sweeping. Business models were upended, riskmanagement scenarios rendered useless, and office life dispersed into the digital ether. Meanwhile the cancellation of in-person meetings made once robust member value propositions look alarmingly weak. Tempting, then, to think of the pandemic as a temporary aberration. A ghoulish blip. In many ways, the world that is emerging from the fever dream of Covid-19 doesn’t look too dissimilar to the world that came before it. From a distance, you might struggle to tell the difference. But Ben Hainsworth, executive director of recovery unless associations can redefine why physical meetings matter Lanyardmanufacturers could enjoy a short-lived
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 5
UPFRONT NEWS ANALYSIS
A look at the biggest issues making headlines on amimagazine.global…
ASSOCIATIONS RESPOND TO UKRAINE brutal assault on its neighbour, withmost suspending Russian chapters or agreeing to cease any further business with Russia until the situation in Ukraine is resolved peacefully.
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS HAVE been grappling with how best to respond to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Although typically ‘non-political’ or ‘non-partisan’ as per their statutes, many have decided to suspend Russian members or chapters, in a show of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. High pro le associations took a lead. e footballing bodies FIFA and UEFA e ectively suspended Russia’s membership by kicking the international team out of all competitions.
Russian members of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) will not be able to attend the association’s events until further notice, president James Rees con rmed in March. Destinations International, theWashington-based association for convention bureau and destinationmarketing organisations, terminated themembership of the Saint Petersburg Convention
Bureau and said it would ‘not engage in further business inRussia until a peaceful resolution takes place’. Meanwhile, Ukrainian
Elsewhere GSMA, the international association behind Mobile World Congress, barred the Russian pavilion from the event in Barcelona, which took place in March, and issued a statement condemning Russia’s ‘invasion of Ukraine’. After a tentative start, associations linked to the meetings industry lined up to condemn Russia’s
WATCH “I can barely hide my tears” AMI ed tor J mes L nc ster nterv ews Sof ns , d rector of Lv v Convent on Bure u
scientists have called for an international
boycott of scienti c c o n f e r e n c e s inside Russia and called on Russian institutes and scienti c leaders to condemn the invasion of their country.
countries have agreed to contribute case studies and expert articles to the newly created International Journal of Business Events and Legacies. epublicationisbackedbymeeting industry associations the Professional Convention Management Association and the International Congress and Convention Association. Attempts to measure the ‘legacy’ of international meetings go back to 2011 when Business Events Sydney funded a ground-breaking study by the University of Technology Sydney. e resurgence of interest has been put down to several factors, chief amongst them climate change, with organisations keen to justify the emissions associated with large events.
MEASURING LEGACY HOW DO HOST CITIES, AND WIDER SOCIETY, BENEFIT WHEN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS MEET? AND HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE BENEFITS?
AS THE WORLD emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, we are beginning to see renewed - and serious - attempts to answer these questions. Destination Vancouver, the tourism and convention bureau, has teamed up with Capilano University to research the legacy of international conferences held in the city, for example. e ambitious project aims to quantify ‘the tangible and intangible impacts, bene ts and legacies associated with Vancouver’s role as host city for international conferences’.
A team of researchers will study ve conferences held in Vancouver later this year and deliver their ndings to local stakeholders and members of the BestCities Global Alliance, a network of destination marketing organisations. Earlier this year BESarawak announced it was teaming up with Curtin University to create a journal dedicated to documenting the lasting bene ts of international business events. So far 44 organisations from 15
6 2022 #1 AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL
THE RETURN TO IN-PERSON MEETINGS
THE travel restrictions and social distancing measures has seen many international associations hold their rst in-person meetings since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. And the signs are that delegates are keen to swap online for onsite. One professional congress LIFTING OF organiser said in-person registrants were out numbering their online counterparts at hybrid meetings to a much greater extent than had been expected. Sydney-based ICMS said more than 60 per cent of registrants for the 20th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, in May, for example, were choosing to be there in person. And some three-quarters of registrants for the 21st International Meeting on LithiumBatteries, in June, were choosing the in-person option rather than taking part remotely. Both events are taking place in Sydney, at the ICC Sydney. Elsewhere more than 80 association executives gathered in Brussels for the 10th edition of the European Association Summit, in May, with around 30 taking the online option. e latest Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry Pulse Survey, published in March, showed meeting planner sentiment was now ‘bullish’, with doubts over Covid-19 quickly fading.
