Looking Back at the IMEX America BestCities Breakfast
The recently concluded IMEX America was once again a huge success, as thousands of buyers, exhibitors, and other MICE professionals gathered in Las Vegas. On the agenda was the BestCities Breakfast, where Richard Torriani, CEO of digital marketing agency Kabloom, spoke to our group about catalyzing an event’s growth with the power of digital marketing.
The breakfast was attended by our partner cities, association representatives, meeting planners, and the media.
ICCA Congress Bangkok
ICCA Congress 2023 is happening from November 12 to 15 in beautiful Bangkok, with a Young Professionals Forum, a Global Business Exchange, and other experiences awaiting the attendees.
To make the ICCA Congress even more exciting, three shortlisted candidates for the Incredible Impacts Awards will be presenting their cases in front of a global audience. The audience will then choose a winner based on the merits of each case.
The 2023 Incredible Impacts Program finalists, selected by a judging panel of their association peers, are as follows:
Additionally, BestCities and ICCA are thrilled to announce the recipient of the $5,000 USD Seed Grant:
Click here to read more about the 2023 Incredible Impacts Awards.
Discover BestCities’ Impactful Activities at ICCA Congress in Bangkok
We hope you are looking forward to the upcoming ICCA Congress in Bangkok as much as we do. Join us for some enlightening series of sessions and discussions that delve into the heart of sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and the profound impact of association meetings.
Click here for a glimpse of what to expect from November 12-15, 2023.
Elevating Sustainability: BestCities Partners with Trees4Travel for Global Forum Melbourne
BestCities Global Alliance is partnering up with Trees4Travel in the upcoming BestCities Global Forum to be held in Melbourne from January 18 to 21, 2024. The “Tech for Good” company allows organizations to calculate and compensate for their emissions, which aligns with our commitment to holding sustainable events.
Don’t forget to visit the Global Forum website for the latest updates on the programme
Updates From Our Partner Cities
What can we expect from our partner cities in the next few months? Find out in this round-up of what’s happening in our partner cities:
Washington, DC
Destination DC’s Chief Marketing Officer, Robin A. McClain, and SVP of Convention Sales and Services, Melissa A. Riley, presented DDC’s new marketing campaign strategy at the recent IMEX America. “There’s Only One DC” was designed to show different audiences — both leisure travelers and the international MICE market — what makes Washington DC stand out from other destinations.
DDC also used this moment to talk about city developments and sustainability initiatives, as well as to connect with their BestCities colleagues and other professionals who attended the event.
Meanwhile, Destination DC has been awarded the GDSM Innovation Award for their DEI Business Fellowship Program. Implemented as a sustainable and positive solution in hospitality, the initiative aims to support small travel businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ+ persons, persons with disabilities, and their allies.
Lastly, Washington DC hosted the 8th World Congress for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery last August, the first meeting in the continental U.S. in 40 years.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen Convention Bureau has launched the Copenhagen Risk Assessment white paper after partnering with KB Consulting, Mayvin Global Partners, MI Global, and two risk management experts. The white paper risks both from buyers’ and suppliers’ perspectives.
Copenhagen has also won the bid to host the 2025 WindEurope Convention, which is expected to attract around 15,000 attendees from the wind power industry. Having hosted the 2023 run of the same convention, the city is a fitting choice, knowing that wind energy was born in Denmark. Denmark is also the only country to source more than half of their electricity from wind energy.
Guadalajara
The Gay Games Guadalajara kicks off the month with the 11th edition of this competitive event happening from November 3 to 11. Co-hosted with Hong Kong, it’s the first time in the event’s history to be held in both Latin America and Asia.
To close the month, the Guadalajara CVB will be attending IBTM World from November 28 to 30 in Barcelona. As one of the exhibitors, the bureau will be highlighting the reasons why Guadalajara is one of the best destinations for any type of meeting or event.
Also happening is the Guadalajara International Book Fair, which will be happening from November 25 to December 3, with the European Union as this year’s special guest.
Berlin
Berlin has once again been included in the Top 10 Metropolises in the Global Destination Sustainability Index. The third time in a row for Berlin to be part of the list, the German capital has placed 6th with an overall score of 77%, a 3% improvement to last year’s score.
Kicking off the month of November, Berlin Science Week will be held from November 1 to 10. A celebration of scientific excellence, the event is expected to bring in an audience of over 20,000 attendees from over 150 organizations.
As for future events, Berlin will be hosting Gitex Europe in May of 2025 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. One of the largest tech and startup events in the world, the event is expected to attract 6,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries.
