The DMC Network and Ovation’s 5th Annual Talent Search

The DMC Network and Ovation’s 5th Annual Talent Search ‘Raises the Roof’ at IMEX America
The DMC Network and Ovation Global DMC’s 5th Annual Talent Search kicked off on the Tuesday evening of IMEX America in Las Vegas last week. Taking place in the Marquee Night Club at The Cosmopolitan hotel, this year’s event drew its largest ever crowd ever, welcoming over 900 delegates from the show to celebrate Las Vegas as a destination.

‘’This year’s event was all about Las Vegas’’ shared Dan Tavrytzky, Managing Director of the DMC Network. ‘’The tragic events of the week prior were upsetting on so many levels. We as destination professionals know just how valuable tourism is for the Las Vegas economy, and how important it is to show support immediately after an event like this. We knew we wanted to acknowledge the victims and their families in a way that still supported the destination – cancelling our event would not have done that so we decided to change the format from our traditional talent search, where industry delegates from around the world compete for the title of best performance and travel prize, and use our already well established evening to showcase local Las Vegas talent -giving them the opportunity to shine and highlight that the city is open for business, while also partnering with the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada to raise much needed funds for the destination through a raffle for all attendees.’’

Guests were treated to an energetic show by three local Las Vegas bands, each showcasing their own unique take on popular music, with an esteemed panel of industry judges from Experient, Marriott International, Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau and Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Raffle tickets were sold to win a 5 night stay at the Westin Paris and air travel or a year’s membership with MPI, while the crowd was entertained with energetic covers into the morning hours. Local band ‘STATUS’ was ultimately crowned the winners at the end of the evening.

Speaking of the win, this year’s winning band said ‘’We are honored to receive the trophy at this year’s show. At a time when Las Vegas needs support more than ever before, it is wonderful to see companies continuing to come to the destination and host their events – it sends a real, tangible message to the world that we are here and we are open for business. Our city’s economy is built on tourism so there is nothing more valuable than this kind of support’’

Judge Darren Temple, Chief Operating Officer of MPI is quoted as saying: ‘’MPI has been involved in the Talent Search since its inception 5 years ago. The change in format this year was something we were very supportive of – MPI’s membership base is a global one, and we all travel as a part of our careers – any opportunity to showcase local destination support as a wider industry group is one that we are happy to support.’’

Following the event, the dates for the 6th Annual Talent Search were announced as Tuesday the 16th of October 2018, and as always, in conjunction with IMEX America.

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#DMCNetwork #Ovation #DMC #IMEXAmerica #LasVegas #MICEmedia #MICEnews

North American visitors drive record tourism in London

North American visitors drive record tourism in London

A sharp increase in the number of visitors from the US and North America is driving record tourism numbers across London according to London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional agency.

The latest official data shows London welcomed a total of 5.5 million international visitors in Q2 (April-June) an increase of 10 per cent on the same period in 2016 and a record for the period.

Overall visitors spent £3.4 billion during their visits to London between April and June, 15 per cent more than the same period last year.

But in the same period the number of visitors coming to London from North America rose by 30 per cent to 976,000 and the amount of money they spent rose by 23 per cent to £764 million.

It means that between April and June 18 per cent of all overseas visitors to London were North Americans who accounted for 22 per cent of all spending.

Last month London published a new Tourism Vision for the city which projects that by 2025 more than 3.3 million US visitors a year could travel to London (up from 2.32m in 2016), cementing America’s position as London’s most important market for international tourism.

Andrew Cooke, acting Chief Executive Officer at London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional agency for the capital, commented: “It is fantastic news that growing numbers of people are opting to visit London to sample the best of our capital. London is open to the world and has an appeal that clearly extends across the globe with its cultural, sporting and historical attractions”.

“North America is our most important market for tourism by a long way and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors from there and beyond in the months to come.”

A number of world-class events took place in Q2 which contributed to attract a record number of tourists. They include the David Hockney exhibition at the Tate Britain, Wolfgang Tillmans at the Tate Modern, the Tall Ships Festival in Greenwich, the World Cup of Gymnastics at The O2, the Joshua v Klitschko boxing fight at Wembley Stadium, the men’s hockey World League semi-final at the Hockey and Tennis Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race.

London’s tourism industry is worth 11.6 per cent of the capital’s GDP and 9 per cent across the UK as a whole. The sector employs 700,000 people in London – equivalent to 1 in 7 jobs.

Some of the other fastest growing markets for visitors to London by 2025 are China (103 per cent growth), India (90 per cent growth), and the UAE (43 per cent).

The Tourism Vision for London, which is backed by more than 100 industry partners and supported by the Mayor of London, also projects visitor spending to grow by almost 50 per cent to £22 billion a year, up from £14.9 billion (2016).