The long-awaited return of physical meetings will enable delegates to collaborate, exchange expertise and drive innovation in person across an array of specialist subjects, from climate change solutions to the future of healthcare. It’s wonderful to be able towelcome these events back and support our city’s post- pandemic renewal
INSIGHT ONLINE
contrbutors provde deeper nsht nto the news tems mn the end Below s hnd-pced selecton of the most-red fetures t mmznelobl n recent months It’s pl t me – the power of pl n the bordroom D scounts nd downlo ds – wh communt s the vlue our members see You c n’t fford not to t e st nd – seven lessons for ssoctons from Urne One meet n, two exper ences – fve steps to mstern hbrd C se stud – IPR2021 How to foster enement mon n-person nd dtl ttendees Meet ns – ou’re not nclusve f ou’re not ccessble
AILEEN CRAWFORD , HEAD OF TOURISM AND CONVENTIONS, GLASGOW LIFE
The full report c n be downlo ded t www northst rmeet n s roup com
amimagazine.global
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 7
SUSTAINABILITY UNPACKED
NOW OR NEVER WE ANSWER THE 20 MOST PRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS FACING ASSOCIATIONS AND MEETING PLANNERS… According to the latest IPCC report, carbon emissions must peak by 2025 and then start coming down rapidly if we are to have any chance of avoiding ‘catastrophic’ temperature rises. International conferences are the most carbon intensive activity linked to associations. Here ve sustainability experts cut to the heart of the matter answering the fundamental questions to help associations start their journey towards net zero and assess their progress along the way.
I N T E R V I E W S H O L LY PAT R I C K
Should I pledge net zero or carbon neutral – what’s the difference? EAM: Carbon neutral means not increasing the current carbon emissions that you’re producing from your activities but achieving reductions through o setting your activities. So that’s investing in o setting schemes and having a policy in place not to increase your emissions. Net zero is better because you’re making a conscious e ort to make reductions in the carbon emissions of your activities. With net zero, you’re reducing your carbon emissions to the lowest possible amount before you consider o setting. You can’t claim to be net zero if you’re not making reductions. I’ve heard the meetings industry has various sustainability schemes: should our association opt into one of those? SM: First look at your own sector because there are multiple net zero pledges for di erent sectors. You want to be tying into pledges that are relevant to your association’s members who may not be in the business of events. Net zero pledges within the event industry are helpful for event people and can get you on the path within your association, but don’t necessarily re ect what’s going on in your sector. One of the big claims that most companies and associations are tracking is the Race to Zero. e Race to Zero is essentially the business world’s response to the Paris Agreement on climate change. What the Race to Zero provides is a framework for anyone in any sector to get on the path to be contributing towards targets that are aligned with that agreement.
If I join the Race to Zero, will someone tell me what I need to do? SM: Race to Zero is like the umbrella and there are partners that focus on pledges that translate Race to Zero into the more speci c ways it’s applied. If you’re a small to medium size organisation, there’s the SMA climate hub (SMAclimatehub. org), where you can get help. But it’s important to underline that everyone’s pathway is di erent. If you’re going into these initiatives expecting that they’re going to give you the silver bullet of exactly what you need to do, you’re not going to nd it. Who’s going to check we’re doing all the things we’re supposed to be doing? SM: e net zero police turn up! No, they’re not real. Each partner must conform with pledge criteria. ey must put a plan in place within a speci c timeframe, act on that plan within a speci c timeframe, and publicly report their progress as they continue to improve. You must meet those criteria to be a member in good standing of these communities. And if we don’t? SM: Right now, the priority is to get as many people participating as possible. It remains to be seen how the quality of pledges, and the extent of action, will be assessed and whether that leads to anyone being kicked out of the agreements.
10 2022 #1 AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL
EXPERTS
I’ve heard about the UN SDGs. What are they?
an exercise to engage stakeholders to understand what environmental, social and governance issues are important to them. In the events sector, we have ISO 20121, which is the standard around how to plan a sustainable event. Within ISO 20121, there is the section for identifying your issues. So, how do we stop someone just picking an easy SDG? By changing the way events are planned so that they’re planned in a way that considers the impact of the events and we do that using recognised standards.
