June 30th 2022

What’s New This July?

July ushers us into the second half of the year, which means we’re once again entering some of the busiest months of the year.

This month gives us a taste of how exciting the rest of the year will be, so let’s take a peek at what’s happening this July and in the coming months.

 

2022 Sustainable Cities Index

The Sustainable Cities Index ranks global cities on air quality, renewable energy, emissions, and other similar factors based on crowd-sourced data. The first interactive index of its kind, it gathers information through a data hub that focuses on 12 key indicators that impact urban sustainability.

Staying aligned to our commitment to excellence, 7 of our partner cities made it to the top 50:

  • #3 - Copenhagen
  • #7 - Tokyo
  • #8 - Vancouver
  • #10 - Berlin
  • #12 - Cape Town
  • #13 - Madrid
  • #45 - Singapore

Click here for more information on the methodology and indicators used in the index.

 

Preparations Underway for IMEX America

Following a successful IMEX Frankfurt, we’re now gearing up for IMEX America. 

Invites for the Hosted Buyer Group for the upcoming IMEX America will be sent out shortly, paving the way for the exciting lineup of events set to happen in October. The programme is open to any organization that plans and/or contracts meetings and events outside their home country.

Qualified delegates will enjoy free access to all educational sessions and will be part of the BestCities Madrid Challenge. A VIP event exclusive to hosted buyers is also set to happen, plus a number of other perks like complimentary flights and hotel accommodations. 

 

New Accessibility Widget on the BestCities Website

We’ve always seen our website as a great way to connect with our community and as a channel where we can share vital information about our organization and the industry as a whole. To help make this even more possible, we’ve added an accessibility widget.

The widget allows you to adjust the website settings according to your own reading preferences. You can adjust the contrast, change the font size, highlight relevant links, and so much more. Try it out, simply click on the blue button on the right side of any page. 

 

Help Us Improve Our Website

While we're upgrading our website, we want to make sure that every single visitor enjoys their browsing experience. So, to determine which upgrades to make next, we’ve put together a survey to capture what you think we’re doing right, as well as what needs to be improved.

Help us improve our website further by answering 10 short questions through this link: https://forms.gle/ok1ucdgqZc71HzYW7.

 

FIFA World Cup 2026

FIFA has revealed the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup, after carefully considering a total of 40 potential hosts. Out of the chosen 16, three of them are our partner cities - Guadalajara, Houston and Vancouver. 

All in all, there are 11 host cities in the US, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada. These cities are expected to accommodate 48 teams.

One of the biggest sporting events every year, it’s always considered a huge honor to be included in the list of cities where the FIFA World Cup is to be held. 

 

2023 and 2024 Laver Cup Set To Happen in Vancouver and Berlin

Another much-anticipated sporting event, the venues for the Laver Cup for 2023 and 2024 have been announced. After a highly-competitive bidding process, Vancouver and Berlin have been chosen as the final setting for the popular tennis tournament.

The Laver Cup Vancouver 2023 will be held at the Rogers Arena, while Laver Cup Berlin 2024 will be held at the Mercedes Benz Arena.

 

What’s Happening in Our Partner Cities?

July promises to be quite an eventful month for our partner cities as the often busier half of the season starts. Here’s a look at some of the things happening in our partner cities.

 

Vancouver

2022 marks the 36th annual event at Canada Place at the Port of Vancouver, which has historically been the largest Canada Day celebration outside Ottawa. This year also marks the beginning of a new direction for the event.

Now named Canada Together, the event has been planned collaboratively with representatives from the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. From programming to the name and theme itself, the details of the day were carefully considered to create a welcoming experience for all people who live in this country.

 

Tokyo

Support programs for corporate events that come to Tokyo have just been improved upon and now cover smaller-scale events. Site visits are newly available for groups from 500 visitors’ nights, and exciting programs, such as OkuTama Forest Therapy Tour, which comes highly recommended as a wellbeing activity, have been added to the cultural programs.

The Business Events Tokyo team is always happy to help organizers get the most out of our fantastic city in any way they can. Please do not hesitate to get in touch and visit their page.

TCVB’s latest video on the thrilling activities and unique venues displays the exciting experiences and world-class hospitality Tokyo provides for business events’ participants and organizers:

SKYTRAX, the international rating organization for air transport facilities and services, announced at the 2022 World Airport Awards that Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) was voted the second-Best Airport in the World and the World's Cleanest Airport. Haneda maintained its global leadership for three consecutive years.