For more information on what’s on in London go to www.visitlondon.com

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#visitlondon #LondonandPartners #TourismNews #CityMarketing #MICEmedia #MICEnews #TourismNews #TheO2

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ist offizielles Partnerland der ITB Berlin 2018

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ist offizielles Partnerland der ITB Berlin 2018

Führende Messe der Reiseindustrie und das deutsche Bundesland besiegeln Zusammenarbeit

Rostock/Berlin, Oktober 2017 – Kooperation unter Dach und Fach: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ist offizielles Partnerland der ITB Berlin für das Jahr 2018. Am Donnerstag, den 12. Oktober 2017 unterzeichneten Harry Glawe, Minister für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Gesundheit Mecklenburg-Vorpommerns, Dr. Martin Buck, Senior Vice President Travel & Logistics und Mitglied der Geschäftsleitung der Messe Berlin GmbH, Wolfgang Waldmüller, Vorsitzender des Tourismusverbandes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e. V., sowie David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin, im Internationalen Haus des Tourismus in Rostock die Kooperationsvereinbarung. Zudem findet am Samstag, den 14. Oktober 2017 in Göhren-Lebbin in der Mecklenburgischen Seenplatte eine öffentliche Baumpflanzung statt, bei der die ITB Berlin Waldaktien-Inhaberin wird. Im Rahmen ihres fortwährenden Engagements für Gesellschaft und Umwelt unterstützt sie damit das vor zehn Jahren in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern gestartete Nachhaltigkeitsprojekt zur Kompensierung des CO2-Ausstoßes während einer Urlaubsreise. Erstmals seit Bestehen der ITB Berlin wird die Eröffnungsfeier 2018 in Zusammenarbeit mit Mecklenburg-Vorpommern hundert Prozent CO2-neutral gestaltet.

„Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ist eine der führenden Urlaubsdestinationen in Deutschland. Wir setzen jetzt als erstes Bundesland mit dieser Premiere ein starkes Signal. Wir wollen und müssen noch bekannter werden – vor allem im internationalen Maßstab. Diese Zusammenarbeit mit der ITB Berlin wird in der Branche auch nach innen wirken, denn wir wollen und müssen besser werden. Unsere Unternehmen und Anbieter stehen im internationalen Wettbewerb, und das in einem sich rasant verändernden Marktumfeld“, sagte Wirtschafts- und Tourismusminister Harry Glawe.

Wolfgang Waldmüller, Vorsitzender des Tourismusverbandes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ergänzte: „Wir freuen uns, den Auftritt des Landes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern auf der ITB Berlin 2018 zur organisieren. Dieses ist eine große Herausforderung, der wir uns gern stellen, denn wir haben damit die Chance, auf internationalem Parkett zu punkten. Die ITB Berlin soll nicht nur eine erste Wegmarke in der Saison sein, sie soll vielmehr den Weg hin zu mehr internationaler Aufmerksamkeit markieren und gleichzeitig das Tourismusbewusstsein im Land stärken.“

Gegen die Mitbewerber hat sich Mecklenburg-Vorpommern unter anderem aufgrund seines nachhaltigen touristischen Konzepts durchgesetzt, das die Aktivitäten der Messe in diesem Bereich adäquat widerspiegelt. Urlauber, die in dem nordöstlichen Bundesland zu Gast sind, haben zum Beispiel die Chance, ihren Aufenthalt CO2-neutral zu gestalten. Möglich ist dies mit Hilfe der sogenannten Waldaktie, von der bereits 85.000 Stück verkauft wurden. Sie ermöglicht ein umfangreiches Aufforstungsprojekt. In dessen Rahmen werden für zehn Euro jeweils fünf Quadratmeter Mischwald gepflanzt.

„Mit seiner Ostseeküste und der bekannten Seenplatte gehört Mecklenburg-Vorpommern zu den sehenswertesten Bundesländern Deutschlands. Seit 1991 ist das Partnerland sehr prominent als Aussteller auf der ITB Berlin vertreten. Wir freuen uns, dass damit erstmals in der Geschichte der ITB ein Bundesland sein Engagement derartig verstärkt und als offizielles Partnerland ins Zentrum der Reiseindustrie rücken wird. Die ITB Berlin stellt als weltgrößte Reisemesse die ideale Plattform dar, um die Region den Medien und Besuchern zu präsentieren und seine Bedeutung als überaus gastfreundliche und vielfältige Urlaubsregion zu bekräftigen. Die außerordentlich positive Entwicklung des Tourismus in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern über mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte hinweg und die kontinuierlich steigenden Zahlen der Reisenden in das deutsche Bundesland sind eine wahre Erfolgsgeschichte“, unterstrich Dr. Martin Buck, Senior Vice President Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin.

Auf der ITB Berlin 2017 war Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mit einem 400 Quadratmeter großen Stand vertreten und informierte Fach- und Publikumsbesucher in Halle 6.2 über die Höhepunkte seines touristischen Angebots. Im vergangenen Jahr sind nach Angaben des Statistischen Amtes 30,3 Millionen Übernachtungen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern registriert worden. Für die Wirtschaft des Landes stellt der Tourismus eine überaus wichtige Säule dar und sichert derzeit insgesamt 130.000 Arbeitsplätze. Zudem sorgt dieser Sektor für einen jährlichen Bruttoumsatz von etwa 4,1 Milliarden Euro und für Konsumausgaben durch die Gäste von insgesamt 7,75 Milliarden Euro.