Ell e Ashton Mel , commun t le d t event sust n b l t consult nc , sl
FP: e Sustainable Development Goals are the United Nations framework for how the world will work for everybody. ere are 17 Sustainable Development Goals in total and most of them interconnect. You shouldn’t be focused on working with all of them, but instead, associations can start by selecting a smaller number of SDGs that are most relevant to their industries and sectors. From
Sh wn Mc nle , pr nc p l t Cle r Current Consult n
Many pledges claim to help your organisation achieve net zero and carbon neutrality, but how do I know they’re authentic? FP: e word is credibility. ere are all sorts of industry associations within the event sector, we’re seeing all sorts of labels and badges and initiatives and resources. But are they
If you’re going into these initiatives, expecting that they’re going to give you the silver bullet of exactlywhat you need to do, you’re not going to nd it
F on Pelh m , CEO of Pos t ve Imp ct Events
a meetings perspective, we now have no choice but to address SDG 13, Climate Action, to combat climate change and its impacts. Government policy, corporate policy, sponsor expectations and attendee expectations mean they expect to know what the carbon impact of the event is. Could the SDGs be used for ‘greenwashing’? Organisations saying that their activities align with certain goals but not actually doing much. FP: Choosing what you deem is the easiest SDG to follow is a form of greenwashing because it says: “Look we’ve done loads on this”, but it was very easy. Organisations need to take a materiality standpoint when choosing its SDGs. Materiality is
credible? What’s credible is anything that is aligned with United Nations work and recognised by United Nations or is an international standard body such as ISO or UN. It really is just me in the office! How can I make a difference? NZ: If you’re one person and you are going to have an in-person meeting, home in on waste management because you can start a track toward zero waste. You need to make sure all your RFPs are asking for recycling, make sure it’s in the contract, make sure it’s happening. You should also focus on reducing. Look at everything you have for the event and ask yourself, ‘Do we really need this? Can we cut down the number of signs?’ ere
N nc Z v d , pres dent of sust n ble-meet n s consult nc MeetGreen
Gu B wood , ch ef ch n em er t Glob l Dest n t on Sust n b l t Movement
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 11
are economic bene ts to be had in doing that. Track those savings, because those savings are what you’ll be able to show to your boss and say, ‘Look, I saved $5,000 by either reducing the signs or using electronic signage,’ for example. Will anything make a difference if delegates are still flying to our meetings? SM: Aviation accounts for 75-95 per cent of a conference’s carbon footprint. Analysts are looking at sustainable aviation, talking about electric ights or hydrogen planes,
delegate through ying as opposed to taking the train. Ultimately, you must give them the options and when people know that facts, they can choose to take responsibility for their choices Should I be working with the host city to encourage delegates to take the train? GB: A good destination should be able to o er incentives to encourage delegates to catch the train, such as discounted train fares, but this also needs to be encouraged and communicated by the event organiser. IMEX, for example, took the initiative to get 30 per cent of their hosted buyers on trains to their conference. at’s a signi cant reduction to the event’s carbon footprint. Once the delegates are in the destination, you need to consider how they’re going to move around. Ask the destination if they can provide free train passes or reduced fares. Some destinations can even place conference representatives at transport hubs to help delegates navigate where they’re going. A lot of people dismiss offsetting as greenwashing. Others say it has a place. What’s the truth? SM: We know we have a limited carbon budget and if we have any chance of staying within two degrees of global warming, never mind 1.5, we must reduce emissions to zero. e longer we delay those reductions, the more damage is caused because emissions are continuing to accumulate in the atmosphere. Reducing now actually makes quite a bit more di erence than if we o set and support a project that isn’t going to reduce emissions for ve or 10 years. If we’re using o setting to kick the can down the road, then there’s absolutely a case to be made for that being greenwashing. It takes a long time to grow a tree. Have we got that long? SM: Tree planting is very popular, and if you’re going down this route, you need to make sure the rights of stakeholder groups have been considered. ere’s a lot of issues around forestry assets, the rights of indigenous people and the use of non- native species. Timescales are another issue, with forestry or peatland restoration, you’re paying for an o set now, but the reality is your ambitions are
but those are not going to scale up and be viable for at least another 10 to 15 years. NZ: ere’s always been a badge for travel, but we need to step away from
The longer that we delay those reductions, the more damage that’s caused
