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

Excellence Squared Announce New Chief Operating Officer to Lead Expansion into the Americas

#MICEnews

Excellence Squared Announce New Chief Operating Officer to Lead Expansion into the America

London England – Excellence Squared announced the appointment of Vicki Simmons, CMP, as its new Chief Operating Officer, with the primary function of developing the North American market for the company. Excellence Squared offers assessments in Leadership and Management, Customer Service, Governance, Supply Chain Management, Care Homes, and more.  Its newest addition is the Quality Venue and Safe Venue Standards which enable venues to undertake an assessment of all aspects of it management, operations and physical attributes, to determine areas of strength and opportunity.

“We are excited to have someone with Vicki’s leadership experience and extensive knowledge of meetings, professional education and associations join our team,” said Paul Bridle, CEO of Excellence Squared, an international company headquartered in the UK. “She is the right person to help us expand our international business and head up our North American operation. In addition to the tremendous knowledge she brings to the table, she shares our values, and our passion for helping businesses improve their performance.”

Ms. Hawarden’s most recent role was as managing partner for Association Resource Consultants (ARC), a company focused on advising and assisting associations with leadership and governance, as well as revenue generation. Before joining ARC, Ms. Hawarden served as President and CEO of the International Association of Venue Managers and the IAVM Foundation. In that role, she was instrumental in nearly doubling the membership and turning the association around from significant deficits to stable contributions to reserves. New initiatives launched under her leadership included the Certified Venue Professional designation and Coherent GovernanceTM. Her past experience also includes senior executive roles for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events and Meeting Professionals International. At MPI, as VP of Events she was instrumental in creating the first meetings and events standards for North America, for which she received a Chair’s Citation.

“I have spent my entire 30-year career in the meetings, exhibition and association communities and I deeply believe they deliver tremendous value to their members, attendees and society as a whole,” said Hawarden. “The work done by Excellence Squared creates a partnership with those we assess, to help them truly understand and improve their business performance. In particular, I’m thrilled we will be able to partner with associations on the leadership and management standard, to help CEOs and boards better understand how to work together to deliver value to members, and to partner with venues to ensure they are able to exceed client and guest expectations, every time.” Said Harden.

Excellence Squared has over 20 years of experience as an accredited assessment service, as well as an advisory and consultancy provider. The company holds some contracts to deliver assessment and advisory services on behalf of government, and has been leading the way in developing new approaches that ensure value for the customer.

#MICE #MICEbusiness #PressRelease

Association Focus & Evening offer superb education

Association Focus & Evening offer superb education and networking opportunities at IMEX America 2015

Increasing revenues, designing better meetings and using mobile technologies in meetings are among the engaging subjects to be explored at Association Focus, a key part of IMEX America’s Smart Monday education program on 12 October 2015 in Las Vegas.

This special educational event, designed by IMEX together with ASAE and ICCA, is packed with fascinating discussions and insightful presentations led by an inspiring group of engaging speakers including industry professionals and independent specialists.

Taking place at the Venetian®| The Palazzo® Congress Center, the free event is exclusively for association executives. More than 180 association professionals from over 15 countries are expected to attend.

The day will be packed with motivating sessions where delegates can boost their knowledge and gather valuable insights and advice from peers and experts that will be helpful both in running associations as well as their events. The event also offers superb opportunities for association executives to network with peers and experts from across the globe.

After a networking lunch, delegates will first have a choice of three tracks. The ICCA session is ‘What’s Your Story?’ Led by Betsy Bair of Penton Media, Lisa Astorga, CMP of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis and Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA, it starts from the premise that every association meeting is a chance to tell a great story – so how can associations make the most of these stories and opportunities?

At the same time, Willis Turner, CEO of Sales & Marketing Executives International Inc and Shelly Alcorn, Principal of Alcorn Associates will explore the potential role and opportunities to use gaming to increase loyalty and engagement.

Dedicated Executive Track
The dedicated ASAE Executive Track will open with ‘The Journey to Great Governance’, presented by Susan Robertson, CAE, Executive Vice President, ASAE, highlighting best practice in how non-profit boards of directors can fulfil their roles in living up to public and stakeholder expectations. This will be followed by Amy Hissrich, VP Web Strategies & Communications at ASAE explaining how mobile technologies can be used to maximise results from meetings.