Über die ITB Berlin und den ITB Berlin Kongress
Die ITB Berlin 2018 findet von Mittwoch bis Sonntag, 7. bis 11. März, statt. Von Mittwoch bis Freitag ist die ITB Berlin für Fachbesucher geöffnet. Die ITB Berlin ist die führende Messe der weltweiten Reiseindustrie. 2017 stellten mehr als 10.000 Aussteller aus 184 Ländern ihre Produkte und Dienstleistungen rund 169.000 Besuchern, darunter 109.000 Fachbesuchern, vor. Parallel zur Messe läuft der ITB Berlin Kongress von Mittwoch bis Samstag, 7. bis 10. März 2018. Er ist weltweit der größte Fachkongress der Branche. Der Eintritt zum ITB Berlin Kongress ist für Fachbesucher und Aussteller kostenlos.

Mehr Informationen sind zu finden unter www.itb-berlin.de, www.itb-kongress.de und im ITB Social Media Newsroom.

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#Reiseindustrie #ITBBerlin2018 #ITBBerlinKongress #MecklenburgVorpommern #Tourismusverband #TourismusNews

Bali Tourism Workers Being Unnecessarily Hurt By Volcano Speculation

Bali Tourism Workers Being Unnecessarily Hurt By Volcano Speculation

Tourists should keep visiting Bali as it is perfectly safe to do so. That was the recommendation made by Herman Hoven, General Manager of Khiri Travel Indonesia today.

Mr Hoven said there had been at least a 20% drop in tourism bookings in the Bali tourism sector at large, since the 3031m (9944ft) Mt Agung volcano started to show increased signs of activity in the third week of September.

“There has been no explosion. There may never be. And the vast majority of Bali’s tourism activities take place between 30 and 60 kms [18 and 37 miles] from Mt Agung, at a safe distance,” he said.

“Irresponsible reporting and comments on social media have created an unwarranted fear factor while the situation on the ground in Bali remains calm and tourism operators remain fully open for business,” he said.

Tourism is by far the largest economic sector in Bali, accounting for around 40% of the local economy, although reliable statistics are hard to find.

No major government travel advisories have been issued recommending tourists to cancel. Instead, overseas governments advise tourists to monitor reliable media reports and follow advice from Balinese provincial authorities.

Travel advisories admit that volcanic ash clouds may cause aviation disruption if Mt Agung erupts.

“That remains a distant and hypothetical scenario,” said Mr Hoven. “At the moment it is safe here, so tourists should contact their tour operator to confirm travel plans – and stick to their intention to visit Bali.”

He added: “We would not tell our clients to visit if we thought it was not safe.”
#IaminBaliNOW campaign launched

The #iaminBaliNOW social media campaign has been launched to support Balinese tourism and show tourists in Bali having a great time now – despite speculation about Mt Agung.

The campaign, launched by Bali-based Alex Tusk, the founder of bookgreener.com and RefillMyBottle.com, is modelled on the crowd-sourced social media campaign that Nepal used in 2015 following the major earthquake there.

Tusk said: “Persistent misinformation is threatening the livelihood of many entrepreneurs, their staff and families who rely on tourism income in Bali – not only those directly in the tourism sector but also, for example, farmers, who supply restaurants and hotels.”

#IaminBaliNOW aims to address the issue head on with the facts.

“#IaminBaliNow is a crowd-sourced, social media campaign to showcase Bali as it is now, with reliable, up-to-the date information, facts, photos and stories,” said Tusk.

Khiri Travel Indonesia, which is based in Bali, can be contacted at sales.indonesia@khiri.com.

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#IndonesiaToday #KhiriTravel #TourismNews #Bali #BaliNews #BaliTourism

Sascha Ferstl ist neuer Küchenchef im Hilton Mainz

Sascha Ferstl ist neuer Küchenchef im Hilton Mainz
MAINZ, Oktober 2017 – Seit Ende September ist der gebürtige Bremer Sascha Ferstl als neuer Küchenchef im Hilton Mainz tätig. Seine Karriere führte ihn durch verschiedene Restaurants und Hotels quer durch Österreich und Deutschland. Die letzten Jahre verbrachte er unter anderem als Küchendirektor im InterContinental Hotel in Wien, nachdem er lange Zeit in Sternerestaurants Erfahrungen gesammelt hat. Ein Highlight für Ferstl war sein Job als Chef de Cuisine im Jahr 2008 in einem der renommierten zwei Sterne Michelin Restaurants in Österreich im Hotel Restaurant Hanner. Angefangen hat seine beeindruckende Laufbahn vor rund 16 Jahren in Lech am Arlberg im Sternerestaurant des Hotels Gasthof Post. Heute ist er Mitglied der Wiener Lehrlingsinitiative „Amuse Bouche“ und setzt sich gezielt für die Förderung von Azubis ein.

Der 43-Jährige eignete sich über die Jahre allerlei Kochtechniken an, setzt aber auf das Altbewährte. „Für mich ist eine Mischung aus allem wichtig, ich versuche viele Kochstile zu vereinen, um für mich das Beste rauszuziehen. Dabei setze ich auf die alt-klassische Kochtechnik“, so der neue Küchenchef. Auch sein Lieblingsgericht, das „Beef-Tartar“, spiegelt seine Liebe zur Tradition wieder. „So banal ein Beef-Tartar ist, die Qualität des Fleisches ist schnell erkennbar und der Koch kann viele Variationen daraus zaubern“, sagt Ferstl. In seiner Küche stehen vor allem regionale Produkte und kräuterbasierte Gerichte im Vordergrund, auch bei internationalen Klassikern.