travelling for business for travelling’s sake. is extends to speakers too. Do you need to y in a speaker from India, for example, or could they deliver their speech remotely? If we can’t avoid flying, how can we reduce its impact? NZ: Associations could make their meetings regional so more people can drive or not y as far. And if it’s not going to be a regional meeting, nd out where most of your attendees are coming from and choose a destination close to them. ere are huge (carbon) savings to be had if delegates can take a direct ight as opposed to taking several stops. SM: If you opt for an international conference every second year and in the o -year host regional conventions, that is catalytic to reducing overall airlift, often enabling people in certain regions to shift to trains instead of short haul ights. It doesn’t have to be this situation of not ying at all. It’s about how can we reduce ying, but it is a tough one, and it’s probably our biggest challenge. What can we do to encourage our delegates to get the train instead of flying to a conference? EAM: It comes down to communication. As a meeting planner, you have the responsibility to nd a venue that has access to public transport. en communicate why delegates should opt for the train instead of the plane and be explicit about how many emissions are produced per
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 13
conferences@sec.co.uk sec.co.uk/conferences Scottish Event Campus (SEC) To find out more, contact us or visit:
not balanced out until decades later. e shorter the timescale the more quickly the o set will generate avoidance that makes the di erence and reduces that long term damage. Are there any other kind of offsetting projects? SM: ere’s a whole range of projects out there, but you want to look at a project that is permanent so that it won’t be undone. You want it to be additional, so it’s something that needs your funding to make it happen. Is ‘sustainable growth’ a contradiction in terms? GB: If we step away from thinking about growth in economic terms, growth can be social, environmental, and cultural. I want to shift the thinking away from sustainability to regeneration. Because sustainability, to most people, is about doing less bad. It’s about, how do we y a little bit less, reduce our emissions by 10 per cent, or get rid of plastic pens? at doesn’t tackle the systemic issues we have with our world. So, what’s the alternative? GB: We must move to another level, which is rethinking business models or economies, and that is a regenerative business model, where everything we do is starting to heal and recover or replenish our economic, environmental, and social systems. We use a PCO. Isn’t it their job to make sure our events are green? NZ: We’re all in this together, it’s not down to one person. During the pandemic, instead of doing their own due diligence, I saw many planners say, ‘Oh, the venue’s going to take care of that, they’re supplying PPE and sanitising stations. ey’ve got protocols and we’re just following that.” But they needed to take responsibility too, in the same way with sustainability. It’s everybody’s bag. e sustainability director should be enrolling the conference manager and saying, “ is is what we’re doing, we’re working together, how can we support you?” We need to be reporting to stakeholders, involving the vendors, and asking them what’s new in the way of sustainable materials and practices. How can we put pressure on our suppliers to be more sustainable? EAM: Begin with considering who is in your supply chain, how they can help, what you can do to help them, for example, providing them with longer lead times on projects. You need to understand what innovations they’ve got, what sustainable materials they can o er, providing them with briefs and bringing them into that conversation as early as possible so that they have time to nd solutions.
GLOSSARY
Net zero A t r et of completel ne t n the mount of reenhouse ses produced b hum n ct v t , to be ch eved b reduc n em ss ons nd mplement n methods of bsorb n c rbon d ox de from the tmosphere
C rbon neutr l m n or result n n no net rele se of c rbon d ox de nto the tmosphere, espec ll s result of c rbon offsett n
C rbon offsett n The ct on or process of compens t n for c rbon d ox de em ss ons r s n from ndustr l or other hum n ct v t , b p rt c p t n n schemes des ned to m e equ v lent reduct ons of c rbon d ox de n the tmosphere P r s A reement The P r s A reement s n ntern t on l tre t on cl m te ch n e, dopted n 2015 It covers cl m te ch n e m t t on, d pt t on, nd f n nce Sust n ble Development Go ls A collect on of 17 nterl ned lob l o ls des ned to be “bluepr nt to ch eve better nd more sust n ble future for ll” Greenw sh The process of conve n f lse mpress on or prov d n m sle d n nform t on bout sust n b l t pr ct ces
R ce To Zero R ce to Zero s c mp n to r ll le dersh p nd support from bus nesses, c t es, re ons, nvestors for he lth , res l ent, zero c rbon recover 0 %
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 15
SPONSORED CONTENT
NEW ZEALAND’S VIBRANT AND CREATIVE CAPITAL CITY Wellington is a compact, connected and collaborative citywith big ambitions
ellington’s focus on strategically attracting and supporting events for the legacy and impact they have on the city and its residents
combination of creativity and technology ensures it is home to an exciting new generation of programmers, designers, artists and storytellers. Its prowess as a creative powerhouse is world renowned, with the Oscar-winning Wētā Group of companies testament to ‘Wellywood’s’ movie magic capabilities. e city’s reputation in the creative sector has helped it to attract many international conferences in the space, including the World Science Fiction Convention – WORLDCON – and the Paci c Conference on Computer Graphics and Applications (Paci c Graphics). Paci c Graphics was originally booked for October 2020 but took place virtually in 2020 and then again in hybrid format in 2021.
