Opinion

Moody Melbourne

September 9, 2026Should events and tourism really be under one roof?Three different organisations, three different purposesRead More

Meetings: the one billion euro question

October 10, 2018Meetings: the one billion euro questionCan the knowledge imparted at a congress really be worth €1bn?

Irony of ICC Birmingham lost on conference Brexiters

October 4, 2018Irony of ICC Birmingham lost on conference BrexitersThose still following The Brexit, with its protracted cliff-hangers and tortured subplots, were left none the wiser following the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham this week.

Why online communities are not an open and shut case

September 28, 2018Why online communities are not an open and shut caseThe emergence of online communities was meant to be a ‘game-changer’ for associations, making redundant old assumptions about exclusivity, information sharing, and the value of membership.

Mutschlechner: retirement would be industrys loss

September 17, 2018Mutschlechner: retirement would be industrys lossThe departure of Christian Mutschlechner from Vienna Convention Bureau in February next year may, or may not, signal his departure from the wider international meetings industry.

Disposable coffee cups Just set your alarm clock

September 11, 2018Disposable coffee cups Just set your alarm clockOnce upon a time, Coffee houses were places of earnest public discourse, where religious, intellectual, and political ideas were frequently debated over a pot of the pungent black stuff. Good places in which to close a business deal, too, or sketch the opening of a play. Less rowdy than inns and...

Clear thinking: air pollution and the meetings industry

August 28, 2018Clear thinking: air pollution and the meetings industryIt was a few years ago now, but I can still remember the elderly couple sitting across the aisle from me on the shuttle bus to Stavanger and the look of happy astonishment on their faces.

Oh Vienna! Austrias liveable capital

August 15, 2018Oh Vienna! Austrias liveable capitalTo name somewhere the most ‘liveable’ city in the world has always struck me as rather presumptuous, failing, as it does, to take into account personal taste and the priorities of the individual.

Why access is worth shouting about

August 1, 2018Why access is worth shouting aboutStriking artwork, natural light, excellent F&B – all of these things can help turn an average convention centre into something more memorable. When venues are irredeemably bad, it’s usually because of the kind of dodgy planning that would flummox a champion homing pigeon.

Back to basics

August 1, 2018Back to basicsIt can’t be easy. Organising a conference that manages to retain, over several days, a special relevance for thousands of delegates while having that ineffable ‘wow’ factor. No wonder ‘event manager’ always features near the top of those ‘Most Stressful Jobs in the World’ lists.