Das Hilton Mainz bietet neue Herausforderungen für den 43-Jährigen: „Das Hotel hat viele Zimmer und viele Gäste, die bekocht werden wollen, und einen Anschluss zur Rheingoldhalle, für die das Hilton Mainz häufig das Catering ausrichtet. Natürlich ist das für mich auch etwas Neues und ich freue mich schon auf die neuen Aufgaben. So ein Neustart als Küchenchef ist immer etwas Besonderes und mit Organisation verbunden. Das Team muss sich aufeinander abstimmen, ich muss die Abläufe kennenlernen – aber als Koch lebt man sich schnell ein. Mir ist es wichtig, dass sich hier jeder einbringen kann – auch der Lehrling kann an der neuen Karte mitarbeiten.“ Auch die Weinregion um Mainz ist für Ferstl eine Neuheit, denn die regionalen Weine, die im Restaurant großer Bestandteil sind, müssen an die regionalen Gerichte und Spezialitäten angepasst werden und bieten viel Freiraum für kreative Kombinationen.

Kochen ist für Ferstl eine Passion und er betont „für mich ist der Job nicht nur ein Beruf, sondern meine Berufung. Man kann ihn nur machen, wenn man diesen liebt und lebt.“

Das Hilton Mainz erwartet einen kulinarischen Wandel und freut sich auf die Kreationen von Ferstl. „Wir sind schon sehr gespannt, was Sascha für unsere Weinstube und die Brasserie zaubern wird. Mit ihm haben wir einen ausgezeichneten Gourmet-Experten an Board, der das gastronomische Angebot für unsere Gäste noch attraktiver macht. Der regionale und traditionelle Charakter seiner Küche passt hervorragend zu unserem Haus. Außerdem freue ich mich besonders im Hilton Mainz einen weiteren Wahl-Wiener begrüßen zu dürfen“, so Hoteldirektor Roland Roessler, der genau wie Ferstl in Wien gearbeitet hat.
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Restaurant Weinstube und Event-Location Brasserie
Das Restaurant Weinstube und die Event-Location Brasserie im Hilton Mainz verwöhnen ihre Gäste mit lokalen und internationalen Spezialitäten. Feine Weine und hochwertige Produkte von regionalen Partnern sorgen für Frische und hervorragende Qualität durch kurze Transportwege. Im Sommer wird auf der wunderschönen Terrasse mit Blick zum Rhein serviert. Das Ambiente, des hellen und freundlichen Restaurants lädt zum Frühstücksbuffet, mittäglichen Lunchbuffet und All-inclusive Dinner-Buffet am Abend ein. Durch die hochwertige Einrichtung der Weinstube wird eine einzigartige Lounge-Atmosphäre kreiert. Das Restaurant bietet seinen Gästen eine große Bandbreite an Gerichten: So stehen neben verschiedensten Vorspeisen und Tapas auch Sous-vide Gerichte, Grillspezialitäten, hausgemachte Suppen, Pasta und Sandwichvariationen auf der Speisekarte, auch für Vegetarier und Veganer gibt es spezielle Gerichte. Das Restaurant ist täglich von 6.30 Uhr bis 23.00 Uhr geöffnet. Das Buffet gibt es von 12 Uhr bis 14.30 Uhr und 18 Uhr bis 23 Uhr. Die Eventlocation Brasserie bietet auf einer exklusiven 300 Quadratmeter großen Veranstaltungsfläche ausreichend Platz für private Banketts mit bis zu 130 Personen und offenbart dabei ein atemberaubendes Flusspanorama.

Hilton Mainz
Das Hilton Mainz ist direkt am Rhein gelegen und nur eine Ecke entfernt von der Mainzer Altstadt. Die moderne und niveauvolle Unterkunft wurde im Jahr 2011 renoviert. Die hoteleigene Terrasse liegt direkt am Rhein und lädt an warmen Sommertagen zum Entspannen ein. Dank der zentralen Lage im Stadtzentrum, befinden sich auch Sehenswürdigkeiten, Geschäfte und die Altstadt in unmittelbarer Nähe. Das Hotel liegt nur 30 Minuten vom internationalen Flughafen Frankfurt entfernt und hat eine gute Anbindung zur Messe Frankfurt und zur Frankfurter Innenstadt. Das Hilton Mainz bietet außerdem einen direkten Zugang zum Congress Centrum Mainz und verfügt darüber hinaus über zehn eigene vielseitige Meetingräume.

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#HiltonMain #HiltonHotels #HotelNews #HotelMarketing #

Bea World 2017: the shortlist has been announced!

Bea World 2017: the shortlist has been announced!

133 out of 296 submissions have made it to Porto, where winners will be awarded on November 17th during the Bea World Festival – Where Creativity Meets Business.
China and Qatar among the 19 countries in the shortlist.

October, 2017 – Countdown to the 12th Best Event Awards, the contest reserved for events and live communication (this year in its first global format), has formally begun with the announcement of the official entries’ shortlist.

133 shortlisted entries, out of 296 total submissions (+7% compared to last year) from 27 countries, will compete this year for the iconic elephant trophies. Winners will be announced and awarded on a glittering night during the Bea World Festival – Where Creativity Meets Business, which will take place in Porto from November 15th to 18th.

