Marriott Hotels, part of Marriott International, today announced its debut in West Africa, with the highly anticipated opening of Accra Marriott Hotel. Owned by African Hospitality Limited, the hotel is strategically located opposite the Kotoka International Airport, making it the perfect “Gateway to West Africa”. Set in the heart of Airport City, a burgeoning urban development, the Accra Marriott Hotel is just a few kilometers outside of the central business district providing easy access to major corporate businesses, government entities and well known city landmarks.

“We are thrilled to open the Accra Marriott Hotel, a highly anticipated addition to our Africa portfolio and a significant milestone in our journey” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “Accra is the heartbeat of Ghana, a dynamic city bustling with energy. A commercial, manufacturing, and communications center with great shopping and excellent nightlife, it makes an interesting travel destination both for business and for leisure. The Accra Marriott Hotel will add to the city’s maturing hospitality scene, inspiring guests with more forward-thinking experiences and aesthetically inspiring spaces that speak to their inventive nature.”

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The HQ team is pleased to introduce its readers Said Laghmari. Said joined our office on April 2018 as Deputy Managing Director and will work alongside the team to carry the Sales and Events management. The figure is undoubtedly already known to most of you. Indeed, Said enjoys a very long experience in the meetings and hotels industry. He began his career in one of Brussels' grand hotels, The Hilton Brussels and later joined one of the largest professional conference organiser and association management, MCI Group where he held positions in PCO, Corporate and DMC departments. In 2011, Said decided to give even further impetus to his career and he joined one of the largest associations based in Brussels, The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) where he managed the industry liaison and congress logistics. Through his entire career, Said has travelled the world and become acquainted with most of the destinations where he visited convention centres, collaborated with convention bureaus as well as various national organisations helping the smooth running of congresses.

Said's knowledge and expertise in the association world will definitely bring excellent added value to HQ and will help us to better meet the demands of associations and continue to be the crucial link between these associations and the destinations.   

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Glasgow has become the first host city in the world to launch a bespoke programme of awareness sessions for the tourism and hospitality industry in advance of three major international medical conferences taking place throughout 2018. Almost 350 attendances have been recorded at the People Make Glasgow Welcome sessions which were delivered by experts from each organisation and local people living with the conditions.

Approximately 700 delegates, roughly 10% of those expected to attend the World Federation of Hemophilia in May, the World Down Syndrome Congress in July and the International Symposium on ALS/MND in December, are living with the conditions under discussion. 

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Flanders Meeting & Convention Center Antwerp has now been operational for a full year and has just accepted its sixtieth confirmed convention booking. This is a particularly happy moment. FMCCA has proven to be a highly sought after venue for the organizers of international conventions and conferences. FMCCA has moreover received a number of acclaimed awards, including the industry’s highest honour, the ICCA’s Best Marketing Award for the Room with a ZOO campaign. Come and meet FMCCA at IMEX 2018 at stand E120 (Meet in Flanders).

Flanders Meeting & Convention Center Antwerp is part of the Queen Elisabeth Hall complex and is located in the celebrated Antwerp ZOO, just ten minutes walk from the historic city centre and next door to Central Station. The convention centre can receive up to 2,700 participants and offers over 25,000 m² of conference space, as well as a wonderful choice of highly desirable experiences. FMCCA itself hosts a number of prestige conventions such as IMEC 2017 & 2018, AWC 2018 and the AIPC Annual Conference 2019.

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From May 15 till May 17, 2018, a key exhibition event in the field of event industry and incentive tourism, the largest international specialised exhibition IMEX-2018, where market professionals from 150 countries take part on an annual basis, will be held in Frankfurt (Germany).For the first time Russia will be represented at IMEX with a collective stand RUSSIA OPEN TO THE WORLD, organised by the Russian Convention Bureau.

The Russian Convention Bureau(National ConventionBureau Association)was established in November 2017 with support of the Government of the Russian Federation to form and promote a positive image of Russia as a favourable place to hold events of any scale and attract international meetings. Russian Convention Bureauis actively working to interact with buyers (professional event organisers, corporate customers, non-profit organisations, professional industry associations). Russian Convention Bureau’stasksinclude organisation of familiarisation tours to Russian regions for potential customers, as well as participation in tenders for the right to hold international events in the Russian territory. 

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V-Malaysia 2018, an annual convention organised by QNET, has topped the Penang’s Business Events industry with the attendance of 16,000 delegates from 70 countries worldwide. It is also the fifth consecutive year that V Malaysia has chosen Penang as its convention destination. Supported by Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), an agency set up to grow the Business Events in Penang, the event serves as a benchmark to prove that Penang is capable in hosting large-scale events.

The five-day event sees both a combination of the QNet trade exhibition as well as the corporate conference happening simultaneously at Setia SPICE Convention Centre and Setia SPICE Arena respectively. Themed ‘One People. One Planet. One Purpose’, the conference serves as a platform to motivate individuals to not only improve their lives and the lives of others, at the same time to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship.

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Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), the global travel management company, today reported a strong performance in 2017, the first full year of its digital transformation strategy, CWT 3.0. 