Meanwhile delegates can also choose to learn about increasing non-due revenues in international markets from Faris Abouhamad of the International Advertising Association and Steen Jakobsen of Dubai Business Events. Alternatively, they can hear from John Folks and Katie Callahan-Giobbi of Mindingyourbusiness on measuring the attendee experience – and how different approaches can help to design a better meeting.

A packed day of education will be followed by a superb social event – Association Evening – which will feature Cocktails and Canapés at the stunning ‘indoor-outdoor’ Foxtail Nightclub, SLS Las Vegas; a fantastic opportunity to network with peers and invited exhibitors in a relaxed environment.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group says: “Association Focus is a unique event in North America – bringing together association executives from around the US and the world to network and learn with each other in a private environment. We work hard with the market to ensure that the education sessions are highly relevant and delivered by first class educators. The Association Evening is a great culmination to the day and we are excited this year to be at a beautiful new poolside venue – it promises to be spectacular.”

For more details about IMEX America’s Association Focus and Evening and to register http://www.imexamerica.com/events/education/association-focus/

Please click here to download the Association Focus & Evening Brochure and to apply.

To attend Association Focus, delegates must first be registered as either a Hosted Buyer or a Visitor for the IMEX America trade show taking place on 13 – 15th October at Sands Expo® and The Venetian®| The Palazzo® Las Vegas. The Association Evening is also open to exhibitors who are members of one of the supporting industry associations – ICCA, ASAE, AIPC, IAEE, IACC, DMAI, PCMA, IAPCO. More information on the evening can be found at: http://www.imexamerica.com/events/networking-events/association-evening/

The education providers for Association Focus are ASAE and ICCA. SLS Las Vegas is the evening host sponsor.

ibtm arabia delivers new format MICE event for the Gulf Region

ibtm arabia delivers new format MICE event for the Gulf Region

International Hosted Buyers from 36 countries representing key and influential planners of MICE business have descended on Abu Dhabi for an exclusive closed door one-to-one meeting format in a revamped ibtm arabia (formerly GIBTM).

Opening at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi today, the event will be the only one in the region to introduce international buyers from Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and the Middle East, all representing leading corporations, associations, and agencies, to a mix of suppliers from the region and overseas.

With twice as many exhibitors as GIBTM 2014, 24 will be participating for the first time. There will also be 5 new countries represented including Scotland, Ethiopia, Japan, Mexico and Canada.

“ibtm arabia’s successful introduction is an endorsement of the strength of Abu Dhabi’s MICE proposition and proves we have evolved an established industry event to make it more relevant for delegates, buyers and exhibitors,” said Mubarak Al Shamisi, Director of the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, a division of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).

The new exhibition format provides a platform for Abu Dhabi’s MICE sector to introduce new products and services, and present their products to industry experts specialising in a number of diverse fields such as international corporate groups and the expanding local wedding business, and promote packages to the local and GCC markets.

The “new” event brings everyone together for three days during which they will participate in “Discovery Day” where both buyers and suppliers get a taste of Abu Dhabi, and the experiences it offers for the MICE industry, followed by the opportunity to attend the ibtm arabia Knowledge Forum giving inspiration from two thought provoking speakers. Two days of business will follow, where over 3000 appointments will be held between buyers and suppliers with a diary of up to 30 appointments for each of them, plus networking and social events will bring everyone together.

“The significance of ibtm arabia is fundamental to the continuing growth of the MICE sector and has been built on the success of GIBTM. This new format however, creates a community for this industry, and for the first time everyone will work, learn and network together giving endless opportunities to meet, connect and do business as well as make new friends. ibtm arabia offers real exclusivity and with the quality of both buyers and suppliers, matched to have real influence on each other, we believe this new formula can enhance the experience of all our attendees,” said Lois Wilcox, Exhibition Manager ibtm arabia.

Highlights of ibtm arabia include: Discovery Day, Knowledge Forum, Pre-scheduled appointments, 9 networking events.