The shortlist was announced at the end of an online ballot overseen by a Jury Panel, which includes representatives of top corporate companies with international responsibility and members of national event associations from different countries in the world.

Italy leads the ranking of countries represented with 73 entries, of which 24 made the shortlist. Just behind, Germany with 51 entries and 20 shortlisted, France (22/17), Russia (21/12), Spain (16/5) and the Czech Republic (16/6). Among non-European countries, China stands out with 3 shortlisted events from its total 5 submissions, and Qatar will have 1 challenger from 3 candidates. However, none of the entries submitted by the United Arab Emirates (4), Canada (2) and the USA (1 entry), managed to make the final shortlist.

Entries will compete in 19 categories (14 event categories and 5 feature categories) and 2 macro categories.

All shortlisted agencies will have the opportunity to fly to Porto and present their projects live in front of the audience and the Jury, led this year by Andrea Faflíková, CEEMEA Senior PR & Event Manager of The LEGO Group: a further chance to convey the strengths of the finalist events.

Live presentations will take place on November 16th at Alfandega Porto Congress Center. The following day, the same venue will also host the full programme of conferences and workshops. In the evening, the Rivoli Theatre will become the main venue for the long awaited award ceremony. The last day, November 18th, will be set aside for leisure activities to discover Porto.

Bea World Festival – Where Creativity Meets Business, is a unique and once-in-a-year opportunity to see the world’s best-in-class events live, stay up-to-date with the changing landscape of live communication, develop business and learn from leading experts for future success.

The Festival will be hosted in Porto, between November 15th and 18th 2017, thanks to the collaboration of APECATE, the association that gathers and represents the Portuguese companies of Congresses, Events and Tourism Animation, along with the support of Tourism of Portugal, the Association of Tourism of Porto and the North (ATP), Porto’s City Council and EDP.

The Festival programme and tickets are available via the Bea World Official Website: www.beaworldfestival.com.

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#APECATE #BeaWorld #CEEMEA #LEGO #MICE #MICEnews

Morgen beginnt die erste Berlin-Konferenz Q Berlin Questions

Morgen beginnt die erste Berlin-Konferenz Q Berlin Questions

• Rund 400 internationale Gäste werden am 19. und 20. Oktober im Schiller Theater erwartet

• 25 Top-Speaker präsentieren ihre Ideen: Darunter Friedensnobelpreisträger Muhammad Yunus, Stararchitekt Rem Koolhaas und die wichtige Multimedia-Künstlerin Cao Fei

• Diskutiert werden zentrale Fragen zu Arbeit, Governance, kultureller Identität, sozialer Gerechtigkeit und Urbanisierung

Berlin, 18. Oktober 2017 Morgen feiert die Konferenz Q Berlin Questions Premiere. Am 19. und 20. Oktober werden die großen Herausforderungen in den Bereichen Arbeit, Governance, kulturelle Identität, soziale Gerechtigkeit und Urbanisierung diskutiert. Zur ersten Q Berlin Questions werden rund 400 Teilnehmer im Schiller Theater erwartet. Am Freitag öffnet sich die Konferenz zum Q Marathon für bis zu 600 Berlinerinnen und Berliner.

„Mit Q Berlin Questions hat Berlin erstmals eine eigene internationale Konferenz entwickelt, auf der die großen Fragen unserer Zeit diskutiert werden“, sagt Burkhard Kieker, Geschäftsführer von visitBerlin. „Mit der Idee fürQ sind wir schon bei der Organisation auf große Resonanz gestoßen, viele interessante Sprecher haben zugesagt.“

Impulse zu den fünf Themen geben 25 Top-Speaker, darunter der Friedensnobelpreisträger Muhammad Yunus, der niederländische Stararchitekt Rem Koolhaas, die chinesische Multimedia-Künstlerin Cao Fei, die Politikerin Hlomela Bucwa, jüngstes Mitglieder der Democratic Alliance in Südafrika, der italienische Philosoph Luciano Floridi und der britische Publizist und Stadtforscher Charles Landry. Mit ihren Erfahrungen und Ideen bieten sie einen neuen Blick auf die globalen Fragen der Gegenwart.
Das Schiller Theater wurde extra für die Q von der indischen Star-Architektin und Dozentin der Technischen Universität Berlin, Anupama Kundoo, umgestaltet.

In Berlin verankert: Exkursionen in die Kieze der Stadt
Das Besondere an Q: Die Konferenz bezieht die gesamte Stadt mit ein und macht Berlin zum Schauplatz. Q wird aktuelle Fragen auch aus Sicht des Gastgebers Berlin ausleuchten. Vor-Ort-Recherchen in Berlin sind Bestandteil des Konferenzprogramms. Die Teilnehmer sollen die Herausforderungen und Chancen Berlins erleben, die beispielhaft sind für viele andere Metropolen.

Berliner Persönlichkeiten aus allen Bereichen laden die Konferenzteilnehmer zu privaten Abendessen ein. Immersions in verschiedene Stadtteile knüpfen an die auf der Q diskutierten Themen an: Besucht werden u.a. Berlins neue Mitte mit dem Humboldt Forum, das Viertel rund um den Moritzplatz oder auch das ehemalige Industrie- und Gewerbeareal, auf dem heute der größte Asienmarkt Europas, das Dong Xuan Center, steht.