July events:

17 - 22 July 2022: The 75th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference

25 - 29 July 2022: Digital Humanities Conference

 

Singapore

The Global Health Security Conference 2022 will be happening from June 28 to July 1 at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Center. Delegates from over 78 countries are expected to participate, with an impressive list of speakers lined up that includes WHO Director General Dr. Tedros, 31st US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Uganda Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceg, and other health ministers and foreign leaders.

The first major healthcare event after the pandemic, this is part of Singapore’s efforts to start welcoming visitors back into the country after slowly lifting their restrictions over time.

 

 

Melbourne

Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) exhibited at IMEX Frankfurt from Tuesday 31 May to Thursday 2 June. IMEX Frankfurt 2022 is Europe’s largest business events trade show that brought together over 5,000 global decision-makers and hosted buyers and provided an opportunity for MCB and MCEC to promote everything Melbourne has to offer as a world-class destination for business events.

MCB hosted its first Partner Outlook Lunch in-person since 2019. In attendance was 91 partners who enjoyed a delicious lunch at Q Events Metropolis and heard from MCB’s CEO Julia Swanson and the MCB Leadership Team who delivered an update on this year’s highlights and an overview of our exciting plans for the year ahead.

MCB co-hosted a corporate and incentive focused famil with Business Events Australia. A group of seven delegates from India enjoyed an array of Melbourne and regional Victoria’s best corporate meeting venues and incentive experiences. Highlights include a bespoke private dinner at State Library of Victoria, a trip on Puffing Billy Railway and a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Melbourne has retained its place as one of the world’s most liveable cities, ranking 10th, as other Australian capitals dropped out of the global top 10.

Beverley Williamson, MCB General Manager, participated in a panel session for Destination Victoria 2022, to discuss leveraging Victoria’s world-class events calendar and the work MCB has been doing to deliver a strong future pipeline of secured business events. Destination Victoria 2022 Conference at CENTREPIECE saw over 600 guests convene over two days for insights, ideas, and inspiration as Victoria looks to a future bright with opportunities.

 

 

Madrid

The Madrid Convention Bureau will be participating in a Spanish roadshow initiated by the Spain Convention Bureau from July 5 to 7, which includes destination presentations in Milan and Rome. The MCB will also be part of the C&IT Festival of Forums-Agency happening in Glasgow on July 26 to 29.

It’s also summer time in Madrid! The temperatures are rising as the city amps up the fun and festivities all over the place. Visitors are encouraged to visit the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where the 14 Champions League Cups won by Real Madrid are on display. For guests interested in live music, theme parties and food trucks, the Zarzuela Hippodrome is also worth the visit in this season. 

Here are other parties, events and festivities happening all over Madrid:

For more events and information on other sights worth seeing around Madrid, feel free to visit Madrid’s official tourism website.

 

Houston

The George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) grabs the first-ever LEED Gold certification presented by the US Green Building Council, a huge affirmation that Houston First, the firm that manages the venue, is excelling in terms of sustainability, maintenance and operations.

The GRB was previously given the LEED Silver, with recommendations to improve several areas like energy conservation, indoor air quality, waste reduction and water conservation. This new certification shows how well they take action when feedback is given.

Blossom Hotel Houston also receives recognition as part of Trip Advisor’s 10 Hottest New Hotels in the U.S. for 2022. A lunar-themed luxury hotel, it is the only Houston property to be included on the list.

For the month of July, here are some of the top places and things to experience around Houston:

To find out more about upcoming events in Houston, visit the city’s tourism council website.

 

Dublin

Dublin’s National Transport Authority has taken a step closer towards their sustainability goals after signing an agreement to purchase 200 zero-emission electric buses. 45 of these units will be delivered within the year. This purchase is just one of the many actions to be taken as the city continues to follow the government’s 2019 Climate Action Plan and 2020 Programme for Government. 

Also aligned with these plans is Smart Dublin’s recent launch of the first ever Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.

Meanwhile, Dublin has launched the Gala Dinner Venues scheme, which aims to renew focus on providing unique gala dinner venues. Fáilte Ireland’s scheme offers grants to eligible projects, where each project could get a maximum of €200,000.

