March 31st 2022

What’s Happening This April?

2022 has been a pretty amazing year for the MICE industry so far, and we’re about to make it even more exciting as we usher in the 2nd quarter of 2022.

Here’s an overview of BestCities initiatives, key business events, and exciting events in our partner cities this April and in the coming months.

 

IMEX Frankfurt

We’re getting closer and closer to IMEX Frankfurt, which is happening from May 31 to June 2. Preparations are right on schedule and we’ve been having so much fun preparing amazing materials for all the participants and attendees. 

Our Hosted Buyer Programme is also a hit, with the slots filling up fast! We only have a few slots left, so interested parties should sign up right away to enjoy the exclusive perks that come with it. It’s a great way to expand your network and make the most out of one of the most anticipated events in the industry.

Hosted Buyer groups get perks like:

  • Access to the Association Focus happening on May 30, Monday 
  • Allows participants to schedule appointments with exhibitors that meet your needs
  • Learn more about The Madrid Challenge and what it takes to be part of it
  • Meet other Hoster Buyers
  • Attend an exclusive breakfast event on June 1, Wednesday
  • Complimentary accommodations, airport and hotel transfers, and flights or trains

If you’re someone who regularly plans and organizes events and meetings outside of your home country, then you’re eligible to join the programme! Register here to join the BestCities Hosted Buyer Group.

 

BestCities Commitments

At BestCities we are committed to building a sustainable future for the BestCities Alliance and our partner destinations. That’s why we drafted the BestCities Commitment to a Sustainable Future – our promise to support and guide associations and destinations to enable sustainable meetings that leave a lasting legacy.

Click here to learn more about the three tiers of commitments and the aspirational commitments that help us fulfil our mission of creating a sustainable future, raising standards for the industry overall and, most importantly, differentiating BestCities partners from competitors.

 

AIME 2022

Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) owners, the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) have fuelled the business event’s industry revival by hosting the first international tradeshow since Australian International Borders reopened. 

What’s Happening in Our Partner Cities?

Our partner cities continue to pave the way for a bigger and better year for the industry. Here’s a peek at what’s happening in our partner cities.

 

Melbourne

This month, starting with Melbourne continuing the amazing AIME story...

MCB inspired AIME 2022 delegates at the largest stand on the AIME 2022 show floor, the Melbourne Stand. This year’s Melbourne Stand highlighted the best of the city, challenged expectations and introduced many exciting new exhibitors.

Showcasing to the world that Melbourne and Australia are back in action, hosted buyers and media attending AIME 2022 experienced Melbourne's world-class business events capability as part of the Uncover Melbourne immersive experiences that demonstrated why Melbourne is a benchmark city for business events. Highlights included a spectacular lunch at Rippon Lea Estate by Showtime Event Group, the AIME welcome reception for 700 guests at CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park and MCB’s Melbourne welcome reception by THE LUME Melbourne, supported by the Victorian State Government.

After a lengthy COVID-induced hiatus, momentum is building in the business events scene. There is pent up demand for in-person events, with companies eager to bring people back together and Melbourne can’t wait to host AIME 2023.

 

Singapore

Singapore continues to slowly relax their COVID safety measures, which means that they’re also slowly on their way to eventually start hosting bigger events in the near future as well. 

Some changes to their safety management measures include:

  • Group size limits are increased to 10
  • Masks are no longer required outdoors starting March 29
  • Capacity for larger events will be increased to 75%
  • Starting March 31, fully-vaccinated travelers will be allowed to enter Singapore as long as they presenta pre-departure COVID test

Other changes to Singapore’s COVID guidelines are highlighted here.

The relaxed measures have helped reignite the MICE sector, with events like the Global Health Security Conference 2022 now slated to happen from June 28 to July 1 at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre. 

The Singapore Tourism Board has also released a new hotel sustainability roadmap, which prompts hotels to meet the target decrease in emissions by 2030. This initiative highlights the STB’s commitment to sustainable development and paves the way toward the net-zero emission goal for 2050. 

 

Tokyo

The Japanese government has lifted COVID quasi-emergency measures as the country continues to recover from the pandemic. Considering this progress, we’re confident that Tokyo’s MICE industry will start to thrive once again, especially in terms of in-person events.

With the cherry blossoms starting to bloom soon, the city will once again start to attract more visitors, setting the perfect backdrop for any type of event. This is perfect timing as the TCVB introduces two new sites from the Tokyo Unique Venues portfolio.

The Tokyo Cruise Terminal and Small Worlds Tokyo were introduced in an online showcase event that highlighted the ingenious ways that different venues can be used for business events. It also showed how unique performances could be integrated with business event programs to make them as engaging as possible.