Konferenz aktiv mitgestalten: Q Marathon
Am zweiten Tag der Konferenz bietet der Q Marathon die Chance, sich aktiv an der Konferenz zu beteiligen und sich direkt mit internationalen Experten auszutauschen. Dazu gibt es ein Live-Programm mit Vorträgen, Diskussionen und Performances. Eröffnet wird der Q Marathon von „BÄM – Berliner Äcademy für Marching Drums“, einem Musikprojekt des deutschen Hip-Hop-Musikers Peter Fox. Das Ticket für den Q Marathon kostet 15 Euro. Karten sind erhältlich unter http://www.q.berlin.

Berlins Markenprofil im Kongress-Segment weiter schärfen
Die internationale Konferenz Q Berlin Questions ist eine Veranstaltung im Auftrag der Stadt Berlin. Mit Q soll die deutsche Hauptstadt im internationalen Umfeld noch stärker als Ort der Toleranz und des offenen Diskurses über die wichtigen Fragen der Gegenwart und ihre Folgen positioniert werden. Q soll Berlins Rolle als Austragungsort für innovative Konferenzen stärken.

Q Berlin Questions wurde von visitBerlin initiiert. Ein Kuratoren-Team unter Beratung von Michael Schindhelm gestaltet die Inhalte der Konferenz. Organisator ist die Curages Conference Management GmbH aus Berlin, die bereits vielfältige Erfahrungen im Bereich der TED-Konferenzen sammeln konnte.

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#VisitBerlin #BerlinBerlin #MICEmedia #MICEnews #MICEindustry

Make it Edinburgh

Make it Edinburgh
New innovative campaign set to bring business tourism events to life
In Scotland’s capital city

Edinburgh is ready to raise its global profile as the business tourism destination of choice for meeting and event planners with the launch of Make it Edinburgh, a landmark campaign celebrating the city’s unique position as a centre of excellence, innovation and heritage.

For the very first time in its history, Edinburgh’s diverse business tourism offering will be presented under a single, cohesive creative and digital strategy. The overarching strapline, ‘Make it Edinburgh’, ties together an integrated campaign that celebrates and promotes Edinburgh’s strongest sectors of industry, while providing compelling reasons to choose Edinburgh for future events.

Amanda Ferguson, Head of Business Tourism at Convention Edinburgh said: “Edinburgh has been criticised in the past for not being as ‘joined up’ as other competitor cities, but this campaign will prove otherwise. Never before has the city undertaken a marketing campaign on this scale, bringing together private sector partners, working collaboratively through Marketing Edinburgh, the city’s Destination Marketing Organisation.

“The message we aim to promote is that Edinburgh is synonymous with innovation, discovery and thinking, a rich history of heritage, full of inspiring locations, buildings and people. Hence conference organisers should ‘Make it Edinburgh’. The campaign gives us a powerful collective voice that will help us develop our business tourism offering and promote Edinburgh’s world leading Centres of Excellence.”

‘Make it Edinburgh’ has been made possible by the collaboration of private and public organisations operating in the conference and meeting industry. The biggest ever joint partnership of its kind within the city, a £40,000 investment by the VisitScotland Growth Fund has match-funded support from flagship partners: Convention Edinburgh, Edinburgh Hotel Association, Edinburgh Airport, Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Tourism Action Group.

Edinburgh’s Centres of Excellence, a key driver for business tourism, take centre stage in the campaign, focusing on six priority sectors in which Edinburgh excels across research and academia, as well as industry and enterprise. Progress and innovation across Technology, Life Sciences, Creative Industries, Food and Drink, Renewable Energy and Financial Services will all be showcased throughout the 12-month integrated media and marketing campaign.

Despite Edinburgh’s continued popularity as a meeting destination, external factors such as ongoing uncertainty from Brexit, a potential second Scottish Independence Referendum and the rise of subvention funding incentives by competitor cities, had been identified by Edinburgh’s business tourism leaders as a potential threat to future growth. The new campaign aims to mitigate these industry challenges facing the city.

‘Make it Edinburgh’ will also align with VisitScotland’s Business Events’ soon to launch national business events campaign, Legends. By focusing on Edinburgh’s leading sectors, ‘Make it Edinburgh’ can seamlessly integrate with VisitScotland’s planned activation and the Scottish Government’s 2020 Tourism Strategy Delivery Group.

Neil Brownlee, Head of Business Events at VisitScotland, said: “Business events are vital to the Scottish economy and are an integral way of promoting this country as a place to live, work, visit and invest. With its wealth of world-class venues, attractions and expertise, Edinburgh has a huge amount to offer the meetings industry and we are delighted to support this exciting new marketing campaign through the VisitScotland Growth Fund.”

Convention Edinburgh and its partners secured 114 meetings for the city last year, generating over £74 million for the local economy. With the majority of meetings and conferences taking place in the quieter shoulder months, business tourism is a key economic driver for the city, benefiting not only venues and accommodations providers, but a wide range of local businesses including restaurants, taxi companies, florists and photographers.