Tokyo
Conde Nast Traveler has named Tokyo as the second-best city in the world in its annual Readers’ Choice Awards 2023 survey. Tokyo is a regular in the magazine’s annual lists, with a spotlight on both the modern and the classic experiences expected from the city.
Meanwhile, the Business Events Tokyo team will be participating in IBTM World 2023 from November 28 to November 30. As an exhibitor, the team will be highlighting the latest offers for association meetings, corporate meetings & incentives, unique venues, Tokyo’s MICE Hubs, and more.
Singapore
Singapore has been ranked 17th globally and 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region in the 2023 Global Destination Sustainability Index. This rewards Singapore’s steps towards sustainability, including being certified as a sustainable destination based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria and launching the Hotel and MICE Sustainability Roadmaps and Sustainable MICE – guidelines for waste and carbon emission management.
Singapore also hosted the recently concluded FIRST Global Conference from October 7 to 10. More than 900 students from over 191 countries gathered for a thrilling four days of competition, innovation, and international collaboration in STEM.
Dublin
Dublin has been named the world’s 4th friendliest city based on a recent survey by Conde Nast. The Irish capital comes after Calgary, Edmonton, and Victoria on the list.
Meanwhile, Dublin is set to host the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) Annual Meeting 2023 from November 1 to 4. The event is set to bring in over 1,200 scientists, specialized physicians, and medical professionals from around the globe.
Dublin has also won the UEFA 2028 European Championships bid, a joint event to be done with the UK. Ireland will be hosting six of the matches at the Aviva Stadium, which will temporarily be named Dublin Arena for the event.
Vancouver
Vancouver has been named as one of the world’s best large cities in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2023 Reader’s Choice Awards. The award represents the travel industry’s most beloved and cherished experiences, as captured by thousands of reader votes. The awards hold an unparalleled legacy and remain an ultimate symbol and acknowledgment of excellence within the travel sector.
Vancouver has won the bid to host the Biennial Woodrise Conference in September 2025. More than 3,000 people are expected to converge in the city for the event, which highlights the benefits and uses of mass timber in construction.
Melbourne
Applications for the Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Event (AIME) Hosted Buyer Program are now open until December 8. AIME 2024 will be held from February 19 to 21, 2024, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Meanwhile, the Melbourne Convention Bureau has published a case study around the 2023 Rotary International Convention held in May for 14,000 Rotarian Members. The case study includes two videos focused on why Rotary International chose Melbourne as a destination and Why Rotary International and the local host organizing committee benefitted from working with MCB.
Melbourne has also maintained the top rank as the most sustainable destination in Australia and is one of the top 5 in Asia-Pacific in the global 2023 Sustainability GDS-Index.
Cape Town
The ISHA Annual Scientific Meeting convened for the first time on the African continent from October 5 to 7 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Attracting an estimated 500 delegates, the gathering united arthroscopic and open hip surgeons, hip preservationists, sports physicians, and rehabilitation professionals from across the globe.
Madrid
Madrid has once again been nominated for the World Travel Awards under the category “World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination.” The voting period started on October 16 and will be closing on November 18. The World Travel Awards aims to recognize exemplary performance in the travel and tourism industry and has long been considered to be the basis for industry excellence.
Houston
The most recent results from the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census show that Houston has become even more diverse, a huge factor that makes the region’s culture truly unique. 23.9% of its residents were born outside the US, and the total foreign-born population now exceeds the total population of Jacksonville, Oklahoma, and Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, passenger traffic at Houston’s airports has increased by 13% compared to last year’s numbers. The George Bush Intercontinental Airport welcomed almost 4 million passengers last August, which is a 15.1% increase from last year. Hobby Airport experienced a 2.5% drop from last year with around 1.1 million passengers, with Southwest Airlines contributing most to that decline.
Economy-wise, Texas continues to outpace the rest of the country in terms of growth for the 4th straight quarter and is home to the most number of Fortune 500 company headquarters in 2023. The Greater Houston area houses 25 out of 55 of these companies, while the DFW Metroplex is home to 24. The rest are scattered across Austin, San Antonio, and Midland.
Travel and tourism prove to be huge income earners for the state, with visitors spending $91.7 billion back in 2022, which resulted in a $187.5 billion total economic impact, $40 billion of which is contributed by hotels and the food and beverage sector.
Dubai
Dubai exhibited a strong presence at the recent IMEX America held last October, with 18 co-exhibitors showing the city’s status as a safe, world-class business events destination. That status was further proven as Dubai won the Middle East’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2023 in the World Travel Awards.
Meanwhile, Dubai recently hosted the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations World Congress from October 16 to 18. With the theme “Reimagine the Future,” there were over 400 participants coming from different sectors from all over the world.