The impact that these performances can have on business events was proven further as online participants were exposed to the Koenji Awa-Odori, a summer street festival that features thousands of dance teams. 

As part of TCVB’s online event, participants were shown how vibrant the Japanese culture truly is as they taught some simple dance steps and invited everyone to do it in unison to the beat of the lively music. This added life to the online event and successfully added a sense of unity among the participants.

Here are other events happening in Tokyo this April:

For updates on other events in Tokyo, feel free to visit this link.

 

Vancouver

Destination Vancouver is partnering up with Capilano University to present data on how international conferences can impact the city. It aims to show the huge benefits that come with Vancouver’s role as a host city, as well as all the tangible and intangible impacts.

To come up with the relevant data needed, a team of researchers will be studying five conferences that were held in Vancouver this year in great depth. From there, their findings will be presented to members of the BestCities Global Alliance as well as local stakeholders.

Through this research, Destination Vancouver hopes not only to show the impact of the MICE industry in terms of tourism but its benefits that go beyond the sector.

Click here to read more about this new legacy research project.

 

Berlin

Berlin will be hosting the M&I Healthcare Forum happening from April 11 to 13. This trade event focused on the healthcare industry brings suppliers and buyers together in one place, with 25 meetings spread over the 2-day event. 

MICE professionals are also looking forward to BESTIVAL 2022, a business festival for event planners and tourism planners. The event itself will be happening on August 25 and 26, but preparations are now under way. Check out this link to find out more about how you can be part of this event.

Lastly, Meeting Guide Berlin now offers 360° views of hotels, venues and other locations around Berlin, giving event planners and organizers a sneak peek at potential locations for their events. 

Site visitors can also take advantage of the Live Guided Feature, where clients and location providers can meet on the platform and visit the locations together virtually. This allows potential clients to ask questions and find out more about the different venues available.

Feel free to visit this link for more information.

Cape Town

Cape Town will be hosting the World Conference on Pharmacometrics (WCoP) 2022 from March 29 to April 1. This will be a hybrid event with both virtual and in-person attendees.

Watch this video to find out more about the event:

 

 

As the multicultural and cosmopolitan centre of Southern Africa, Cape Town provides the perfect setting for an event that aims to promote pharmacometrics research on a global scale. Participants can come for the science and stay after the conference to explore everything that Cape Town offers.

 

Copenhagen

In Copenhagen, Spring is usually marked by the opening of the Tivoli Gardens. This will be happening on April 8, enhancing the experience for visitors to events happening this season.

Here are some of the events happening in Copenhagen this April:

For updates on other events in Copenhagen, feel free to visit this link.

 

Dubai

Madrid

It’s a busy month for the Madrid Convention Bureau, knowing that it’s Spring in Madrid once again. This comes with a string of promotional activities both locally and abroad.

It kicks off with Madrid Business Meetings, a professional forum happening on April 3 at the VP Plaza España Design. It brings together some of the most relevant MICE providers throughout Spain and connects them to event organizers from Belgium, France and Switzerland.

The MCB will also be travelling to Berlin to participate in the upcoming M&I Forum from April 11 to 13. This forum is geared towards healthcare events and should be a great place to network and get more professionals interested in holding their events in Madrid.

After that, the MCB is headed to Cannes to join Heavent Meetings, a European trade show for MICE professionals. This is happening from April 19 to 22.

MCB will also be holding a general assembly of members, which will be preceded by a coaching session. These sessions will focus on something that is highly relevant in today’s times – mental health and emotion management. Three experts in these areas will be discussing tools that the attendees can use to help them deal with personal and work-related stress. 

After these coaching sessions, MCB president and delegate councillor for tourism, Almudena Maíllo, will be discussing how 2021 went for the industry and how they see 2022.

In terms of sports, Madrid has been named the World Capital of Sport for 2022. This will be further marked by the return of their popular marathon, the 44th edition which features three different distances. The Mutua Madrid Tennis Open will also be happening towards the end of the month.

In culture, the Madrid City Council has inaugurated a new space within the Matadero Madrid called MAD (Madrid Artes Digitales) Immersive Experiences Centre. This space will feature digital creations, with Austrian artist Klimt as the first exhibitor. 

This month, the Iberian Chapter of the ICCA will be focusing on the science sector. In this month’s meeting, they will be presenting to the Higher Council for Scientific Research CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) where they will be highlighting the possibility of legacy and sustainability initiatives. To help with this endeavour, they will be featuring the principles used in the BestCities Madrid Challenge.

Lastly, the Madrid City Council Tourism, through the Tourist Intelligence Observatory, has created a tool that can be used to study the hotel sector in Madrid. The tool is accessible through the Madrid Destino website and shows how the industry has evolved throughout the years. This is a great resource for those who want to see the direction where the industry is headed based on data from the past.