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is reaping rewards. Events have proved pivotal in supporting sectors important to the city and successfully used as catalysts for change, driving investment, improvement and growth. Renowned for the beauty of its landscapes and friendliness of its people, NewZealand is a progressive and dynamic nation delivering new and innovative solutions for its citizens. Wellington, its capital, is proud to have been recognised as one of the 21 places in the world that will epitomise the future of work (Cognizant 2021). Recognised as a UNESCOCity of Film,Wellington’s
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C se stud World of We r bleArt® Aw rds Show Well n ton’s reput t on s cre t ve c t h s been enh nced b ts nvestment n the nnu l host n of the World of We r bleArt (WOW®) Aw rds Show The world’s le d n we r ble rt des n compet t on nd spect cul r st e show, the WOW Aw rds Show ttr cts 60,000 v s tors e ch e r The show moved to Well n ton n 2005 nd h s s nce m de the c t ts home nown s the ‘Cre t ve C p t l’ of New Ze l nd, the c t ’s reput t on h s helped t ttr ct cre t ves nd des ners now respons ble for e r-round rts events
Im e courtes of World of We r bleArt Ltd
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CULINARY CAPITAL
C se stud V s Well nton On Pl te In the sh dow of the 2008 lob l f n nc l cr s s, Well n ton cre ted new event des ned to boost spend n dur n w nter, showc se the re on’s food nd bever e sector nd to develop cul n r tour sm n the re on V s Well n ton On Pl te w s l unched w th v s on to feed people’s ppet te for l fe b br n n them to ether to sh re d fferent, nsp r n nd provoc t ve cul n r exper ences The econom c mp ct d rectl supported hosp t l t bus nesses nd promoted the extr ord n r l d verse food nd bever e produce nd products th t those bus nesses source from w th n 100 m of Well n ton’s centr l bus ness d str ct The fest v l s m n ed b the Well n ton Cul n r Events Trust nd h s rown to become month-lon event fe tur n cul n r events w th d n n , cr ft beer, bur er nd coct l elements
Vs Welln ton On Pl te, the l r est culn r festv l n the southern hemsphere
VisaWellington On a Plate is a unique and much-loved festival and one that could only happenwith the dedicated support of the city, region and its residents
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CREATIVE DIGITAL CAPITAL
C se stud NZGDA Conference Well n ton recentl coll bor ted w th the New Ze l nd G me Developers Assoc t on (NZGDA) n mult - e r p rtnersh p to ncre se nvestment nd row the t lent pool n the cre t ve d t l content sector The NZGDA’s nnu l conference (est bl shed n 2004, nnu l sed n 2012) ttr cts 600-700 dele tes nd w ll, throu h th s p rtnersh p, exp nd ts rem t to ncorpor te the f lm, screen nd nter ct ve med sectors lon s de ts tr d t on l m n content thereb stren then n Well n ton’s pos t on s world le der n these f elds A new publ c focus w ll lso cre te n opportun t for ever d New Ze l nders to le rn bout the v lue of the screen sector, ts potent l nd the p thw s for c reers n th s f eld “Wh n W ll ngton ppro ch d us, w mm d t l s w th pot nt l to mprov cross- ndustr coll bor t ons, co-product ons nd d r ct nv stm nt n our ndustr s, ” s s Chelse R pp, Ch r of NZGDA “W ll ngton s nown s N w Z l nd’s cr t v c p t l nd s l d r n f lm nd nt r ct v m d , wor ng w th W ll ngton ust m d s ns ” In 2023 the conference w ll move to T n , Well n ton’s new convent on nd exh b t on centre scheduled to open m d-2023 Jan Tonkin, of The Conference Company, PCO for the NZGDC Moving the event into Takina will enable further growth andwe expect attendance at the conference to increase signi cantly, both fromwithin NewZealand and o shore. With a exible oor plan and 10,000 sqmof multi-purpose space, Takina will give this event the ability to continue to expand and innovate to create an experience, not just a series of rooms and sessions
T n , Welln ton’s Conventon nd Exhbton Centre, openn n 2023
New Ze l nd G me Developers Conference (Im e NZGDA)
CONTACT
Bus ness Events Well n ton wors w th loc l p rtners, nclud n Tour sm New Ze l nd, to del ver successful ntern t on l conferences
Get n touch w th the Bus ness Events Well n ton te m to d scuss fund n nd support opt ons to help br n our conference to New Ze l nd’s c p t l
For further nform t on, cont ct Irette Ferre r Bus ness Events Well n ton M n er T +64 22 107 1012 E IretteFerre r @well n tonnzcom Well n tonNZcom
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 17
A BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO...
A BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO… LEGACY
Sounds great. So, what is the problem? There is a growing feeling that associations and host cities should be doing more to maximise the legacy of international meetings or even look for ways to create legacy. To take the initiative, in other words. And, just as importantly, they should be shouting about legacy from the rooftops! Why’s that? Because over the years too much focus has been put on how international meetings benefit the supply chain – hotels, convention centres, restaurants etc. Some people have argued that failing to communicate the ‘real’ value of international meetings (the legacy) might hasten their demise. Because… Climate change, the emergence of virtual meetings tech, over-tourism. Let’s just say the pressure to be able to justify flying 10,000 people into already over-crowded cities has never been greater. So, it’s possible to leave a bad legacy? Yes. But that’s not the idea. Can any of this stuff be measured? Back in 2011 Business Events Sydney funded a ground-breaking study by the University of Technology Sydney measuring the social legacies of business events. And recently other convention bureaux have followed suit (see Upfront). But this is definitely the tricky part of the jigsaw and where associations will have to play their part in tracking and reporting legacy. You said associations can create their own legacy projects. Do you have an innovative, world-beating example? Yes! See facing page.