Second only to London in the UK for international conferences, and ranked 27th in the ICCA Global City Index, Edinburgh’s worldwide reputation as a business tourism destination is widely recognised. A compact city that is easily walkable and accessible, Edinburgh offers unique combination of rich heritage assets and stunning architecture, paired with an unrivalled knowledge base generated from the city’s four universities and research hubs.

Partner quotes:
Tristan Nesbitt, Chair, Edinburgh Hotel Association said: “With over 20,000 hotel beds available, Edinburgh’s impressive and diverse accommodation offering is an important part in the city’s appeal as a business tourism destination. This campaign will create an essential platform to more effectively showcase Edinburgh’s hotels and their services.”

Marshall Dallas, Chief Executive, Edinburgh International Conference Centre said: “As Edinburgh’s biggest flagship conference space, it was essential that the new campaign showcased the city’s first-class venue offering. By working together, we are able to amplify our business tourism messaging and reach new audiences.”

Rob Lang, Head of Marketing, Edinburgh Airport said: “With 188 routes from 130 destinations, Edinburgh is better connected today than ever before. There’s no better time to showcase how simple it is for delegates and organisers to arrange events here in Edinburgh. ‘Make it Edinburgh’ puts accessibility at the heart of the campaign.”

Scott Mitchell, Commercial Director, Royal College of Surgeon Edinburgh said: “With Life Sciences identified as one of Edinburgh’s seven Centres of Excellence, this campaign offers a fantastic opportunity for the Royal College of Surgeons to showcase one of the city’s many historic venues, as an alternative for business tourism.”

Robin Worsnop, Chair, Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) said: “One of ETAG’s primary objectives is to enable more effective collaboration within Edinburgh’s tourism sector and its community. ‘Make it Edinburgh’ is the ideal example of a joined-up approach that will bring positive and far-reaching benefits for the city, beyond the partners involved.

‘Make it Edinburgh’ officially launched on 19 October 2017. A full digital media campaign will roll out from January 2018.

For more information on Edinburgh as a business tourism destination, visit: www.makeitedinburgh.com or follow @conventions on Twitter and www.linkedin.com/company/edinburgh-convention-bureau

For more information on VisitScotland Growth Funding and its support for collaborative tourism marketing projects, visit: www.visitscotland.org/growthfund

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#MakeitEdinburgh #ETAG #Edinburgh #MICEnews #VisitScotland

GLOBAL DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AWARD

INCON 2017 PRESS RELEASE:
Industry wide digital infrastructure award opens

Entries from leading meeting venues are expected for this year’s Digital Infrastructure Award, which opened at IMEX America today. The global award spearheaded by INCON and supported by: IACC, ICCA, the ICEBERG, Best Cities, IMEX and AMI magazine encourages the development of best in class Digital Infrastructure in meetings venues around the world. Daejeon Convention Centre from South Korea and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre were joint winners of the 2017 Award. Previous winners included: Austria Center Vienna, MCEC and Darmstadtium.

At the launch, Carol McGury, INCON Co-Chair and Executive Vice President of Smith Bucklin remarked “INCON partners value the calibre of the submissions for this prestigious award. We look forward to seeing leading facilities submit their entries and showcasing the best in class meeting venues”.

Bob Heile award judge explains “the quality of the digital infrastructure that venues provide can make or break an event, not to mention just providing a positive experience for the delegates who just want to stay connected”. Bob is a founding and still active member of IEEE 802.11, the standard behind Wi-Fi. He has been involved in effectively writing the rule-book for wireless standards for the past 27 years. He organizes and participates in more than six different conferences on WIFI and digital communications annually where he tests at first hand the quality of digital communications in venues across the globe. Bob together with an international panel of judges will review the nominations and the winners will be announced at IMEX Frankfurt in May 2018.

INCON looks forward to receive entries for this year’s award. An application can be completed from the INCON website: www.incon-pco.com/award. There is no entry fee. All it takes for a venue to be considered is to fill in an application with full details about your venue and return it by 28th February 2018.

Press enquiries can be taken as follows:
Angela Guillemet, Executive Director, INCON
T: +353 86 311 40 67
E: angela@incon-pco.com
W: www.incon-pco.com

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#INCON #IACC #ICCA, #ICEBERG #BestCities #IMEX #AMImagazine #MICE #MICEnews

The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre Celebrates its First Year Anniversary

The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre Celebrates its First Year Anniversary with it’s 101^st Event

Muscat – October 10, 2017 – The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) is pleased to celebrate their first year of business on 10 October 2017. To date, OCEC has hosted 101 events and welcomed over 750,000 visitors who have attended a variety of events and helped to boost the local economy.

OCEC inaugurated the opening of the first phase; 22,000sqm of exhibition space, last year with their first event, Infra Oman organised by Al Nimr Expo. The event was such a success with increased demand that InfraOman is back again to the same venue for the 7^th International Exhibition for Infrastructure & Industrial Projects, marking OCEC’s 101^st event on its first anniversary on 10 October.

Much more is to come, as December will feature OCEC’s first international events with the ACI Airport Exchange 2017 (Conference and Exhibition), bringing the world’s airport community to the Gulf for the largest event in the Airport Council International’s calendar, and just ahead of the anticipated opening of the new Muscat International Airport. This will be closely followed by the second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, which places Oman’s rich heritage in the world’s spotlight as over 65 ministers from around the globe have confirmed their attendance.