Lastly, visitors can stay connected as they experience a more seamless travel experience with the free public Wi-Fi system to be installed throughout the city. The system was first installed on a trial basis at the Dublin City Council Amphitheatre, Barnardo Square, and Dame Street but is now ready to be installed city-wide.

 

Dubai

Dubai Business Events is set for a busy second half of 2022, with a packed calendar of sales activities and engagements with meeting planners within the city and around the world in key target markets.

The city is building on the momentum of a record presence at IMEX Frankfurt recently and a strong response from meeting planners at the trade show and other engagements so far in 2022.

Activities will include sales missions to Europe (Milan, Madrid, Paris, London), Latin America (Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City), and Israel (Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv). Inbound study mission focus on Japan/ Korea, South East Asia, and North America and of course preparations for IMEX America and IBTM World have started.

Beyond these, the team in Dubai and in DBE’s offices around the world will continue to engage with planners and participate in many other events with stakeholders and partners, including of course the BestCities Global Forum.

 

Copenhagen

For the first time ever, this summer’s Tour de France will be taking off from Copenhagen on July 1. To prepare for the event, an official countdown timer has been set up at the City Hall Square. This event perfectly matches the city’s reputation as the most bike-friendly city in the world.

Aside from being friendly to bikers, Copenhagen has also been named as the world’s Most Liveable City. An annual survey by Monocle that focuses on quality of life, this is the 5th time that Copenhagen has been granted this honor. 

The city is not just a great place to live in, but an amazing place to hold notable events as well. This is why the Nordic Life Science Days congress has announced that they will be holding their annual event in Copenhagen for the first time in 2023, after being held in Sweden for the past 10 years. The event, which attracts over 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries, will be happening at the Bella Center in November 2023.

Finally, the Copenhagen Legacy Lab has won yet another award after winning the GDS Innovation Award back in 2021. The IMEX-EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award recognized the Legacy Lab’s efforts in ensuring long-term, positive and sustainable impacts from international congresses.

To find out more about the recognition, you can check out this link: https://kongres-magazine.eu/2022/06/copenhagen-legacy-lab-wins-imex-eic-innovation-in-sustainability-award-2022/.

Cape Town

The Skytrax World Airport Awards is one of the most prestigious awarding bodies in the tourism industry. This year, the Cape Town International Airport has been awarded the Best Airport in Africa for the 7th year in a row. They also received the top award for “Best Airport Staff in Africa”.

Skytrax sets the benchmark in the global airport industry. It assesses over 500 airports from all over the world on an annual basis by conducting a survey among passengers. The survey gauges excellence in different services and processes like check-in, transfers, security, and more.

Berlin

Festival summer in Berlin is beginning. With the opening of “Kultursommerfestival” on June 18, Berlin turns into a single open-air stage for 90 days, offering huge selections of free concerts, performances, readings and much more. The Premium Festival from July 7 to 9 brings together established brands and newcomers at a major trade fair for sustainable fashion and lifestyle. At the CSD on July 23 tens of thousands of participants, send strong signals for equality, acceptance and tolerance in an exuberant atmosphere.

Preparations for the MICE & Travel Business Festival “Bestival” are also ongoing. In the coming weeks, the program, speakers, participants and everything important about the event will be published. “Bestival” connects business partners, locations, attractions and services in the city and is happening from August 25 to 26. Interest to join? Please register here: https://convention.visitberlin.de/en/bestival

Other news from Berlin includes Messe Berlin's 200th anniversary this year. The trade fair Berlin has been established as one of the most important trade fair venues & organizers in the world. Its portfolio includes the global brands and leading trade fairs IFA, InnoTrans, ITB, FRUIT LOGISTICA and the International Green Week, as well as major conferences, association meetings and corporate events. Several anniversary actions are happening in July, such as guided tours about the historical architecture and trade fair underground.

And did you already hear that The Berlin Convention Office came out with new sustainable event guidelines? The guidelines offer practical tips for conserving resources and saving energy at events containing 13 areas of action for all aspects of event organization. Furthermore, the sustainable meeting format MEET+CHANGE is evolving. It gives event planners access to special meeting venues in Berlin by making rooms in diverse social and cultural institutions exclusively available. The unique locations have an inspiring effect and can positively reinforce event contents.