“2017 was the year our digital transformation strategy – CWT 3.0 – started feeding through to the numbers,” said Kurt Ekert, President & CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. “We remain focused on delivering a technology-driven, consumer-grade experience across all channels – and on building a high-growth hotel distribution business. Our 2017 results show our strategy is working.”

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Registration for the forthcoming 2018 AIPC (International Association of Convention Centres) Annual Conference, to be hosted at ExCeL London from 1-4 July 2018, is now open.

This exclusive, member only event brings together senior level professionals from the world’s leading international convention centres for educational, networking and strategic planning purposes. This year’s programme is themed ‘Strategies for a Changing World’ and includes four keynote speakers covering topics from the impacts of major policy and political shifts to the war for talent.

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Japanese MICE operators position Thailand as a top destination for international exhibition. Based on the readiness of exhibition venues and MICE facilities, the operators are interested in organising business events in Bangkok and secondary cities namely Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Khon Kaen, and Krabi. In addition, the Japanese entrepreneurs also see that the development of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) will strengthen Thailand’s transport and MICE industries. Meanwhile, TCEB reported that the roadshow activity recently held in Japan successfully attracted at least ten events to take place in Thailand with projected revenue of 4,848 million baht from Japan MICE travellers in this year.

Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB,said that “Thailand by the ‘Thai Team’ led by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI), Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and Thailand’s leading MICE suppliers, recently organised a road show in Japan to promote Thailand’s MICE industry to the Japanese MICE entrepreneurs. Held in Tokyo under the theme ‘Thailand CONNECT’, the road show was strategically conducted to target conventions and exhibitions markets, the two major sectors which occupy 65% of MICE business in Japan. The activity emphasised key messages to build and retain market confidence as well as to attract MICE events to Thailand. Highlights include the readiness of Thailand’s MICE industry, the Thai Government's support, the development policy of Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), the incentive shames for convention and exhibition events offered to sectors underlined under the framework of Thailand 4.0, the facilitation from Thai Team, and other related incentives packages. Furthermore, the road show opened a business platform and created opportunities for Thailand’s MICE suppliers to meet potential buyers from Japan. Another highlight activity was a seminar which provided event planners in-depth information on organising convention and exhibition in Thailand. The road show attracted more than 100 leading Japanese MICE entrepreneurs.

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One Young World, the global forum for young leaders, today announces London as the Host City for its global Summit in 2019.                        

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500 participants gathering to foster regional collaboration, explore practical solutions to empower African youth and address development challenges. 

After successful regional gatherings in Tunis, Beijing and Madrid, the World Innovation Summit for Education is hosting a first regional forum in Accra, Ghana, on May 9th, 2018, with the patronage of the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

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The Darwin Convention Centre was awarded winner of the Meeting Venue – 500 delegates or more category at the Northern Territory 2017 Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) Industry Awards, held in Darwin last night. 

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The UICH (Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hôtels) Qatar Chapter has confirmed Doha will host the organisation’s annual congress in 2021. The 67th edition of the annual event is expected to gather more than 900 members of the hospitality sector for a six-day program which combines professional development, networking and social activities.

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From April 21 to 26, 2018, human-computer interaction will receive a thorough examination during the CHI 2018 international conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. This prominent conference will attract 3,000+ delegates from 50 countries and bring in an estimated $6.7 million in tourism revenue for the city and Québec.

“Montréal hosts the most international events in all of North America and AI is a field we continue to excel in. We feel privileged to welcome these world experts and to play an active role in bringing them together, which will help generate significant intellectual wealth for the province,” stated Raymond Larivée, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal. “The cooperation between the various industry partners, especially Tourisme Montréal, made it possible to attract this major conference, and we are eager to welcome the attendees,” added Larivée.

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Forget about Belgian Beer: Why Brussels is a top hub for associations

Main changes in 2018 and opportunities for international associations

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As the May 25 deadline for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance is drawing closer, Nicolas Hamblenne, associate of KOAN Law Firm in Brussels, sheds light on the more complex guidelines and debunks some of the myths surrounding the legislation.

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The project “Ambassadors of Bologna” is aimed at personalities from the academic, medical, scientific, professional, entrepreneurial, sports and institutional sectors of the city, interested in candidating Bologna as the venue for a future congress or other type of event. Bologna Convention Bureau provides them with full support and concrete tools to help them with their candidacy for the acquisition of an event, with the aim of improving the visibility of the destination and its scientific, cultural and economic development.

On march 12, 2018, the first thirteen Ambassadors of Bologna were awarded in the wonderful location of the Farnese Chapel of Palazzo d'Accursio, where the project was presented. During the presentation ceremony, the Councilor for Culture, Tourism and Promotion of the City, Matteo Lepore, delivered a speech; other guests were: the vice-dean for International Relations of the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Alessandra Scagliarini; the President of Bologna Welcome, Celso De Scrilli; the President of BolognaFiere, Gianpiero Calzolari.

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With a turnover of 123.3 million euros in 2017 and an operating result of 9.6 million, RAI Amsterdam surpassed its turnover and profit of 2016. This was a particularly impressive performance as the cancellation of the AutoRAI and BedrijfsautoRAI events had meant that the prospects for 2017 were only moderately positive. In addition to the good results, the RAI worked hard during 2017 on renewing its organisation and the RAI 2030 spatial development plan.

Read the annual report 2017.

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