This is just the beginning for the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, as they have successfully won bids for 11 major regional and international conferences with the support of the local authorities and organisations in Oman such as the Oman Convention Bureau, Oman Air, OAMC, Hotels, Destination Management Companies, Professional Conference Organisers, Omran and various local associations. OCEC is working diligently on international bids for events scheduled as far ahead as 2024.

Trevor McCartney, General Manager of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, says: “I am delighted to be able to welcome Salim Al Hashmi, General Manager and the team at Al Nimr International Exhibition Organisers back to OCEC and wish them a successful event and we look forward to many more years of collaboration ahead.”

This marks a milestone as OCEC is set to unveil yet another phase that is to launch soon and includes a tiered theatre with 3,200 seats, a 450-seat auditorium, two ballrooms for banquets for up to 1,200 guests, 20 meeting rooms with a capacity of up to 360 delegates, hospitality suites and a VIP pavilion.

The precinct includes a JW Marriott Hotel (five star) linked to the Convention Centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel (four star) which represent 600 hotel rooms in total The OCEC precinct is a key component of Madinat al Irfan – the stunning new urban lifestyle development being developed by Omran (Oman Tourism Development Company), the master developer for OCEC and many other tourism projects in Oman.

-Ends-

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Editor’s Notes

About OCEC

The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is located in its own fully integrated precinct only four kilometres from Muscat International Airport. The design of the Centre will ensure a flow of the meeting spaces to suit the most discerning conference and exhibition organisers. It also incorporates expansive concourse areas to enable ease of large delegations with floor to ceiling windows overlooking landscaped gardens and water features.

The Centre will feature two tiered auditoriums to seat 3,200 and 456, while the five exhibition halls feature 22,396 square metres of column-free exhibition space. Hall 1 acts as a multi-purpose space for plenary sessions, concerts, performances and gala dinners on a larger scale. Halls 1 & 2 combined can seat over 10,000 seated in theatre-style.

The Centre will also include an additional 20 meeting rooms for 25-360 delegates, a Grand Ballroom to seat up to 1,200 guests, a Junior Ballroom to seat up to 540 guests for a banquet, 10 hospitality suites, and a VIP Pavilion. In total the Centre offers over 55 meeting space options plus a multi-storey car park with a capacity for 4,000 vehicles.

The Precinct will provide the infrastructure necessary to host successful international, regional and local events and is there for the enjoyment of delegates, visitors and the local community. The precinct includes a JW Marriott Hotel (five star) linked to the Convention Centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel (four star). A business park and a retail shopping mall, surrounded by a nature reserve which will be a haven for Oman’s exotic birdlife, together with parklands and a wadi (valley) park, are also part of this picturesque precinct.

About AEG Ogden

AEG Ogden is part of AEG Facilities of the United States, a division of AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company.

AEG Ogden manages venues throughout the Asia Pacific and Middle East, including convention and exhibition centres in Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Kuala Lumpur, Oman, and the ICC Sydney; Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane; and arenas including the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and adjacent Sports Centre, Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Perth Arena, and Dubai Arena (opening December 2018). AEG Ogden is also the owner of National Basketball League (NBL) team, the Sydney Kings. More information aegogden.com

In addition, AEG Facilities operates the Los Angeles Convention Centre, Hawaii Convention Centre, and Puerto Rico Convention Centre. More information aegworldwide.com

About OMRAN
Omran drives investment, growth and development of the rapidly growing tourism and real-estate sectors in the Sultanate of Oman. We are the master developers of major tourism, heritage and urban developments, delivering some of nation’s most iconic destinations. Our projects create unique experiences that benefit the social and economic growth of the Sultanate.

Omran has a diverse portfolio of developments, hospitality assets and joint ventures that span across the Sultanate and contribute to growing the capacity of the Oman’s tourism sector. Our key projects include Madinat Al Irfan Urban Centre; a 7.4 million sqm mixed-use development designed to the best international standards in urban planning and strategically linked to the nearby Muscat International Airport and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre; the Sultanate’s upcoming flagship business centre. Madinat Al Irfan will generate significant inbound revenues, and through Public Private Partnerships will increase capital retention within the local economy which is estimated to contribute OMR 450-500 million annually to the Sultanate’s GDP upon completion.

We are also the master developers of Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront, that is set to be the leading authentic waterfront destination in the region. The project is centered around the timeless scenery of Muttrah’s historic port, fort and mountains. The first phase of the waterfront will be delivered in time for the upcoming global events in the region such as Expo 2020 and the FIFA 2022 World Cup. It will consist of various hospitality, lifestyle, and entertainment, cultural zones as well as residential units that will redefine the experience of Muscat and provide investors with a significant opportunity to participate in a unique and unparalleled marketplace offering.

We develop relationships that create solid foundations for future economic diversification and prosperity of Oman, as well as providing outstanding long-term investment opportunities for private and public sector companies. Omran’s proven track record of delivering tourism projects to a world-class standards is an outcome of our commitment to integrity, transparency and collaboration. By working in partnership with local communities and embracing the unique aspects of Oman’s culture and heritage, we built sustainability into every project while safeguarding the natural beauty of the country for the future generations.

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#OMAN #OCEC #MICE #MICEnews #ConventionCentre #DMC #DestinationMarketing