Whenever I hear the word legacy, I think of the Olympics…. Believe it or not, it was first attached to the Olympics in 1956 when the Games were held in Melbourne, but it’s a word that’s now applied to any large meeting, sporting or otherwise. So, what does it mean? Well, that’s a good question. You see…erm…it’s a bit like…. You appear to be struggling… Let’s just say it resists too precise a definition! It’s probably best to think of legacy in terms of the long-term benefits a meeting can deliver above and beyond the immediate impacts.
Failing to communicate the real value of international meetings might hasten their demise...
Sounds a bit woolly… Well, an immediate impact might be the money a meeting generates for a host city through business tourism. It could also be the result of a charity or outreach programme attached to the event. But legacy refers to how meetings can change society for the better in a deeper, more lasting way. For example? Well, we know that the knowledge exchanged at a medical conference can lead to life-saving research. We know that meetings can help cities attract job- creating inward investment. We know meetings can raise awareness of major public health issues or human rights issues.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Iceberg the-iceberg.org
Meet4Impact meet4impact.global
Copenhagen Legacy Lab wonderfulcopenhagen. com/cll
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CASE STUDY ESTRO 2021, MADRID, AUGUST 27-30, 2021
“ARTICULATE YOUR VISION – NOT YOUR MISSION” areas we needed to focus on were patient awareness about the need for treatment
The European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) helped persuade the Spanish government to invest €700m in a rollout of life-saving radiotherapy machines after launching a public-awareness campaign at its 2021 Congress in Madrid. ESTRO cited legacy when asking destinations to bid for the congress - weighting it at 60 per cent, with the balance (40 per cent) based on logistical requirements. Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) – which employs its own Congress Legacy Manager- won the bid. Part of the legacy project involved building a website, in association with the Spanish Society for Radiation Oncology, aimed at removing the fear of the unknown from this type of treatment. MCB funded the project, which included inspirational ‘success’ stories from celebrities, who had recovered from cancer after having radiation treatment. Alessandro Cortese, ESTRO executive director, explained: “The two main
to achieve the best possible outcomes and achieve meaningful societal change. But associations shouldn’t
and the uneven distribution of radiotherapy equipment across the country. We thought it would be wiser to focus on the outreach, given the situation with Covid, and we learned, during the process, that our communications led to the decision by the private- public partnership in Spain to raise a very substantial budget, around €700m, to equip those areas of
get confused between outcomes and legacy.
“When we speak about outcomes we speak about patient outcomes, patients that survive or have the best possible treatment. When we speak about legacy, we speak about the structural resources that remain once the congress is done and finished.” Cortese conceded
ALESSANDRO CORTESE ESTRO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
the country that weren’t equipped. That went beyond our wildest dreams when we started the process.” Cortese said legacy was now understood by a ‘relatively large group’ of ‘early adopters’ and hoped that the next step would be a ‘massive adoption’ by the whole industry. He said associations and destinations should work together on legacy projects
that not all associations would have such a clear-cut legacy objective, but added: “There is one rule we can all use when it comes to legacy, and that is to articulate your vision, not your mission. That is where everyone should start. And realising that it’s about pushing beyond your membership to wider society.” Additional reporting by James Latham. The Iceberg.
