Opinion

Generic World Cup image

July 15, 2026When the hosts start writing the rules ...James Lancaster asks what lessons international bodies can learn from the FIFA World Cup 2026Read More

Coronavirus: a test-case for event risk management

February 26, 2020Coronavirus: a test-case for event risk managementWhat next? That’s the question haunting meeting and event planners as the novel coronavirus shows its contempt for national borders, crossing them with steady and deadly impunity.

Coronavirus: how fear of the unknown is testing nerves

February 12, 2020Coronavirus: how fear of the unknown is testing nervesI seldom have nightmares, but when I do they conform to type. The threat is always non-specific. I am not being chased down a side street by rabid dogs; I am not in the crosshairs of a sniper. Instead my dread comes from a shapeless feeling of uncertainty that intensifies to the point where I can...

Conference shame: why the industry needs to get its game face on

January 28, 2020Conference shame: why the industry needs to get its game face onI suppose it was only a matter of time.

Mental health: why meeting planners dont have time for Blue Monday

January 20, 2020Mental health: why meeting planners dont have time for Blue MondayIt is the third Monday of the year and the sky is that rinsed-clean blue – somewhere between a cornflower and the flag of Argentina - that can send negative thoughts scuttling for the shadows.

Is your keynote speaker worth a media gagging clause

January 8, 2020Is your keynote speaker worth a media gagging clauseWould you accept a media blackout clause issued by your keynote speaker?

How slow meetings could help quell the sound and fury

December 20, 2019How slow meetings could help quell the sound and furyIf Shakespeare was right when he described life as ‘a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’, then what, one wonders, would he have made of social media?

Why it’s healthier to keep wellness off the programme

December 4, 2019Why it’s healthier to keep wellness off the programmeFrom superfoods to crystal singing bowls, aromatherapy oils to yogic retreats.

Azerbaijan wins bid for 73rd International Astronautical Congress in 2022

December 1, 2019Azerbaijan wins bid for 73rd International Astronautical Congress in 2022Strengthening its position as a distinctive and competitive destination for the business events industry, Azerbaijan recently won the bid to host the prestigious 73rd International Astronautical Congress in 2022. The decision was taken at the General Assembly of the International Astronautic...

IOC’s Airbnb deal highlights accommodation conundrum

November 22, 2019IOC’s Airbnb deal highlights accommodation conundrumDelegate housing has become a rather vexed issue and it was given a fresh twist this week when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed a $500m sponsorship deal with Airbnb.

Is LinkedIn Events a wolf in sheep’s clothing for associations

October 23, 2019Is LinkedIn Events a wolf in sheep’s clothing for associationsSocial media was once cited as an existential threat to associations: the digital world sweeping away the arcane practices of membership-based organisations stuck in analogue mode.Show More