For further information please visit www.ibtmarabia.com

 

IBTM AFRICA NOW ACCEPTING HOSTED BUYER APPLICATIONS

IBTM AFRICA NOW ACCEPTING HOSTED BUYER APPLICATIONS#

www.ibtmafrica.com/hbapply

Hosted Buyer applications are now being accepted for ibtm africa 2015 (www.ibtmafrica.com), a highly targeted, exclusive event for Africa’s incentives and meetings industry, taking place at the Cape Town Convention Centre from 13 – 15 April 2015.

ibtm africa offers an exclusive opportunity for top level international decision makers to connect and engage with African and Indian Ocean exhibitors including destinations, venues, hotels, DMC’s and MICE support services over three days of one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, networking and education.

In addition to their diary of up to 36 pre-scheduled business appointments with MICE exhibitors, qualified buyers will benefit from complimentary accommodation and transfers as well as a substantial contribution towards international flights to Cape Town and will have the opportunity to apply to attend a post event tour.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager for ibtm africa, comments: “Africa holds enormous potential for the MICE industry with great investment in infrastructure. The rapidly growing demand for meetings industry suppliers within Africa has been reflected in the unprecedented interest witnessed from international Hosted Buyers who applied to attend the first ibtm africa and is expected to pave the way for the 2015 event.”

Suresh Puri, Spice Travel, India who was a Hosted buyer at last year’s show commented: “It’s very well organised and full of quality and I see it on both sides not only as a buyer but also the exhibitors, who are representing the region very adequately. So my impression is that the intimate one-to-one sessions give buyers an opportunity and an insight into the products the region has to offer, my compliments to Reed Exhibitions.”

Meetings and incentives professionals who apply to attend this event as Hosted Buyers will be qualified under strict criteria including their purchasing authority, their annual MICE business, their annual budget and future business to place in Africa. They will also be first-time attendees at ibtm africa. Successful applicants will be senior decision makers from the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, South America and Russia, therefore representing a cross-section of the most senior meeting and incentives planners in the industry.

The second edition of ibtm africa, taking place in Cape Town (13-15 April) as part of Africa Travel Week, will bring together up to 60 African and Indian Ocean suppliers and international buyers over three days for business, networking and education.

To find out more about ibtm africa or to register to attend as a Hosted Buyer, please visit www.ibtmafrica.com

 

STRONG INTEREST FROM REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HOSTED BUYERS FOR IBTM AMERICA

STRONG INTEREST FROM REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HOSTED BUYERS FOR IBTM AMERICA
“Exhibitors requesting buyers according to their objectives”

Working in partnership with ibtm america exhibitors, the new format 2015 event is in the process of recruiting buyers who exhibitors have specifically requested according to their business objectives. Registrations are currently being qualified and already represent some of the leading associations across the US including: Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, National Air Traffic Controllers Association and National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates, that have been confirmed to attend the show.

Qualified corporate buyers attending the show also include The Wendy’s Company, (ISC)2, Mars Petcare, Wintrust Mortgage and Sharp Healthcare among others.

Hosted Buyers will come from North America, South America, Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa, and are qualified under a strict criteria that includes; proof of their purchasing authority, annual U.S. and international meetings and events business organised, confirmation of their annual budget and future business to place at ibtm america.

The new show format will have up to 250 suppliers who will meet with 250 carefully selected planners in the US and international MICE industry on a 1:1 ratio. All exhibitors and buyers select who they would like to have appointments with and a sophisticated software system matches the preferences of buyers and suppliers resulting in up to 30 pre-scheduled mutually matched appointments.

Taking advantage of this new dynamic event format, exhibitors already confirmed to attend ibtm america 2015 include Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (U.S.), Dolce Hotels & Resorts (U.S.), etouches (U.S.), Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (U.S.), Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce (U.S.), Jamaica Tourist Board (Jamaica), Langham Hotels International (Hong Kong), Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau (U.S.), Marriott International Inc (U.S.), quickmobile (Canada), Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB (U.S.) and Wyndham Hotel Group (U.S.).

“Hosted Buyer registration has begun and the process of building this new community is taking shape. When everyone is onsite, those attending ibtm america will join together for tailored networking events, and the inspirational ibtm america professional Knowledge Forum, part of Discovery Day,” said Jaime Rosov, ibtm america Event Director.

To find out more about ibtm america 2015, please visit www.ibtmamerica.com