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FACE TO FACE IRVING WASHINGTON
SWITCHED ON IrvingWashington , executive director of the Online News Association (ONA), talks fake news, annoying his grandparents, dealing with uncertainty, and providing a platform for black CEOs…
I N T E R V I E W J AM E S L A N C A S T E R
excellence in the industry. Twenty years ago, one of our founders, who worked for MSNBC.com, was not allowed to join a prominent journalist association because he was not considered a ‘journalist’ at that time. And so, it grew from that basis of changing the industry, recognising the power that was going to unfold with the internet. So now we’re one of the larger journalism organisations and our mission is still the same. We were focused on innovation back then and we still are. However, what has changed is what innovation looks like. So now innovation’s not just technology, it’s about diversity, equity, and inclusion in your workplace culture, it’s about sustainability, it’s about emerging tech. That breadth of what innovation looks like is what our members are now championing across the world. JL How many members do you have? Are they individual members or organisations – or both? IW We are an individual member organisation and we have about three thousand members. JL Are they all US-based or do you have international members? IW Mainly in the US. We’ve been growing globally, so we have about twelve per cent international members now. Of course, the internet has been the ultimate equalizer of places across the world, and so our international membership has grown with that, too. JL So, these are journalists who exclusively work online – or do some work for publishers who maybe lead on print but have an online component? IW This is the best part of my job: it’s everybody. Our members are reporters and editors, but
JL Give us a synopsis of your career: where it all started and how you ended up at ONA. IW One of my earliest memories is of being fascinated with all facets of media –TV, radio, games – and recognising early on the power of media in a way I was unable to articulate at the time. I was podcasting by myself before podcasting was a thing, annoying my grandparents by recording them doing these shows on a tape recorder! But the traditional option for getting into media back then was becoming a reporter: go to a small city; work your way up, and none of that really appealed to me. So, I was confused for quite a while: why do I have this passion for media and what it can do, but don’t want to follow this sort of very rigid career path? And that lasted all the way through college. Anyway, I ended up moving to DC and I applied for a job advertised in the Washington Post and the organisation was RTDNA, which stood for Radio-Television News Directors Association. It was only when I was sitting in the interview that it hit me: ‘this is it!’. It took two decades to get there, but I knew this is what all those experiences were leading up to and that’s how I found my unique niche in the media world. So, I’ve worked for RTDNA, the National Association of Black Journalists, and for the last ten years at Online News Association. JL And in those jobs, were you doing any meeting and event planning? IW They were all small staffs, and we are a small staff, so, yeah, you do everything! I think between all three jobs, I have done pretty much every area of association management there is! JL So, tell me a bit about the ONA. What are its objectives? IW Our core mission is to inspire innovation and
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also people who work in audience development. They’re start-ups, they’re digital, they’re mainstream – like New York Times or CNN – and they’re also local, like the Dallas Morning News. Digital has really transformed the industry, so we’re not really defined by any organisational type. It’s the individual innovating in the newsroom. For example, we have a member in a local TV station in a rural area, North Carolina, and they are currently trying to get their leadership to recognise that the organisation needs to be on social media. That’s obviously a different innovation story to what the New York Times is going through right now, but all these people are ONA members. JL You have one of the largest conferences in the industry. How did your organisation deal with being unable to meet in person over the last two years? IW Believe it or not, we had been talking about the future of conferences and events in our strategic plan, and we were going to test a virtual conference model at the end of 2020 and potentially build that out over time. Ha ha world! We have a pandemic! And so that model we were discussing literally becomes everything we do for two years, but because we had that in our strategic plan, we had some of the infrastructure already. JL So you went virtual – was it a success? IW Going virtual was still a big decision for us. We obviously didn’t have all the details worked out, but we looked at where we believed the pandemic was heading, and what we needed to do from a safety standpoint and a business standpoint, and it was successful given what we were all dealing with externally. We experimented a lot and, true to our mission, we built our own virtual
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platform instead of outsourcing and spent a lot of time thinking about how to engage our community in the virtual environment and that went well. We ended up having about 60 per cent of our normal conference attendees and then a lot of people who do not usually attend our conference, too. JL You mentioned strategy.What other lessons of leadership did you take from the last two years? IW That the human nature of what we do as leaders could not be more important. Everything we did that was a success, were things where there was a thoughtful connection with people. For example, at the start of the pandemic, instead of sending out a generic message to our members – a lot of organisations were doing that – we sent a personal note from me with the subject line: ‘Are you okay?’ From a list of 20,000 people, I got 200 plus replies responding to me in so many ways. Another lesson is around how strategy is evolving so quickly now. Because the external environments are changing so quickly, I ask myself every day: ‘how am I showing up for this organisation?’
JL Are you feeling the pressure? IW It’s the pressure of permanent uncertainty. We talk about pressure as something that will be relieved later. But how do you lead when there’s no sign that the pressure will be relieved any time soon? It’s just a different model for all of us leading associations now – a new muscle reflex. JL Which leads us to the crisis in Ukraine. How should associations with international members and maybe a Russian chapter react to what’s happening in Ukraine? IW It’s a complicated situation, but you start with, who are the people we are serving and how are they impacted? And that’s something every association will have to ask themselves and it’s going to look very different depending on the kind of membership you have. And then you look at your values. Is there an opportunity for the organisation to stand up for the values they espouse? That will not be the case for every association. But I think there are some associations that should look at their values and see if this is a moment where they need to expand their voice. JL We hear a lot about fake news, most of it originating online. Does your organisation have any role to play in countering the spread of fake news? Is it something your members care about? IW It’s one is one of the top issues in our industry, and, I think, one of the top issues in the world. We were having conversations in 2016 around media manipulation, around those groups who are purposely writing content to deceive the media or get communities to search a certain word, and then take people down a certain rabbit hole – toAlt-right groups for example. So, we’ve done a lot of work on that, including creating a volunteer-led misinformation playbook as a resource for our members. JL And what role do associations have to play in raising the level of public discourse generally? IW There is growing distrust of all institutions. Fake news is top of mind right now, but, with Covid-19, for example, we’ve seen distrust of the medical profession. So, this is about speaking up for truth, for the facts. This is a rejection of expertise and I don’t think we can say that’s entirely unfounded. There are and have been abuses of power which explain why people might not trust institutions and experts. So, I think we need to combine that knowledge with how we build trust in institutions and our associations and the people that we serve.
Dealing with constant pressure has become a newmuscle reflex for association leaders
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will thank you for attending
If you organise international meetings and events for an association, then you need to be at Association Focus , taking place at IMEX in Frankfurt on 30 May 2022 . It’s an interactive and strategic open exchange including the business challenges facing you today. Hear from expert global speakers and discuss topics on event design in a post Covid world,
diversity, equity and inclusion for associations, venue contracting and negotiation, 365 member content, the association workplace of the future, plus more! Then, stay on for IMEX, three days of connecting with destinations, venues and suppliers to gather ideas for your future events.
Interested in attending as a hosted buyer with all your travel and accommodation provided by IMEX? Contact Association specialist Laura Jewell on laura.jewell@imexexhibitions.com Or visit imex-frankfurt.com/register
THE HEARTBEAT OF THE BUSINESS EVENTS COMMUNITY
in different ways. That prompted us to think maybe we should share this more broadly so people can get our perspective on it, and it was not intended to go any further than that one conversation. What we discovered was that we opened a space for other people to have conversations, so we kept it going. Now we’re almost two years in, and so long as we’re providing value, we’re going to keep it going. JL Are black people represented properly in the association world? IW Great question. I don’t know the percentage, but, anecdotally, I’d say we are underrepresented…. JL You’ve been ONA executive director for five years. What do you still want to achieve? IW This issue of trust in journalism is something that weighs heavily on me. Every bit of mistrust we have in journalism really does hurt democracy, so I think that’s a bigger vision overall. I don’t think any organisation can solve that problem alone, however, but I think that’s something I can play a part in with ONA.
JL Is anyone making any money out of online journalism yet? IW The answer is yes and no. Interestingly, a lot of the newer innovative models in journalism right now are association business models. So, you hear a lot of media organisations talk about membership. You hear a lot about community. You hear a lot about events. And you hear about subscription models. There’s even a growing non- profit journalism movement now. So that’s the yes part because we’re seeing promising opportunities from all those different ways of doing business. The no part is you’re seeing fewer players get a larger share of some of those revenue models, and so the struggle now is how does that trickle down to some of the local news organisations? JL You recently started a podcast interviewing black CEOs. What inspired you? IW It started from being mad. It was the summer of 2020,myself and three ofmyblackCEOfriendswere texting about how we were handling the great Black Lives Matter reckoning – and we were handling it
EVENT PREVIEW IMEX ASSOCIATION FOCUS
POST-PANDEMIC CHALLENGES FOCUS OF IMEX ASSOCIATION PROGRAMME A
ssociation Focus – the conference for not-for- profit executives that
community leadership in over 25 countries, explaining what makes teams gel and associations thrive. Michelle Mason, president & CEO of ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) will moderate a panel on the economic impact of the pandemic for associations and share advice on how to evolve the business model. Elsewhere the meaning of DEI will be explored by a panel of association leaders, including Tracy Bury, Deputy CEO of World Physiotherapy, and Mike Morrissey, CEO of the European Cancer Organisation, and Senthil Gopinath CEO of ICCA. Carola van der Hoeff, president of AC Forum and COO & Congress
Director of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), said: “The association representatives I’ve spoken with have all shared the same sentiment – they’re looking forward to returning to IMEX in Frankfurt and meeting face to face again. “They’re looking forward to meeting their suppliers and partners, venues and CVBs in particular, doing business and reinforcing those partnerships. The associations
precedes the IMEX tradeshow in Frankfurt – will address the challenges of a post-pandemic world. The programme, a collaborative effort with input from industry associations ASAE, ESAE, AC Forum, and ICCA, will be split into two streams: leadership and event planning. Wide-ranging topics include diversity, equity and inclusion, what makes teams ‘tick’, the workplace of the future, and the future of year- round learning. Shane Feldman, founder of the largest youth-led organisation in the world, Count Me In, will share the results of his research into
are also excited about the sheer joy of seeing each other – colleagues, members, partners – face to face after a long hiatus.”
Association Focus takes place at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center on Monday, May 30 – the day before IMEX in Frankfurt, held May 31 – June 2.
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